We are Nicky and Felina, two Industrial Design Engineering students from the Netherlands. We are currently working with Meds2go to research home storage solutions for temperature sensitive medication (TSM) in the US. For this reason, we are trying to interview people who use TSM in order to gain a better understanding on their day-to-day challenges around storing and using TSM. This should help us.
We would be very grateful if some of you could find a few minutes for an interview and help us with our research.
Hallo Nicky en Felina!
Wat leuk om andere Nederlanders op deze site te “zien!”
I’ll switch back to English so others can understand.
I am unable to answer questions but I can tell you how my family stores my insulin. From what I’ve seen/heard this is how most people with insulin-dependent diabetes store their insulin, at least in most of the United States.
We store my insulin in the family fridge. No problems or inconveniences so far. Just gotta check the temperature every now and again and make sure the fridge door isn’t left open or that the cooling gets set too low. I have a large family so someone would notice very quickly if something was wrong with the fridge (like frozen pickles or soft butter).
The insulin itself is in a plastic bag with a little digital thermometer. The bag is on one of the middle shelves where it doesn’t get in the way/moved around. It’s in a position that’s easy to see when you open the fridge.
When I need to grab some insulin to fill my insulin pump, I just open the fridge, grab the ziplock bag, get out a vial, zip the bag back up, and put it back in the fridge.
I can’t think of anything that would make storing my insulin easier, at least for my family. Our only worries are when we have power outages because the fridge could get warmer than 56 F/13 C and then (according to the manufacturer) my insulin would spoil after 28 days.
a home refrigerator (2C to 8C) is exactly the same environment that insulin manufacturers store the drug substance once it is sterile filled into vials and pens at the factory. Insulin is shipped with PCM (phase change material) otherwise known as gel packs, in insulated carriers, and the pharmacy has an equivalent “refrigerator” again 2-8C, at the point of dispense.
every T1 I know uses the “insulin compartment” in the refrigerator. In some households, they actually put butter or eggs in there but that little space is mine.
insulin is an extremely robust molecule, it has a great shelf life at 2 to 8 C, and lasts a month at less than 30C, up to 3 days at 37C.
I design cold chain components such as refrigerators and freezers, including process, blast, and long term storage for pharma, I use vapor compression and even liquid nitrogen in some demanding processes. if you ever want to chat please let me know.
Good day Joe
Thank you for your reply, we are very eager to get in touch with you and have a discussion or even an interview on this topic.
Please let us know how we can get in touch and when you might be available ?
Regards
Nicky & Felina
Good day Lise
Thank you for your reply and insight. is there any chance we could have an online meeting and discuss this further ?
Regards
Nicky & Felina
@FelinaSolk , is this even a topic worthy of research? Having read the following article, I find the topic of questionable merit.
Insulin - Heat - Africa study
Anecdotal comments about the storage of insulin in schools in the USA causes most to ponder if refrigeration is needed for elementary and secondary student’s insulin in the school.
When I receive insulin by mail, it is in insulated containers with refrigerated blocks in the packing. The temperature never exceeds 80°F.
I am will to help. My Go-Bag has 5 vials of insulin, in 90 day rotation, at room temperature at all times.