I just started on my second vial of Levemir and realized that the first one seemed to last 50 days (refrigerated) despite the package stating that it was only good for 42 days. On this, day 51, I found that blood sugars were going up and staying there. I’d like to hear of others’ experiences so that I can better judge when to start a new vial, in order to stay healthy while minimizing costs. I take 2 Levemir injections each day, if that is significant. Thanks!
ive been on levemir for a couple years now. i dont refrigerate cuz it sort a burns when injected cold. i just keep it with my other insulins in my little bag. a while ago my sugars were way up also. i decided i needed to find a shootable place that was not used. i did thighs - makes pockets quickly. arms and midriff. ive gotten to perfect for the am bs. brought my a1c down by 1 pt. my evening bs is high cuz i dont eat right. but im trying. anyway. i just refill when im out but maybe your insurance is more picky. also, i take my shots 12 hours apart with a variance of 2 hours if necessary. I do the 12 hours pretty faithfully. good luck, cheery love
I wouldn’t keep insulin in the fridge once you open it, because it can burn. However, if you got a FRIO wallet, you could keep it in that during hot weather, which should help it last a bit longer.
An alternative would be to keep the insulin in the fridge, but fill 2 syringes for later use, and keep the filled syringes in your kit, at room temperature.
That way, the insulin you are using that day will be room temperature, but the rest of it will stay fresher. Since you are already using syringes and vials, this will be easy to do. Just carefully recap the syringes so they are clean and ready to use. If I was using small enough amounts that a vial lasted that long, that’s what I would do.
The one you use in the morning will still be cold, from being just filled from a cold vial, but you can warm in in your hands until the chill is gone. That way it shouldn’t burn. Or you could fill them as soon as you wake up, and then have your shower, get dressed, and then do your shot. That would give it some time to warm up.
Cold Levemir doesn’t burn as much as cold Lantus does, but why have any burning at all, when it just takes a little planning?
The levemir website (or leaflet) dictates storage of the pens by refrigeration UNTIL the first use. Then the website (or leaflet) actually tells you specifically not to refrigerate your pen once you put it into use. I provided a link below to the page where you can see the manufacturer storage and travel indications: