I just can't bring myself to leave my insulin out of the fridge for a whole month. Since starting on the pods, I'll leave my insulin out the night before a pod change, then put it back in the fridge. Am I doing more damage to the insulin by warming it up and cooling it off 10 times a month? Opinions?
I do the same thing...and I have never had a problem with the insulin going bad. I think you are ok doing it.
Thanks, Steve.
I do the same thing and have not had any problems and my BG has not varied. I think you are ok.
I keep mine out as I want to carry it with me in case I need to change a pod when I am away from home. When I am traveling, I take an extra vial with me so it is out of the fridge until I get back home. So far no problems.
since podding, we always leave the insulin in the cupboard, no issues with that end of things!
Always leave it out. Never been an issue.
just fill the syringe a couple hours before you change the pod...it will be room temp at that time
Having been through alot of issues with the pods - I read on this site the best advice. Don’t use insulin straight out of the fridge. Having been skiing in Europe last week, I had no issues with the pod. The PDM is not good having got too cold !
I'll bite. What happened when the PDM got too cold?
+1 - I do the same thing , no issues :)
As we had cold weather two weeks ago in the Netherlands I had my PDM in the car when I was ice skating. Al went well and when I wanted to bolus for lunch the PDM bolus calculator refused to work indicating it was too cold. I was able to measure my BG but had to bolus manually. No problem but a bit strange.
Insulin I use is always at room temp. I take the next penfill (Novorapid) out of the fridge when I place a new pod and keep it out of the fridge till the next change. When I go out for more than two hours I take that penfill with a pod with me as spare. Works fine and I have always extra insulin at room temp.
According to all of the major insulin manufacturers and the FDA, you can definitely leave your insulin unrefrigerated for 28 days. If you still lack the confidence, take a look at the prescribing information (again, all reviewed and approved by the FDA) for some of the more common insulins.
Apidra: "Unopened vials/cartridge systems/SoloStar not stored in a refrigerator must be used within 28 days." http://products.sanofi.us/apidra/apidra.pdf
Novolog: "After initial use a vial may be kept at temperatures below 30°C (86°F) for up to 28 days, but should not be exposed to excessive heat or sunlight. Opened vials may be refrigerated." http://www.novo-pi.com/novolog.pdf
Humalog: "In-use HUMALOG vials, cartridges, pens, and HUMALOG KwikPen® should be stored at room temperature, below 86°F (30°C) and must be used within 28 days or be discarded, even if they still contain HUMALOG." http://pi.lilly.com/us/humalog-pen-pi.pdf
I always keep my insulin stockpile in the fridge, but I have no fear of an unrefrigerated bottle of insulin. Give it a whirl and surprise yourself, and save yourself the trouble of warming and recooling a bottle of insulin. This morning, I'm pumping insulin that hasn't been refrigerated in two weeks, and all is good.
Be brave!
"Be brave!" - that's funny!
I think my hesitation is from growing up with my Type 1 mother. Did the older insulins have to be kept cold at all times? I remember her throwing out a bottle if she accidentally left one out over night, then being totally disgusted with herself. My last pod change I used insulin that I had left in my purse for a couple days - all is well.
I'm not sure about the older insulins, like pork. My guess is that the insulins available today have better stabilized formulations that counteract degradation. I'm no protein chemist, but it's just a guess.
Once I open a new bottle I will leave it out on my dresser except for the hot summer months when it stays in the fridge
in the hospital, where I work, we date the vial and leave it out on the counter for 28 days, no problem .