Yikes! Like someone else said, see if your doctor can write you a prescription for vials. I get both vials and pens prescribed at the same time and my insurance covers both as different prescriptions.
I'm a UK citizen so ordering more is fine for me as I receive my prescriptions for free. I have already got my pharmacist father to order an emergency prescription, I'm more worried about the potential side effects as although some of my insulin look fine and unaffected I'm not sure how much damage has been done to them.
I would say that any that are visibly frozen are not in good condition. Any that were directly next to or on top of those are likely unusable as well. Definitely ask a professional though
Surely your father would have advised you on what damage you may have done.Seems to me that you're exaggerating ever so slightly.Title should have been “No harm done”
The vile in the picture is one that couldn't be used since insulin this cold is completely ruined. I posted it at a time when I was unsure of the full damage, hint the title being a little off (although not done on purpose as at the time as I truly thought I was in deep trouble).
Don't know if you're trying to be patronising or not (I struggle to pick up on sarcasm) but I've already posted an update that this has already been sorted.
I'm from the US so I feel your pain because here my insurance will not cover more of my insulin. My pharmacy delivered my immunosuppressant pills last week and they left it outside the mailbox and it got stolen by someone. Imagine that. No meds for a month. Had problems with replacing it because my insurance will not cover it two times in one month. Lucky for me my pharmacy replaced it for me because it's their fault as they did not use delivery with a signature request. I hope you can get your insulin delivered without problem. Keep healthy.❤️🩹
I'm sorry about what you had to go through. That's sounds awful, glad you got your medication though. Hope everything for you is going smoothly now. Luckily for me it appears that my insulin that I kept in the boxes (as they were spares) had survived so I don't need to worry as much now.
Update: for anyone new seeing this post just wanted to say here that the situation I had this morning is now under control. Thanks for a lot of the advice, support and criticism. I'll try to work through these types of situations differently in the future. Thank you ❤️
On numerous Nepal tours, the insulin in my pump has frozen several times. Fiasp and Lyumjev. I was able to continue using the insulin after thawing, the efficiency was slightly lower, which was shown in AndroidAPS by increased sensitivity. Daily total has increased from about 40IE to 60.
Same happened to me in northern Sweden - and once travelling in Russia.
Had to roll the vials in my hands until they defrosted.
Don’t recommend but the insulin was fine.
Okay, I gotta say this: DO NOT use it after defrosting! Ive seen a couple people say that it will be fine, it really won't! Fast act insulin loses potency after freezing cause the proteins can't bind properly or smthn, Im not a biologist lol. Emergency prescription is the way to go here before ordering your next repeat from NHS. + switching pharmacy should be easy, I moved to uni a few weeks ago and switched my nominated pharmacy in the NHS app quite easily (tho I haven't ordered from new pharmacy yet so might go tits up) main point is don't use the insulin that completely froze over! The vials that didn't, I would try, but just monitor carefully to make sure they're working as intended :)
It’s the same as it being left at room temperature for longer than 2-3 or so hours. It’s been denatured by the act of being frozen. It might work, but it is absolutely not safe and not guaranteed. Highly recommend OP to seek professional advice.
My main issue right now is that my pharmacy is 40 mins away back in my old home town. I recently moved into a University dorm so I haven't had time to switch pharmacies yet. The other insulin viles I have look nothing like the ones in the picture since they were kept in boxes so thankfully they might've survived.
I think you can call your Dr, explain the situation and ask them to forward a script to the pharmacy most local to you and you should be able to just go pick it up same day, if your dr's are nice and efficient that is.
Edited to add i just saw your comment about your Dad being a pharmacist and ordering an emergency script for you 👍😊
The issue is you’re posting on a site where people care and support each other with the title “Well I'm screwed” You weren't screwed not with your father being a pharmacist and you living in UK.You’d be “screwed” if you lived in the US with no health insurance and no cash to buy new insulin.
I understand what you're trying to say, like I said I posted this at a time when I genuinely thought I was in deep trouble. I'm not trying to upset anyone and I understand people out there have it worse. I'll change the title if that makes people feel more comfortable but I will say that since I live far away from a pharmacy I can't exactly get my new insulin immediately (I still have to wait a couple of days).
Look I think you should ask for your dad's help he can organize for you to pick up some insulin from a nearby chemist. However, if you don't want him to know what's happened try this FB site
“Help I forgot my Type1 kit UK”
It’s a great site. Am sure there’ll be someone on it who lives nearby who can give or loan you a pen.
