Lantus shelf life

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Question:

Yes, j0j0 is turning out to be an asd/mhd success story. Imagine if she had never made it here ….

Response:

Reisa, Great success story. I’m so glad that you found what works for you. :) Like I said, it just hit a sour note. Sort of like when the desktop tech leaves the exec’s office complaining about how the non-computer literate exec is "so stupid". Yeah right! I still don’t have a clue if you are smarter than your doc but it is obvious you had a better understanding of your diabetes. You go girl. Regards, Marilyn

Response:

First of all I want to thank all who have answered my questions regarding the pump. I greatly appreciate it and I am going to give it a try. Today I realized something (I’m probably the only dummy that didn’t realize this) LANTUS HAS ONLY A SHELF LIFE OF 28 DAYS ONCE OPENED if stored in the fridge. Tha last couple of days I have been having a hardtime getting my sugars below 300 with my Lantus and Humalog at every meal. I got a new bottle and read the insert thoroughly (which I should have done before) I asked the pharmacist about it and even she didn’t know until she read it with me. She said in all the literature the reps left regarding Lantus she never heard that. I’m checking with my doctor tomorrow but I thought I’d pass this along in case someone else didn’t know. The expiration dates on the bottle are misleading. Linda

Response:

Yes… the date on the box isn’t misleading really, thats the shelf life if the cap on the vial isn’t broken.. all insulins I believe have a frig or room temp life of 28 days.. thats only if the seal has been broken though. — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] http://www.zerolimit.net/files/zl-mirc.exe (#diabeticnet chatroom software)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – First of all I want to thank all who have answered my questions regarding the pump. I greatly appreciate it and I am going to give it a try. Today I realized something (I’m probably the only dummy that didn’t realize this) LANTUS HAS ONLY A SHELF LIFE OF 28 DAYS ONCE OPENED if stored in the fridge. Tha last couple of days I have been having a hardtime getting my sugars below 300 with my Lantus and Humalog at every meal. I got a new bottle and read the insert thoroughly (which I should have done before) I asked the pharmacist about it and even she didn’t know until she read it with me. She said in all the literature the reps left regarding Lantus she never heard that. I’m checking with my doctor tomorrow but I thought I’d pass this along in case someone else didn’t know. The expiration dates on the bottle are misleading. Linda

Response:

Is that 28 days a biological fact or a lawyers number?. I thought the deterioration is a gradual process. What does the 28 days really mean?. I am sure I could destroy it in 1 hour in one of my ovens. Many numbers are arbitrary and are very conservative so the lawsuit line will be shorter. I would be more concerned about how it is stored and handled during used. The is a story about where mixing insulins and a small amount would from one bottle would make gross changes in th other. I always used separate syringes when I inject "mixed" doses. Guy Williams

Response:

all insulins I believe have a frig or room temp life of 28 days..

I didn’t say nothing about Ovens.. trust me I could kill it in a hour in the oven also so.. since the INSERT says 28 days you should discard.. I take it as biological fact — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] http://www.zerolimit.net/files/zl-mirc.exe (#diabeticnet chatroom software)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes… the date on the box isn’t misleading really, thats the shelf life if the cap on the vial isn’t broken.. all insulins I believe have a frig or room temp life of 28 days.. thats only if the seal has been broken though. Is that 28 days a biological fact or a lawyers number?. I thought the deterioration is a gradual process. What does the 28 days really mean?. I am sure I could destroy it in 1 hour in one of my ovens. Many numbers are arbitrary and are very conservative so the lawsuit line will be shorter. I would be more concerned about how it is stored and handled during used. The is a story about where mixing insulins and a small amount would from one bottle would make gross changes in th other. I always used separate syringes when I inject "mixed" doses. Guy Williams

Response:

all insulins I believe have a frig or room temp life of 28 days.. I didn’t say nothing about Ovens.. trust me I could kill it in a hour in the oven also so.. since the INSERT says 28 days you should discard.. I take it as biological fact

