A Practical Guide to Store and Transport Insulin
Insulin, from the pharmacy to your fridge: instructions for use
The effectiveness of treatments is closely linked to the way in which they are stored. This is especially the case for insulin which must be stored within a specific temperature range, between +2 and +8°C.
From dispensing at the pharmacy to returning home, here are some practical tips on how to transport and store your insulin:
- Ask your pharmacist to provide you with a cooling pouch to keep your insulin cold until you get home.
- During its transportation, do not expose the medicine to the sun or heat.
- It is absolutely essential to put the insulin back in the fridge as quickly as possible. Keep your journey to a minimum and put the medicine in your refrigerator as quickly as possible on your return home.
- Store the insulin in the middle of the refrigerator, never in the vegetable compartment or in the door (these sections of the refrigerator are not as cold).
- Never put the insulin in the ice compartment, or the freezer (the temperature there is below that of the fridge).
- Make sure that your treatment is not in contact with the walls of the refrigerator or any food present.
- Ensure that the temperature of your refrigerator in the place where you store your insulin is between +2 and +8°C.
Insulin: a treatment to be handled with care
Heat-sensitive medicines such as insulin are extremely sensitive to any variations in temperature, hot or cold. They must never be exposed to a temperature greater than +8°C or less than +2°C, as they can become inactive, or worse, in the event of significant and/or prolonged exposure, toxic.
Considering the low quantity of product that the insulin pens contain, their increase in temperature is extremely fast. They need no more than 3 minutes exposed to an average room temperature of +20°C to reach +8°C.
Be sure to properly protect your treatment, your health depends on it!
For more security, there are isothermal solutions for transporting insulin from the pharmacy to your home. Our IGLOO cooling pouches, the only labelled pouches on the market, allow insulin to be stored for up to 1 hour, without the risk of freezing the product. Ask your pharmacist for it!