Leaving insulin out

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?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve D on February 19, 2012 at 1:18pm

I do the same thing...and I have never had a problem with the insulin going bad. I think you are ok doing it.

Permalink Reply by Putertech on February 19, 2012 at 1:46pm

Thanks, Steve.

Permalink Reply by Vince on February 19, 2012 at 2:12pm

I do the same thing and have not had any problems and my BG has not varied. I think you are ok.

Permalink Reply by elaine peterson on February 19, 2012 at 3:39pm

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.

Permalink Reply by Kate on February 20, 2012 at 4:38pm

+1 - I do the same thing , no issues :)

Permalink Reply by Jacob's mom on February 19, 2012 at 5:31pm

since podding, we always leave the insulin in the cupboard, no issues with that end of things!

Permalink Reply by Scott on February 19, 2012 at 5:34pm

Always leave it out. Never been an issue.

Permalink Reply by mike on February 19, 2012 at 8:32pm

just fill the syringe a couple hours before you change the pod...it will be room temp at that time

Permalink Reply by Jgos on February 20, 2012 at 3:39pm

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 !

Permalink Reply by elaine peterson on February 20, 2012 at 4:20pm

I'll bite. What happened when the PDM got too cold?

Permalink Reply by Herman on February 21, 2012 at 1:24am

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.

Permalink Reply by Jaybear on February 22, 2012 at 9:21am

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!