I made no recommendation on use of this insulin. Each person does what they want I just wanted to point out that all biological processes are environmental sensitive. I would never expose insulin to sunlight. Biological processes are a gradual process that is defined by well known equations. The useful life of things vary from microseconds to thousands of years. The life is a judgment call based on experience of the scientists. The "aging" of items is very sensitive to temperature and is very non linear. The "oven" was a poor try to show this. Sorry I cannot express my self clearly. Guy Williams

Response:

The reality is the non-soluble insulins (L,S,U and N) are actually quite stable, even after having been opened, and are good essentially to the expiration date even if openened and kept refrigerated. In general room storage temperature will reduce the shelf life by a factor of 4 to 8 depending upon temperature. Nominal storage is about 4C , so 24C, which is about 75F will cut the remaining storage to about 1/4, and 34F which is 93F will cut it to 1/8th of the remaining shelf life. As the temperature gets high enough to cause cross linking and other problems (basically thermal energy approaches bond energy, this all tends to break down, but thats not something that is going to happen at anywhere near room temperatures.

Response:

this is highly unlikely as insulin is, in general, fairly robust if stored away from high(er) heat and/or sunlight and/or excessive shaking for example, i’m presently using Iletin-1-Lente and Iletin-1-Regular that expired May, 2000. both still work just fine. :) (not that i’m recommending this to anyone else, you understand) if stored in the fridge. Tha last couple of days I have been having a hardtime getting my sugars below 300 with my Lantus and Humalog at every meal. I got a new bottle and read the insert thoroughly (which I should have done before) I asked the pharmacist about it and even she didn’t know until she read it with me. She said in all the literature the reps left regarding Lantus she never heard that. I’m checking with my doctor tomorrow but I thought I’d pass this along in case someone else didn’t know. The expiration dates on the bottle are misleading. Linda

assuming that one or both of the insulin bottles has somehow been damaged due to heat or sunlight or excessive shaking or whatever, switching to a newly purchased bottle of both insulins should resolve it within a day but lessee, if that doesn’t do it… you’re a t1, right? how long have you been t1? how long have you been using Lantus? (to the nearest month) how long have you been using Humalog? (to the nearest month) as i understood it, you have complications that are making you consider using an insulin pump what is/are the complication(s), and how long have they been bothering you for? bill t1 since ‘57

Response:

so.. since the INSERT says 28 days you should discard.. I take it as biological fact

Maybe you aren’t smarter than your doctor…. First thing to understand is that legal department probably has most to do with what is said on the inserts than any other are. The technical term is CYA. The company’s legal department is going to make sure that someone cannot come back and sue them over something they can safeguard against. An example of this is the statement included with the hairdryer telling you not to use it in the bathtub. Duh. Insulin needs to be stored and handled correctly or it may not even last 28 days. On the other hand, insulin always stored and handled correctly will last for years. I had a bottle of H in my office at work that worked just fine for me 2 years after its first use. Do you reuse syringes and mix insulin? This can cause problems. Do you carry your insulin around with you? This can be a problem. Do you shake your insulin to mix it? This can be a problem. How about storage? A dark cool place is best, some place where the insulin is not being jostled around. — Marilyn

Response:

Is that 28 days a biological fact or a lawyers number?.

A number of people here and/or on a.s.d have reported Lantus tending to lose its efficacy very quickly around 28 days, so I doubt the OP was experiencing an anomaly.

Response:

