Traveling for about a month

[gurevitz]

Hi All,

I live in Israel and will be traveling to the USA for a month. I have questions on how to bring enough insulin with me for my entire trip. I have calculated I need 20 pens (Novorapid,lyxumia, and toujeo ). I can buy large enough Frio insulin coolers for the trip. Do I then put the insulin back in the fridge once I reach my destination? My route to the US is Tel Aviv to London (5 hours) , 3 hours in London, and then 10 hours to Orlando, Florida. I have a small two pen Frio cooler to bring with me for the days when I am outside in warm summer Florida.

Thanks for the help,
Eric

 

[Lucyr]

If you’re only going for a month, then the insulin doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge unless the room temperature is too warm (guessing it might be hot in Florida!) So you could keep the insulin either in the frio or in the fridge, just remember to resoak the frios every few days to keep them topped up.

 

[gurevitz]

I am currently booked for 31 days in the USA. According to the NovoRapid web site their flexpen can be out of the fridge for 28 days. For, Lyxumia they say the pen needs to be used within 14 days once removed from the fridge. Luckily, Toujeo can be out for 56 days. Any suggestions for NovoRapid and Lyxumia? Maybe I will just make my trip shorter.

Eric

 

[PattiEvans]

I have travelled for periods over a month to both Australia and Greece. I use a frio and then put the insulin in a fridge where available. However, make sure you don't pack the frio into a full bag with no air circulation around it, or it won’t work properly. Also take the boxes, flattened, to put the insulin in when you put it in the fridge, as insulin is light sensitive. I know the inside of a fridge is dark, but it depends how often the fridge door will be opened. Incidentally you can get reusable pens for Novorapid (not sure about Toujeo or Lyxumia) and just take the cartridges of insulin which take up far less space than the disposable pens.

 

[SB2015]

. Also take the boxes, flattened, to put the insulin in when you put it in the fridge, as insulin is light sensitive

13 years in and I didn’t know that the insulin is light sensitive!! It is no doubt included in the PIL but I have definitely missed that big. Every day is a learning day.

 

[helli]

@gurevitz you trip sounds fun.
Are you able to get reusable pens? The cartridges take up much less space than full on pens and are easier to carry around, as well as being better for the environment and more robust.

Don't forget to take more insulin, strips, etc. than you think you need and have a great time.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I am currently booked for 31 days in the USA. According to the NovoRapid web site their flexpen can be out of the fridge for 28 days. For, Lyxumia they say the pen needs to be used within 14 days once removed from the fridge. Luckily, Toujeo can be out for 56 days. Any suggestions for NovoRapid and Lyxumia? Maybe I will just make my trip shorter.

Eric

Would be a shame to cut your trip short @gurevitz

Be a little careful with hotel / holiday accommodation fridges, and make sure that they cool relatively evenly, and are set to a reasonable temperature to avoid any risk of freezing - insulin is spoiled if it freezes.

You will also need to carry all your supplies in your hand luggage (temperatures in the hold risk freezing) - which may be another motivation to move away from disposable pens as reusable pens/cartridges are so much more efficient, space-wise 🙂

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Sally71]

An extra 3 days out of the fridge is unlikely to make any difference at all to the Novorapid, they don’t just go off at midnight on the dot after the 28 days. The stated times are just a guideline beyond which the manufacturer can’t guarantee that it will be OK. We’ve used insulin that’s been out longer than that and had no problems.

 

[gurevitz]

Thank you all for your help.

How do I know if the Novorapid is bad? I plan to carry it on the plane in a frio pack. Door to door travel is about 24 hours. Is there any solution for the Lyxumia (Lixisenatide)? It says 14 days outside the fridge and I need to take a total of 3 with me as each pen is good for 14 nights.

Eric

 

[Sally71]

I don’t know about Lyxumia, but Novorapid should be clear like water, if it goes cloudy or appears to have crystals in it don’t use it. If it looks normal then I would try it, the worst that can happen is that it won’t work and you’ll know pretty quickly if your blood sugars go up and won’t come down again, in which case ditch it and use another one. I don’t think I’ve ever yet had insulin that didn’t work, nor has my mum and she’s had type 1 for 54 years, i think it’s tougher than you are led to believe 🙂

(Don’t let it freeze though, apparently that does kill it!)

 

[PattiEvans]

Thank you all for your help.

How do I know if the Novorapid is bad? I plan to carry it on the plane in a frio pack. Door to door travel is about 24 hours. Is there any solution for the Lyxumia (Lixisenatide)? It says 14 days outside the fridge and I need to take a total of 3 with me as each pen is good for 14 nights.

Eric

You'll know when the insulin has gone off, and it happens gradually not overnight, when it slowly becomes less and less effective. However, you are going to the USA and Novorapid is available there as Novolog.

 

[PattiEvans]

Be a little careful with hotel / holiday accommodation fridges, and make sure that they cool relatively evenly, and are set to a reasonable temperature to avoid any risk of freezing - insulin is spoiled if it freezes.

I didn't want to admit this, but during my 5 week stay in Greece where we had self catering, I thought the fridge was a little over-cold, so I threw my insulin into the door shelf still in the Frio as I thought it would give it some protection. It kept it just perfect!