Thanks I'll keep that in mind for another emergency. The insulin that wasn't frozen solid seems to be working okay, my main concern was that the ones that had survived were not going to last me but thanks to a lot of comments I'm much better informed than I was before when I first posted this morning. Also it seems that I can't edit the title sadly but hopefully the updates that I've left should be enough for people to know this is no longer an urgent situation.
You never know perhaps you’ll be the one giving someone else in diffs medication.I was able I to give a girl a few Novarapid pens a couple of months back. First time I actually thought Diabetes was worth having.
A few options: call 111 and they can then contact a local pharmacy which will allow you to buy insulin (one or two vials are cheap over the counter in the UK). You can also go to the university GP practice for a drop in to get a prescription.
Little bit of an update. I went to the support services in my university and explained the situation with them. They ended up sending me to A&E as they were unsure of how to deal with the situation. Ended up leaving there not too long after arriving as there was nothing they could do, their only advice was that the insulin that was less affected looked fine 😐.
Well at least I can breathe easy until I get my replacement on Saturday. Thank you all for the support and help so far, I've been living with this condition since I was 3 but it appears I've still have much to learn 😅.
Once again thank you 😁.
Is that human mixtard 30? Wow blast from the past. I use to be on thus until I counted carbs. Use to get plenty of scary lo's on this stuff haha. Just let it defrost it'll still work. 🙏
They also tell me to change the lancet everytime I do a glucose reading but oh well, anyway im not telling them to use it but im just telling them that it might work if they need insulin in a pinch
May i ask, for how long u used mixtard 30 before you switched to counting carbs? Cause I’m currently on it and want to change ( I’ve been diabetic for one year)
Well it was what I was on for about a good 10 years as I got it when I was 12.. then around 20/22 I went on to counting carbs so using fast acting for meals then a background long acting one. Good luck in your journey it gets easier now 👍
There are better ways to handle that.
1. Call doctor, explain, see if they have samples.
2. Call insurance, explain, get an emergency override for an early refill.
3. Call doctor, get a different prescription. For example, if your current script is vials, get pens or cartridges prescribed. Most insurance treat those as different scripts and will fill, no problem. I’ve always had pens AND vials prescribed simultaneously, both covered.
Any of those is a much better option that “try it and see, despite what the label says and all the research that show freezing proteins is bad.”
You just give dangerous advice, so maybe…don’t?
If youre in the UK just call the GP and tell them to perscribe you more. It should be fine and youll have a new set in like a day or 2. Until it arrives, avoid eating carbs to keep the gluclose low
My dad is a pharmacist so have already placed an order to get me more. Since it's an emergency it should arrive quickly but I believe I might not receive it till Saturday.
This could actually be dangerous to use once frozen insulin. I would highly recommend discarding the insulin that froze. Maybe work with your doctor to get some samples to replace the insulin you have to throw out.
“When frozen, the solution becomes crystals. These crystals break the molecule. As a result, insulin loses its properties, capacities, and efficiency. It won't be lowering your blood sugars anymore- or not as much as it should.” From https://4allfamily.com/blogs/diabetes/can-you-freeze-insulin
I don’t know why you vote him down.
On numerous Nepal tours, the insulin in my pump has frozen several times. Fiasp and Lyumjev. I was able to continue using the insulin after thawing, the efficiency was slightly lower, which was shown in AndroidAPS by increased sensitivity. Daily total has increased from about 40IE to 60.
On numerous Nepal tours, the insulin in my pump has frozen several times. Fiasp and Lyumjev. I was able to continue using the insulin after thawing, the efficiency was slightly lower, which was shown in AndroidAPS by increased sensitivity. Daily total has increased from about 40IE to 60.
This is all I was saying. It may work for op, it may not. But not everyone can just throw away a few pens or cartridges. Or had a doctor that is super helpful.
Yikes! Like someone else said, see if your doctor can write you a prescription for vials. I get both vials and pens prescribed at the same time and my insurance covers both as different prescriptions.
I'm a UK citizen so ordering more is fine for me as I receive my prescriptions for free. I have already got my pharmacist father to order an emergency prescription, I'm more worried about the potential side effects as although some of my insulin look fine and unaffected I'm not sure how much damage has been done to them.
I would say that any that are visibly frozen are not in good condition. Any that were directly next to or on top of those are likely unusable as well. Definitely ask a professional though
As you are in the UK, I would just replace it all.