Hi everyone Boy, I didn’t anticipate this response. I just thought I was giving a "heads up" on this relatively new insulin. Something that someone else might has missed as I did. I have been on insulin for 35 years. Lantus for only 3 months. My exposure to insulin has only been to beef, pork, NPH and Regular I seem to recall a combination of both (but I could be having a "Senior Moment" on that one) Humalin, Humalog I started on U40 then U80 then U100. I have taken "mixed injections" of insulin as taught by the Joslin Clinic and know all of the precautions etc about mixing. I also know that with Lantus you cannot do this and need to take separate injections. I have also stored insulin bottles currently in use at room temperature, used beyond expiration at times etc. That is why I was surprised to read the insert. Someone mentioned something about thinking I was smarter than my doctor??? I don’t know if that was directed at me or at someone who replied but I certainly don’t feel that. as a matter of fact, my doctor has only about 25 patients on Lantus and has asked for our feedback on anything "unusual" we notice. He changed me to a morning dose instead of bedtime. I was waking up with severe reactions or hypo’s at a dose of only 14 units. He said he found that to be a common complaint and switched me to morning dose. I am doing a little better until the last week or so while but I had to increase my dosage to 22 plus about 3-4 supplemntal shots of humalog.. I tried a new bottle ofLantus after reading the insert but my sugars are silll high so I probably m coming downwith something or have some sort of infection which usually happens. I just wanted to point out what I read in the insert so that someone else might be aware and contact their own doctor if they had doubts. Aside from common sense precautions, (boiling, freezing-this insulin does not need shaking so overshaking doesn’t count) here is what the insert states that I have never seen on other insulins. "Once a vial is opened you can keep it in the refrigerator or as cool as possible. The 10ml vial is good for28 days. The 5ml vial is good for 14 days if stored in a cool place or 28 dys if refrigerated." So after years of taking insulin and not throwing it away after 28 days. storing it in my desk drawer, a bottle at Mom’s etc, I thought I would pass this warning on this relatively new insulin. I thought maybe it might make a difference for one of us. Maybe it doesn’t matter- I just wanted to pass on something that I had missed by not reading the literature. My pharmacist said he is going to make his customers aware of this, because other insulins aren’t as fragile. Sorry to go on and on. I always had a tendency to talk with my hands so I guess a keyboard just adds to it!!!! Linda

Response:

Well since YOU obviously KNOW it all.. and TAKE Lantus yourself.. — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] http://www.zerolimit.net/files/zl-mirc.exe (#diabeticnet chatroom software)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – so.. since the INSERT says 28 days you should discard.. I take it as biological fact Maybe you aren’t smarter than your doctor…. First thing to understand is that legal department probably has most to do with what is said on the inserts than any other are. The technical term is CYA. The company’s legal department is going to make sure that someone cannot come back and sue them over something they can safeguard against. An example of this is the statement included with the hairdryer telling you not to use it in the bathtub. Duh. Insulin needs to be stored and handled correctly or it may not even last 28 days. On the other hand, insulin always stored and handled correctly will last for years. I had a bottle of H in my office at work that worked just fine for me 2 years after its first use. Do you reuse syringes and mix insulin? This can cause problems. Do you carry your insulin around with you? This can be a problem. Do you shake your insulin to mix it? This can be a problem. How about storage? A dark cool place is best, some place where the insulin is not being jostled around. — Marilyn

Response:

I don’t know much about Lantus shelf life. But I intend to find out. Not from speculation. I am setting a bottle aside and use it periodically. Then I will do a lot of tests to see when its activity starts to change. An activity vs. time will be necessary. I don’t want to speculate. I remember receiving a warning about reusing syringes. From the manufacturer. Very dangerous??? Guy Williams

Response:

Linda, Sadly enough, we just gotta keep plugging at it till we find the right combo. I had the same reaction to humalog that your speaking of. I recently switched to novolog and seem to be more sensitive to it. Anything is worth a shot (no pun intended) Check out the chatroom sometime.. Tonight is "Kosta is in denial .. he wants to appeal his DR’s diagnosis" — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] http://www.zerolimit.net/files/zl-mirc.exe (#diabeticnet chatroom software)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – sorry with web tv I can’t isolated text and paste it in to make reference to each comment. Thanks for explaining about Marilyn’ s comment. I’ll get the hang of this after a while. I’ve noticed with the Humalog that at first I was very sensitive to it. I’ve taken that for about 2 years, It seems that I need or can tolerate it more now. I know I was complaining about my sugars but actually since I have been on the Lantus and 4-5 shots a day of the Humalog I don’t have the extreme highs (500) crashing to 40-50. I have always been hard to control but they seem to be evening out a bit. A day all tests are in the 100’s is a rarity but I’m getting there. My Doctor is the only one I’ve had that actually listens to my input and works with me. I’ve only been going to him for several months but I think he’s doing much better than past drs. I’ve learned more from reading this site. Its so helpful. Thanks again to you and to everyone who has commented. Linda

