How many months past expiration date will they function? I'm getting very good mileage from my sensors, and could end up using them 3-6 months past the date.
I have the same question as all of mine just expired this week, but I still have 1 box left (since they last 3-4 weeks for me).
I used many sensors 3-6 months past their expiration date. I have not noticed any degradation in their accuracy. I suspect that the item most sensitive to aging is the enzyme that's placed at the sensor tip.
In any case, I believe that the expiration date has built into it a safety factor. It's probably a conservative date that Dexcom can back up with a high percentage of confidence that the sensor will work. It's important that the sensors be stored in a temperature appropriate location for a reasonable expectation of use beyond their published date.
Your question raises another topic. Please forgive me for veering off topic. Since I order based on 1/week and use at a rate of about 0.5/week, I decided to order less often than I am eligible. I used to order 4x/year but the unused sensors pile up too quickly and I'm faced with using expired sensors, a less than ideal situation. By ordering less frequently I can still develop a reasonable quantity of "extra" sensors (to satisfy my instinct to hoard!), accrue some financial benefit yet avoid piling up a huge overstock and face wasting sensors.
We've used expired Dex sensors well past the 6-month date, with no problems! Our insurance does not cover sensors, unfortunately, so often I buy off of ebay or other venues, at times folks sell boxes close to expiration very cheaply, and that's a blessing for this single mom. :-)
I was figuring one every 2 weeks, but I'm getting 4+ weeks out of them without any issues, so those 12 sensors might last a while.
Wow. Good to hear. As with everything else about this stuff that exceeds FDA guidelines, I've been really wary about actually using expired sensors specifically because a part of them goes inside of you, and if that enzyme has gone 'off', that's gross to think about. Thanks for leading the way on this. I feel a bit better about using stockpiled sensors.
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Bump. I just received several boxes of sensors that expire Feb 8th given to me from a coworker that does not need them.
Anyone use them past the expiration lately? (This is an old discussion so would like some current feedback)
Thanks!
At my current rate my stockpile of sensors will start to expire before I use them. My strategy has been to keep them in the refrigerator in an effort to extend their life. I don’t have any specific experience with expired sensors, but I would not that sensors do have a shorter life than even insulin.
Where did you hear that you can store them in the fridge?
Store the sensor at temperatures between 36°F-77°F for the length of the sensor’s shelf life. You may store the sensor in the refrigerator if it is within this temperature range. The sensor should not be stored in the freezer.
I take that to mean that storing it at room temperatures above 77 degF is not good and that storing it in the fridge is good.