I was just curious if anyone had used their insulin after 28 days and if it is OK. I read on the boxes that you should discard it after the 28 days is up. I looked at the last bottle we had and on the 28th day i discarded over half of it. I was just like wow that is alot of insulin to be just getting rid of. I've heard of some people using the same bottle until it was totally gone. In my case it would take at least 3-4 months to use a whole thing of insulin on my daughter......So, is it safe to use after the 28th day????
Yes, just keep it in the fridge if you can. Insulin can last many months. Given, I'm referring to bottles of insulin for use with syringes.
I always use my insulin to the very last drop, 1 vial often last about 2 months
Before I started pump therapy, I was on the Novolog flexpen--I had it go over 28 days a few times but the insulin effecgt seemed weakened. I would check sugar two hours after and would notice that I was running slightly higher than normal. I think it has to be kept cold in order to keep it longer.
wow does it really say that...i always have it in the fridge and i dont really pay attention to the bottle..and i have not had a prob yet
Right now in my life, I never make it even 3 weeks with one bottle, I use all of it, and thus rotate quite often.
Previously, however, when I was younger and on MDI, I changed the bottle every month even though not all of it was gone.
A pharmacist once told me they generally do start good for a bit longer, but for me, after more than 2 months, I find it doesn't work as well. If I'm randomly high for no good reason for a couple of days, I usually change out my Lantus pen, b/c I don't think to change it on my own. ):
But, isn't it so frustrating to throw away insulin!?
oops wrong place lol
I know with our novolog since we use a pen we go through a cartridge in about 2 weeks and we get 5 cartidges in a pack. So I think that is going to be like 2 months worth of insulin for Cassidy. For some reason the endos office told us that the insulin we are using on her at the time should be kept out at room temp but that we have to make sure we throw it once we hit the 28 day mark, and to only store it in the fridge till we open it.
yea you know its bad when it turns foggy (Humalog i dont know about novolog)
I use up a whole bottle of Humalog in about 32 days so I don't worry about it. I also used to use Lantus until it was all gone too. It lasts about 60 days. I'm starting to think after about 30 days or so it does start to not work as well. Like someone else said I find I get high for no apparent reason more often after the first 30 days. I'm considering throwing it away after about 40 days. But it does seem like a waste. And the stuffs not cheap. Wouldn't it be nice if you could buy it in a 5 bottle instead of the standard 10?
I was under the impression that insulin is good for +/- 1 year as long as it is refrigerated? I get 4 bottles of insulin and 1 bottle typically lasts about 15 days so that's 2 months right there...meaning the last bottle is older than 28 days...so yeah you're good just keep it cool.
a bottle of insulin is supposed to start gradually weakening after 28 days.. this is when the Insulin is not refrigerated.
Persoanlly my insulin lasts much longer than 28 days, i dont refrigerate it, and use it to the last drop.. and I dont have problems.
since i dont have insurance till february I have been using insulin my doc gave me that expires this month, i totally plan on using it past the expiration date and past 28 days :O)
[quote user="Pat"]
I was under the impression that insulin is good for +/- 1 year as long as it is refrigerated? I get 4 bottles of insulin and 1 bottle typically lasts about 15 days so that's 2 months right there...meaning the last bottle is older than 28 days...so yeah you're good just keep it cool.
[/quote]
The expiration date on the bottle/box is when the insulin can be stored unopened. This is about a year or more. And unopened insulin should be stored in the refrigerator.
Once OPENED, as in you've shoved a needle into it and thus exposed it to air - is when the 28 day clock starts. After that I don't think it really matters if you are keeping refrigerated or not in terms of keeping it 'good' past the 28 days. Probably helps some, esp. in warmer climates. It can be more painful or more noticeable (I've read) to inject cold insulin vs. room temp which is why some are told to not put it back in the fridge.
Our clinic said it was perfectly fine to use an open vial for 30 or 31 days - as in, it is easier to remember to start a new bottle on the first of every month than to strictly follow a 28 day calendar. We also were throwing a lot away on shots.
My son was on Levemir and that has a 42 day opened shelf life and our insurance wouldn't pay for it more often than that - so that was a pain to keep track of. And since we were only giving 1.5 units a day we threw out a TON. :(
we were told 30 days for novolog and nph.
[quote user="Evamarie"]
a bottle of insulin is supposed to start gradually weakening after 28 days.. this is when the Insulin is not refrigerated.
Persoanlly my insulin lasts much longer than 28 days, i dont refrigerate it, and use it to the last drop.. and I dont have problems.
since i dont have insurance till february I have been using insulin my doc gave me that expires this month, i totally plan on using it past the expiration date and past 28 days :O)
[/quote]
right I only refrigerate the unopened ones. my old endo had said that once opened it's better to keep at room temp. haven't noticed any problems as I'm still alive and my numbers are pretty sweet.
[quote user="My-daughters-my-Hero"]
I was just curious if anyone had used their insulin after 28 days and if it is OK. I read on the boxes that you should discard it after the 28 days is up. I looked at the last bottle we had and on the 28th day i discarded over half of it. I was just like wow that is alot of insulin to be just getting rid of. I've heard of some people using the same bottle until it was totally gone. In my case it would take at least 3-4 months to use a whole thing of insulin on my daughter......So, is it safe to use after the 28th day????
[/quote]
THANKS EVERYBODY FOR YOU RESPONSES!!
I just got off the phone with Shyla's Endo. Nurse and she told me we can use the insulin for UP TO 45 days, but NOT to go over that. She also informed me that as long as the insulin is UNDER 86 degrees it does NOT have to be in the frig. She also let me know that cold insulin stings!! (which i had no idea. Shyla has said a few of her injections had stung and now i know why, the insulin was too cold--sorry baby, mommy didn't know)
Dont feel bad every injection Riley gets she says it hurts, stings or itches. Oh and if I or we make her bleed at all its the end of the world. :/ She sure isnt making this easy on me at all.
Hello,
I don't know if I'd recommend a parent of a loved one w/T1 doing this...but...I have used insulin that expired over two years ago. Right now, I'm delving into a bottle that expired in 2007. Humalog is still good for me anyway after that long if it's refrigerated. I don't know about predictable, however...funky Humalog will work if you are able to navigate the unpredictability. I've gotten other brand new bottles that seemed to not work at all. I even took one back that seemed almost like fake insulin. The next bottle? Worked fine. Makes you tense after a while.
I wish there was some sort of test strip for insulin--whether it was good insulin or not. You could just take a drop out of a bottle, and it would show you how well it worked, without all of the fuss and bother of actually having to scrutinize your blood glucose levels.