Unopened insulin and spoilage
Okay so my toddler outsmarted us all last night and left the fridge doors wide open........everything in it was warm and mushy. Called my Pharmacist because my Levemir pens and Humalog vials (unopened) were out in the open all night. The Pharmacist told me not to worry and the insulin is fine in those temps, I told her to read the box: Levemir unopened should be stored between 36-46 degrees .......am I nuts to assume my insulin is spoiled? Is she crazy to think insulin unopened is okay at temps above what's on the box?.............Now I have to call our insurance company and see if they will overide so we can replace our insulin...........I don't really care who's right...I just want to do the appropriate thing here.............so what's the verdict....should I go thru the trouble to get this replaced?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by solobaricsrock on -
Its not spoiled, but usually insulin (once it reaches room temp) is good for 30 days. Well, that said, Ive been known to stretch that some. How long was it out like that and was it still cool to the touch or no?
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Permalink Reply by solobaricsrock on
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No problem.....You should be good until then. How about the Humalog? How did it fair out?
Also just to be sure you might be extra vigilant and test a bit more to make sure its still effective. Im sure it should be fine, but you can never be too cautious
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Permalink Reply by solobaricsrock on
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I have a 3 year old, so I feel your pain! Take care!
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Permalink Reply by Mike Ratrie on -
You are totally fine with this temp range.
While the Levemir site does say to store in the refrig between 36 - 46 deg F, it also says that you can store vials for up to 42 days at temps up to 86. Add to that, because manufacturers don't like returns due to spoilage.
Humalog has very similar temp ranges.
Note that part of the refrigerator temp range info is a bit of lawyer-speak. They really, really don't want you to freeze the insulin AND they want some coverage against replacement if you are storing it in an inefficient (warm) fridge.
Fair Winds,
Mike
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