Should i open a new pen? what would you do?

i keep my insulin stored in the fridge, before and after opening. just a few days ago my schedule was a bit crazy, i ended up taking my lantus and apidra pens in my purse for the day, it was not hot out but extremely sunny. i was nervous the whole time! it may be caused my something else but…for the past few days my numbers have been unusually stubborn. i even raised my doses a bit! the pens are still pretty full but i think it might be best to start with fresh ones. My real thought is that the inconsistent temperatures is what may have caused it to go bad? (in and out of the fridge for long hours of the weekend) i dont know if it is important to just chose fridge or no fridge and keep it there for the duration of its lifetime. i would have normally taken a cooler but i was not home. so they traveled with my in a small purse.

According to the instructions, pens are supposed to be kept out of the fridge after opening. Having written that, I admit to keeping my Levemir pen in the fridge between shots – most of the time. I guess at some point you have to follow your instincts.

Sometimes what I do when I suspect I have bad insulin is put the suspect pen in a spot in the fridge other than where I normally keep my insulin. I start a new pen and if my BS comes back to normal, I go ahead and use the new pen. When it is time to start another pen, I try the suspect pen again - if my BS goes up, then I toss it. Sometimes it is just a fluke and other times, it was the pen. Apidra is kind of fussy about heat but I normally don’t keep mine in the fridge once I start a pen.

Not solving your current problem (Kelly gave you great advice!), but for future reference, I highly recommend you get a Frio to carry your pens. They’re relatively cheap, easy to use and great for keeping pens weather-protected away from home. They fit right in your purse. I think there is a link somewhere on here and that we also get a small discount!

great! thanks everyone

Pens are pretty stable, even at temp changes. I never kept mine in the fridge once I opened them and they were out in some pretty hot weather during the summer. I only had a problem a couple times when the temp was over 100 and that was after a few days. Pop a new pen open and if it fixes it, then you have your answer. If they are still stubborn, then it you’re body and try the old pen again. Diabetes is all trial and error. The frio idea is a good one. I use one for my pump during the summer and it works great.

What does the Frio for pumps look like, SuFu and how does it attach? I live somewhere now where it never gets that hot but will be moving somewhere where triple digits are common.