Greetings all, this is my go to place for all diabetic questions. I just experienced a feeling of horror when I found a box of Lantus pens still in the brown paper cvs bag and not refrigerated. From the date it appears that it was picked up about 3 weeks ago.
I did ask a few people & got different responses… But my question is, can I still use it? I would hate not to, and if I can, my first shot would be in the morning.
Any information would be appreciated.
What temperatures was it subjected to in the paper bag? I would say if it never exceeded room temperature of 75 degrees or so it should be ok but if it reached excessive temperatures, like inside a car or in direct sunlight I wouldn’t risk it…
They say its good for a month outside the fridge after its been opened— mail order international pharmacies state that it can go for a month at room temperature before its opened and then a month after— whether they are stretching the truth or not I am not sure.
Thanx for the reply! I wouldn’t say extreme temps because even though it’s summer, it was in a dark area. Definitely not in a car or direct sunlight. I’ve been looking it up all evening & have found similar info.
I hate to tell you this but Lantus is pretty fragile. The information from the manufacturer suggests that you can store Lantus unopened at room temperature for 28 days and then it should be discarded. I believe the correct interpretation of the storage criteria is that Lantus should be discarded after expiration if stored in the fridge or after 28 days at room temperature (less than 86 deg F).
As to whether it will still work the answer is likely, but you should alert to premature failure.
Sterility will not be effected so using it is still safe. What may happen is it will degrade faster and when you use it you may/will start to notice that as it goes off your numbers will creep up.
The only way to know for sure if it has degraded is to try it out and see. If you get the same kind of fasting BG numbers you have had before then good. If you get fasting creep then know you need to replace it with freshly obtained lantus.
Thanx for the replies Brian & 2hobbit1… I took a shot this morning & so far so good. I’m still upset that this happened at all but, I’m hoping it works out ok.
If you get a feel for how well it is working compared to what it should be doing, then you could slowly up your dose to compensate for degradation if/as it happens.
The important thing to be very sure of is that you record what your "before" dose rates are so that when you go back to correctly stored lantus you can return to your "regular" dosing schedule/amount so you will not have the crash and burn from hell.
With the way things go with insurance coverage, I can totally understand you concerns and hope that you can get at least a portion of the lantus to work so your not out of pocket for a replacement script.I think it will probably be ok, the only way to know is to try it and see, just test yourself and keep an eye on things. I'm using insulin that was too cooled but not completely frozen and it is fine. It was just too much to throw out. I think it fairs better if it gets warmer than recommended as opposed to cooler.
I understand… I just couldn’t bear to throw it away. So far it seems to be working ok, my fasting numbers have been pretty much the same.
Or increase the dose if it is working but attenuated. If its not degraded too much, this may be a way to get something out of it.
If it's little or no cost to you, though, because insurance is covering your regular needs month to month, I'd toss it.