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Home arrow Endocrine arrow Diabetes arrow Store Insulin the Right Way
Store Insulin the Right Way

There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about how to store insulin. If you diabetic, proper care of your insulin can help ensure that you get the most out of your insulin therapy. Some insulins are quite fragile and begin to deteriorate if not properly cared for. Other insulins are a little more robust.

In general, insulin should be refrigerated until its opened. After that, different insulins vary in how they need to be stored and how long you can keep them. When you first puncture an insulin vile, it's a good idea to write the date on the vial for future reference. That way, you can keep track of how long the vial has been opened and discard it when needed. See below for recommendations on how to store different insulins.

Table 1: Storage Requirements for Insulin

Insulin vials

  • Can be kept in the refrigerator or at room temperature after opening
  • May sting less if kept at room temp.
  • Discard punctured vials 4 weeks after first use.
  • Can keep Levemir® for 6 weeks.

Insulin pens

  • Should keep at room temp once opening (Optiquck® has a display that may malfunction if kept in fridge).
  • Pens with a mixture of insulin (70/30 or Humalog mix) should be discarded 10 days after first use.
  • Nph and Novolog should be discarded 14 days after first use.
  • Humalog and Novolog should be discarded 28 days after first use.
  • Levemir® should be discarded 42 days after first use.

Apridra® and Lantus®

  • Can keep for 28 days at room temp once attached to the Opticlick.

Symlin®

  • May keep at room temp or in the fridge after puncturing.
  • Discard 28 days after first use. .

Byetta®

  • Must continue to refrigerate after first use.
  • However, may leave the Byetta® pen at room temp for up to 6 days.
  • Do not freeze or get it wet.

In any event, insulin should not be frozen. When in doubt on your insulin's storage needs, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

 

 

Author: Christi Larson, Pharm. D.

Dr. Larson is a Clinical Infusion Pharmacist, author of Empowered Medicine; A Guide for Consumers and creator of www.empoweredmedicine.com. You can read more about her by visiting www.EmpoweredMedicine.com and clicking on the 'About Us' tab.  EmpoweredMedicine.com is committed to providing evidence-based medical information.