Response:

OOPS sorry Marilyn that I misunderstood. I just haven’t got the knack of following these things yet, Linda

Response:

sorry with web tv I can’t isolated text and paste it in to make reference to each comment. Thanks for explaining about Marilyn’ s comment. I’ll get the hang of this after a while. I’ve noticed with the Humalog that at first I was very sensitive to it. I’ve taken that for about 2 years, It seems that I need or can tolerate it more now. I know I was complaining about my sugars but actually since I have been on the Lantus and 4-5 shots a day of the Humalog I don’t have the extreme highs (500) crashing to 40-50. I have always been hard to control but they seem to be evening out a bit. A day all tests are in the 100’s is a rarity but I’m getting there. My Doctor is the only one I’ve had that actually listens to my input and works with me. I’ve only been going to him for several months but I think he’s doing much better than past drs. I’ve learned more from reading this site. Its so helpful. Thanks again to you and to everyone who has commented. Linda

Response:

I’m not exactly sure how you would determine if you were smarter than your doc. I’d like to think that the person who has completed med school has a better overall understanding of health care than her/his average patient.

my comment was specific to diabetes and to the specific diabetic, but you broadened it to general "health care" and to the mythical "average patient" fairly typical ms mar misreading stuff. :( bill

Response:

Thank You.. I also value your posts to others, and have learned quite a bit from them that i’ve been able to incorporate into my own treatment and understandings. So Thank You for that.. perhaps if I had a longer line, I could put, I’m smarter then previous doctors about "Diabetes Treatment" Keep posting.. your a asset to the newbies Perhaps visit us sometime in the chatroom.. we really do have fun in there — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] http://www.zerolimit.net/files/zl-mirc.exe (#diabeticnet chatroom software)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My statement and feeling on the words, "T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!" Is the fact that I spent 13months searching for the "right" answers, unfortunately I never could find them with my doctors I had prior. Reisa, Great success story. I’m so glad that you found what works for you. :) Like I said, it just hit a sour note. Sort of like when the desktop tech leaves the exec’s office complaining about how the non-computer literate exec is "so stupid". Yeah right! I still don’t have a clue if you are smarter than your doc but it is obvious you had a better understanding of your diabetes. You go girl. Regards, Marilyn

Response:

Two of my favorite, very nice people shouldn’t be quarreling here. :o)

Hey Charles, How can you carry on a romance with your endo?

I doubt you really need any instruction in this area In your case, however, I would suggest "secretly". Your wife might not approve. — Marilyn Smarter than the average bear

Response:

My statement and feeling on the words, "T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!" Is the fact that I spent 13months searching for the "right" answers, unfortunately I never could find them with my doctors I had prior. Both a GP and Internal Medi said I was a T2 with extremely high resistance and had me taking close to 100u a day of first NPH/No R – NPH/w-R then in 1 month switched me to 70/30 then to 70/30 and I still had to beg for a bolus insulin since no one showed me how R actually worked, I would run 400 then drop to 50 then back up again with or without food. They both told me seeing a dietian was a waste of my time. I ran 389 on a 4day fast when I was Dx’d and 400-500 for close to a total of 13months after Dx’d. (Wonder how much damage I did?) Found ASD, and a few good ones on there that helped me ALOT, told me to take control of myself which I did, begged, cried and bitched to get to an Endo, ended up having to pay a much higher Co-Pay but it was well worth it. By the time I saw him I was down to 10u/2x a day on 70/30 and 5u of H per meal. Learned how to eat properly.. he took one look at my previous chart and said in his broken Japanese voice, OH, how stupid! your a T1 look at lab results tells all. He put me on Lantus and H, and at our last visit last month, he told me I was just too, "technical" for him, because I was blabbering off what my carb/insulin ratio was and I can tell at different times of the month what it will be, and if i’m under a stress load.. He also was quite happy with the weekly charts I keep on myself to average out things an I print him a copy each visit to keep in my office file.. We usually spend close to 1hr chatting and an exam. My previous DR’s had me in/out in 5mins, not looking at me once. therefore, I believe I am smarter then my previous DR’s. — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] http://www.zerolimit.net/files/zl-mirc.exe (#diabeticnet chatroom software)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well since YOU obviously KNOW it all.. and TAKE Lantus yourself.. — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog] No I don’t know it all. I also do not take Lantus, never said I did. I do understand why certain things may or may not be on a package insert. I meant no harm. Your tag line has struck a nerve with me. I know that you have done well in understanding your diabetes and how things affect your body. I just think it is a bit egotistical to think this translates into you being smarter than your doctor. But only you know why you feel this is true – maybe it is. Kind regards, Marilyn