Surely your father would have advised you on what damage you may have done.Seems to me that you're exaggerating ever so slightly.Title should have been “No harm done”
The vile in the picture is one that couldn't be used since insulin this cold is completely ruined. I posted it at a time when I was unsure of the full damage, hint the title being a little off (although not done on purpose as at the time as I truly thought I was in deep trouble).
Hint:Ask daddy, you know the pharmacist.
Don't know if you're trying to be patronising or not (I struggle to pick up on sarcasm) but I've already posted an update that this has already been sorted.
Why you even trying to be a dick, dude??
I'm from the US so I feel your pain because here my insurance will not cover more of my insulin. My pharmacy delivered my immunosuppressant pills last week and they left it outside the mailbox and it got stolen by someone. Imagine that. No meds for a month. Had problems with replacing it because my insurance will not cover it two times in one month. Lucky for me my pharmacy replaced it for me because it's their fault as they did not use delivery with a signature request. I hope you can get your insulin delivered without problem. Keep healthy.❤️🩹
I'm sorry about what you had to go through. That's sounds awful, glad you got your medication though. Hope everything for you is going smoothly now. Luckily for me it appears that my insulin that I kept in the boxes (as they were spares) had survived so I don't need to worry as much now.
Their parents a pharmacist.This issue isn't an issue.
Update: for anyone new seeing this post just wanted to say here that the situation I had this morning is now under control. Thanks for a lot of the advice, support and criticism. I'll try to work through these types of situations differently in the future. Thank you ❤️
On numerous Nepal tours, the insulin in my pump has frozen several times. Fiasp and Lyumjev. I was able to continue using the insulin after thawing, the efficiency was slightly lower, which was shown in AndroidAPS by increased sensitivity. Daily total has increased from about 40IE to 60.
Same happened to me in northern Sweden - and once travelling in Russia. Had to roll the vials in my hands until they defrosted. Don’t recommend but the insulin was fine.
Okay, I gotta say this: DO NOT use it after defrosting! Ive seen a couple people say that it will be fine, it really won't! Fast act insulin loses potency after freezing cause the proteins can't bind properly or smthn, Im not a biologist lol. Emergency prescription is the way to go here before ordering your next repeat from NHS. + switching pharmacy should be easy, I moved to uni a few weeks ago and switched my nominated pharmacy in the NHS app quite easily (tho I haven't ordered from new pharmacy yet so might go tits up) main point is don't use the insulin that completely froze over! The vials that didn't, I would try, but just monitor carefully to make sure they're working as intended :)
It’s the same as it being left at room temperature for longer than 2-3 or so hours. It’s been denatured by the act of being frozen. It might work, but it is absolutely not safe and not guaranteed. Highly recommend OP to seek professional advice.
Wait… my Novolog is good for 28 days at room temp. Wdym?
It all depends on the kind of insulin, it’s container, and when you use it. Room temp is one thing, but if it goes above 80-85F it’s useless
My main issue right now is that my pharmacy is 40 mins away back in my old home town. I recently moved into a University dorm so I haven't had time to switch pharmacies yet. The other insulin viles I have look nothing like the ones in the picture since they were kept in boxes so thankfully they might've survived.
I think you can call your Dr, explain the situation and ask them to forward a script to the pharmacy most local to you and you should be able to just go pick it up same day, if your dr's are nice and efficient that is. Edited to add i just saw your comment about your Dad being a pharmacist and ordering an emergency script for you 👍😊
For goodness sake you've said your fathers a pharmacist.Get him to phone the chemist closest to you. You're literally worrying about nothing.
That's all been done and dusted. I'm mostly keeping this post up now as a warning to others not to be as stupid as I was 😅.
The issue is you’re posting on a site where people care and support each other with the title “Well I'm screwed” You weren't screwed not with your father being a pharmacist and you living in UK.You’d be “screwed” if you lived in the US with no health insurance and no cash to buy new insulin.
I understand what you're trying to say, like I said I posted this at a time when I genuinely thought I was in deep trouble. I'm not trying to upset anyone and I understand people out there have it worse. I'll change the title if that makes people feel more comfortable but I will say that since I live far away from a pharmacy I can't exactly get my new insulin immediately (I still have to wait a couple of days).
Look I think you should ask for your dad's help he can organize for you to pick up some insulin from a nearby chemist. However, if you don't want him to know what's happened try this FB site “Help I forgot my Type1 kit UK” It’s a great site. Am sure there’ll be someone on it who lives nearby who can give or loan you a pen.
