Storing and Handling Insulin

Always read the instructions that come with your insulin. Bottles of insulin, either open or unopened, generally last for one month when stored at room temperature (15 to 30°C). A bottle is considered open if its seal has been punctured. If you remove the cap but don't puncture the seal, the bottle is still considered unopened.

If stored in a refrigerator, unopened bottles are good until the expiration date printed on the bottle. Opened bottles that are stored in a refrigerator should be used within one month of being opened. Many people store their unopened bottles in the refrigerator and keep open bottles at room temperature because they find it uncomfortable to inject cold insulin.

Don't use bottled insulin past the expiration date printed on the label. And no matter what the expiration date is, throw away a bottle one month after you open it. To help you keep track, write the date that you opened the bottle on the bottle's label.

With insulin pens and their cartridges, storage life ranges from seven days to one month.

Troubleshooting

There are two ways to tell when insulin is no longer good: poor performance and unusual appearance.

If your blood sugar stays high even though you're following your treatment plan, your insulin may have lost its effectiveness. Poor performance could be due to two things:

• Your insulin bottle has been open for more than 28 days.
  
  
• You have a lot of punctures in the rubber stopper because you take very small doses of insulin and you're getting close to the end of the bottle.

If your insulin has an unusual appearance, it's probably no longer effective. Here are some warning signs:

If you think your insulin has gone bad, don't take any chances: throw the bottle away immediately and open a new one.

Smart Tips for Insulin Storage

• Protect your insulin (bottles, pens, and cartridges) from extremes of hot and cold.
  
  
• Keep insulin out of direct sunlight (for example, don't store it on a sunny window sill).
  
  
• Never store your insulin in the freezer - once insulin is frozen, it loses its potency.
  
  
• Don't store your insulin near radiators, heat vents, ovens, air conditioners, etc.
  
  
• Don't leave your insulin in a closed car during very warm or cold months.
  
  
• If you're going to be outdoors for a while in hot or cold weather, store your insulin in an insulated case.