Response:

Well since YOU obviously KNOW it all.. and TAKE Lantus yourself.. — RK [T1 that was smarter then her previous Doctors!][dx'd 5/00][Lantus Lover w/Novolog]

No I don’t know it all. I also do not take Lantus, never said I did. I do understand why certain things may or may not be on a package insert. I meant no harm. Your tag line has struck a nerve with me. I know that you have done well in understanding your diabetes and how things affect your body. I just think it is a bit egotistical to think this translates into you being smarter than your doctor. But only you know why you feel this is true – maybe it is. Kind regards, Marilyn

Response:

Two of my favorite, very nice people shouldn’t be quarreling here. :o) Would it help if I said that I think my endo is smarter than me? I even told her that she is one of only a handful of people I have ever thought were smarter than me. And I meant it. She countered by telling me I was the best informed, brightest patient she has ever had. Aw, shucks. How can you carry on a romance with your endo? Charles Evans

Response:

that was a comment by marilyn, and she addressed it to rk and not to you or me

Thansk for explaining that Bill. otoh, when it comes to *you* and *your* *health* i’d hope that you *are* smarter than your doc. one of the famous quotes is (i believe) by dr joslin to the effect that diabetes is one of the few diseases where the patient *MUST* take the lead on their team

I’d go along with taking the lead on the team. I’m not exactly sure how you would determine if you were smarter than your doc. I’d like to think that the person who has completed med school has a better overall understanding of health care than her/his average patient. — Marilyn

Response:

I have been on insulin for 35 years. Lantus for only 3 months. My exposure to insulin has only been to beef, pork, NPH and Regular I seem to recall a combination of both (but I could be having a "Senior Moment" on that one) Humalin, Humalog I started on U40 then U80 then U100.

so you’ve used all of the insulin molecules except for the very new aspart molecule (a.k.a. NovoLog (NovoRapid in Europe)) I have taken "mixed injections" of insulin as taught by the Joslin Clinic and know all of the precautions etc about mixing. I also know that with Lantus you cannot do this and need to take separate injections. I have also stored insulin bottles currently in use at room temperature, used beyond expiration at times etc. That is why I was surprised to read the insert. Someone mentioned something about thinking I was smarter than my doctor???

that was a comment by marilyn, and she addressed it to rk and not to you or me otoh, when it comes to *you* and *your* *health* i’d hope that you *are* smarter than your doc. one of the famous quotes is (i believe) by dr joslin to the effect that diabetes is one of the few diseases where the patient *MUST* take the lead on their team <snip I tried a new bottle ofLantus after reading the insert but my sugars are silll high so I probably m coming downwith something or have some sort of infection which usually happens.

or you might have an allergy with Lantus and/or Humalog. i know that one of the things that happened with my 10 month usage of Humalog (via pump) was that in the last two months of using it, i started using more Humalog. at 1st i thought i had a bad batch of Humalog note that i’m *NOT* saying that you do or don’t have an allergy with either of the insulin molecules (glargine and lispro) that you are using! that’s something to discuss with your doctor otoh, i did not discuss "allergy" with my doc for the simple reason that neither of us realized that it was an insulin allergy. that took me another 9 months to figure out on my own. i *did* discuss with him my interest in moving away from the lispro (i.e. Humalog) that i was using he seemed puzzled that i’d not use the latest insulin, but it was clear that he was still learning about Humalog and that i was one of his guinea-pigs. it ended well enough coz he finished with: "i don’t care what you use (!), so long as you keep good blood glucose control." :) bill t1 since ‘57

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