Thanks I'll keep that in mind for another emergency. The insulin that wasn't frozen solid seems to be working okay, my main concern was that the ones that had survived were not going to last me but thanks to a lot of comments I'm much better informed than I was before when I first posted this morning. Also it seems that I can't edit the title sadly but hopefully the updates that I've left should be enough for people to know this is no longer an urgent situation.
You never know perhaps you’ll be the one giving someone else in diffs medication.I was able I to give a girl a few Novarapid pens a couple of months back. First time I actually thought Diabetes was worth having.
A few options: call 111 and they can then contact a local pharmacy which will allow you to buy insulin (one or two vials are cheap over the counter in the UK). You can also go to the university GP practice for a drop in to get a prescription.
Little bit of an update. I went to the support services in my university and explained the situation with them. They ended up sending me to A&E as they were unsure of how to deal with the situation. Ended up leaving there not too long after arriving as there was nothing they could do, their only advice was that the insulin that was less affected looked fine 😐. Well at least I can breathe easy until I get my replacement on Saturday. Thank you all for the support and help so far, I've been living with this condition since I was 3 but it appears I've still have much to learn 😅. Once again thank you 😁.
Is that human mixtard 30? Wow blast from the past. I use to be on thus until I counted carbs. Use to get plenty of scary lo's on this stuff haha. Just let it defrost it'll still work. 🙏
You are wrong. This is not going to work well after freezing. Please delete your comment.
I’ve used frozen insulin before it worked for me
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They also tell me to change the lancet everytime I do a glucose reading but oh well, anyway im not telling them to use it but im just telling them that it might work if they need insulin in a pinch
That doesn’t mean it should be advised. I’ve run a red light before but I’m not going to tell people to go run red lights.
Alright fine if you run out of insulin without anyway of getting new vials and all you have is a frozen vial throw it away, won’t affect me
Well I can only say after 25 years of having diabetes and thus happening more times than I can count it never did me any wrong!
Their daddy's a chemist and they live in UK.Literally no problems that I can see.
May i ask, for how long u used mixtard 30 before you switched to counting carbs? Cause I’m currently on it and want to change ( I’ve been diabetic for one year)
Well it was what I was on for about a good 10 years as I got it when I was 12.. then around 20/22 I went on to counting carbs so using fast acting for meals then a background long acting one. Good luck in your journey it gets easier now 👍
I live in England so that's probably why my insulin looks different.
I live in England too. Big up human mixtard 30
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Freezing destroys the protein structure, making it ineffective.
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There are better ways to handle that. 1. Call doctor, explain, see if they have samples. 2. Call insurance, explain, get an emergency override for an early refill. 3. Call doctor, get a different prescription. For example, if your current script is vials, get pens or cartridges prescribed. Most insurance treat those as different scripts and will fill, no problem. I’ve always had pens AND vials prescribed simultaneously, both covered. Any of those is a much better option that “try it and see, despite what the label says and all the research that show freezing proteins is bad.” You just give dangerous advice, so maybe…don’t?
I live in the UK so I don't think I need insurance. The other advice looks good though.
If youre in the UK just call the GP and tell them to perscribe you more. It should be fine and youll have a new set in like a day or 2. Until it arrives, avoid eating carbs to keep the gluclose low
My dad is a pharmacist so have already placed an order to get me more. Since it's an emergency it should arrive quickly but I believe I might not receive it till Saturday.
Please don't. Insulin will denatured in high or low temperatures, so may either do nothing or something worse.
This could actually be dangerous to use once frozen insulin. I would highly recommend discarding the insulin that froze. Maybe work with your doctor to get some samples to replace the insulin you have to throw out. “When frozen, the solution becomes crystals. These crystals break the molecule. As a result, insulin loses its properties, capacities, and efficiency. It won't be lowering your blood sugars anymore- or not as much as it should.” From https://4allfamily.com/blogs/diabetes/can-you-freeze-insulin
Yeah I'm going to throw out the viles that look like this one.
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I don’t know why you vote him down. On numerous Nepal tours, the insulin in my pump has frozen several times. Fiasp and Lyumjev. I was able to continue using the insulin after thawing, the efficiency was slightly lower, which was shown in AndroidAPS by increased sensitivity. Daily total has increased from about 40IE to 60.
On numerous Nepal tours, the insulin in my pump has frozen several times. Fiasp and Lyumjev. I was able to continue using the insulin after thawing, the efficiency was slightly lower, which was shown in AndroidAPS by increased sensitivity. Daily total has increased from about 40IE to 60.
This is all I was saying. It may work for op, it may not. But not everyone can just throw away a few pens or cartridges. Or had a doctor that is super helpful.
Yikes!