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Q: I am diabetic and use an insulin pen. I am often confused over how to store the product and how long it can last once opened. Can you help me? 

A: Insulin is used to lower blood sugar in patients with diabetes/high blood sugar. Insulin can come packaged in vials (for injection by syringe) as well as in injectable pen devices that utilize a spring activated by a simple push-button to inject insulin easily.

There are a number of different injectable pen devices on the market. While choice is nice to have, the large number of different devices, with different instructions on storage and expiration, can get confusing.

Here is a quick reference guide for those using these devices.

General rules

• All insulin should be kept in a safe place that is out of reach of children and pets.
• All insulin products should be protected from heat and light and never stored in a freezer.
• Unopened injectable insulin pens should be stored in the refrigerator until the expiration date on the packaging is reached.
• Once opened, an insulin pen will remain usable for a while before it must be thrown out (see more below).
• Opened injectable pens should be kept at room temperature until their expiration date. (Tresiba brand insulin is the one exception. Once opened, it can either be refrigerated or kept at room temperature until it expires.)

A quick tip is to write on the pen itself the date you first used it. That way you can easily keep track of how many days are left until it expires.

Specific expirations

Different insulin pen devices can have different expirations once they are opened. Here are expiration rules for a number of devices:

• Humulin 70/30 KwikPen, Humalog 75/25 KwikPen, and Humalog 50/50 KwikPen expire in 10 days once opened.
• Novolog 70/30 FlexPen expires in 14 days once opened.
• Novolog FlexPen, Novolog FlexTouch Pen, Humulin N KwikPen, Humalog KwikPen, Basaglar KwikPen, Lantus Solostar and Apidra Solostar expire in 28 days once opened.
• Levemir FlexTouch Pen and Toujeo Solostar expire in 42 days once opened.
• Tresiba FlexTouch Pen expires in 52 days once opened.

An important note: Do not use any insulin pen device if you notice that the solution has changed color, is cloudy, is leaking or has particles. These are signs that the insulin has expired. Throw away any unused or expired products.

Proper storage of insulin is important for safe use of your medication. Contact your pharmacist or medical doctor if you have questions or concerns about insulin safety and storage.

Priscila Crawford is a second-year Pharm.D. student at VCU School of Pharmacy. After graduating pharmacy school, she plans to pursue a residency in pediatric pharmacy or a career in community or nuclear pharmacy.