What the Package Insert Doesn’t Say Directly
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Do you read the package insert of your medication before throwing it away? If not, you may be overlooking an essential guideline: the foundation that ensures your temperature-sensitive medication can actually work as intended by the manufacturer.
Many of us tend not to read the package insert thoroughly, thinking that the information in it isn’t relevant at the moment. However, when it comes to temperature sensitive medicines like insulin and weight loss medications, it’s crucial to pay close attention. Just like following the instructions for a smartphone or household appliance — only when you follow the correct steps does it function properly. The same applies to temperature-sensitive medications. Adhering to the instructions in the package insert can significantly improve the success of your treatment.
For your weight loss medications, this critical point is found in the section labeled “Storage.” These terms may seem simple at first glance, but they contain important information that needs to be examined more closely. You’re likely already storing your medications in the fridge once you get home. But “in the fridge” does not automatically mean “safely chilled.” Another not so well-known fact is, that “storage: in the refridgerator” includes the permantent transport of your medicine cooled between 2 and 8 °C (36 and 46 °F) as well.
In this PDF, you’ll find everything you need to know about safely cooling your medication in the fridge.
In fact, the popular choice of storing it in the fridge door is no good at all for you or your medication. There are a few things to consider — but don’t worry, it’s quite easy. You just need to know.
Additionally, in the medication leaflet are some essential details regarding “storage” that you should know. This is the only way to ensure that
- Your medication arrives at your home intact, and
- It retains its full effectiveness.
In conversations with many diabetologists (at diabetology conferences), we observed a common trend:
They often ask their patients about the transport of their medications or insulin only after 3 to 4 years of treatment! The topic of “cooling medications during transport” is typically only discussed – if at all – when the patient is already experiencing side effects or worsening diabetes symptoms.
By that time, patients may have already tried different dosages or switched medication brands, even though the cause of the malfunction was not the brand but the incorrect temperature.
As a result, the disease often progresses unnecessarily for years.
By paying attention to the safe transport of your medications from the start, you can avoid such complications.
Medication Safety – Protection is necessary from the moment you leave the pharmacy.
It’s a common belief that your medication is fully protected once it’s in your home fridge. But this perception is only partially correct.
In fact, the safety of your medication begins the moment you pick it up from the pharmacy. When you collect your medication box at the pharmacy, you need to make sure it doesn’t sit uncooled by the register while you pay. It can quickly get too warm.
And yes, those few minutes really matter to your medication to not loose its effectiveness!
The correct procedure for medication safety:
To ensure the right temperature, your medication package must be immediately packed into a secure cooling bag after leaving the pharmacy refrigerator.
It should not remain without cooling for more than 1 or 2 minutes, as within these few minutes, the temperature of the medication can rise above +8°C / 46°F.
While storing it in the refrigerator at home isnecessary , the transport to your fridge within the prescribed temperature range is equally crucial.
You may now be wondering – how should you store your medications as prescribed?
It’s quite simple! Just read the storage instructions on the package insert of your medication. These contain all the guidelines, including the ideal temperature range, to keep your medications safe and effective.
Unfortunately, the term “storage” is often not clearly explained, and it remains unclear what concrete, practical measures are required.
The transport of your medications is also rarely discussed. This is particularly important since the term “transport” is included in “storage.”
Even unintentionally, the effectiveness of your medication may already be compromised before it reaches your refrigerator if it is transported outside of the recommended conditions.
Refer to the package insert or check the table below for the specific requirements for your medication!
Your Doctor’s Advice Is Crucial, The Right Action Comes From You
It is always advisable to follow your doctor’s instructions to achieve the best possible outcome from your treatment. However, the topic of “proper storage of medications that require a cold chain” rarely comes up during doctor’s visits, even though it plays a critical role in maintaining their effectiveness. Doctors are often very busy, and patients may not realize they should ask about it.
Even if your doctor doesn’t mention it, we recommend that you inform yourself about these details to protect your health and maximize the success of your treatment.
If your doctor has not given specific instructions on this, the package insert is your most important source of information. Let’s take a closer look at the terms in your Patient Medication Information (PMI) to better understand their meaning. This knowledge can support you on your path to successful diabetes management and weight reduction.
A Small but Crucial Step Toward Better Health!
In the package insert, you will find the prescribed temperature range for the safe storage of your medication. You will often find storage instructions like: “Store pens in the refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F).”
This not only means storing your medication in the fridge at home – it also means keeping it cool between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) throughout the entire journey from the pharmacy to safe storage at home. Anything else will damage your medication.
In the package insert, you will find the prescribed temperature range for the safe storage of your medication. You will often find storage instructions like: “Store pens in the refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F).”
This not only means storing your medication in the fridge at home – it also means keeping it cool between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) throughout the entire journey from the pharmacy to safe storage at home. Anything else will damage your medication.
Medication “Storage” – Everything You Need to Know!
Safe transport of your medications is so important because: Only when you protect your medicine can the medicine protect your health.
You will find different types of “storage” in package inserts:
“Storage” includes the “transport”. Your medicinens are particularly vulnerable to freezing when transported in an unsuitable cooling bag. This applies to all situations outside the home.
Important: Your medication can also become too cold or too warm in the refrigerator! Please note that during a power outage, the refrigerator cannot maintain active cooling.
During a power outage, remember your medication in the refrigerator and place it in a certified medication cooling bag that can keep it cool for hours.
Household cooler bags for everyday use, which you may have at hand, will not protect against freezing temperatures and can put your medication at risk.
Even in the bags from pharmacies offering home delivery, your medication is very likely to freeze or become too warm.
If this instruction is included in the package insert, store and transport your weight-loss medications and insulin within the recommended temperature range and avoid excessive heat.
You can always store them in a cooler environment, as long as it is above +2°C (36°F).
In regions with high ambient temperatures, it is unsafe to store these medications outside of the refrigerator at “room temperature.” The ambient temperatures can unexpectedly rise during the day.
Medications like Byetta reduce their effectiveness if exposed to temperatures above 25°C (77°F). For example, insulin, Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, and Mounjaro reduce their effectiveness at temperatures above 30°C (86°F).
This is particularly important to keep in mind if you pick up your medication from the pharmacy and leave it in the car for more than 1 – 2 minutes. The “room temperature” in the car can already exceed this maximum temperature very quickly, even in spring.
This means that even for a single pen that you will use soon, you need a secure cooling bag when picking it up from the pharmacy.
The greatest risk is freezing. Using an unsuitable cooling bag can cause pens, vials, and syringes to drop below +2°C (36°F), rendering them ineffective within minutes. Alternatively, they can become too warm too quickly.
If you plan to use your pharmacy’s delivery service, you should ask for proof that the delivery box used is certified. It is unlikely that they can provide certification to confirm that the medications are safely stored in the box. Ask to see it, because now you know which tricks are sometimes used during testing to make the certificate look more convincing. Read HERE.
Instead, pharmacies might say that they have been transporting medications in (styrofoam) boxes for decades or that the cooling bag comes from a pharmaceutical manufacturer. While this may be true, it does not protect your medications. Pharmacies cannot be held responsible for not having a suitable cooling bag because they were never informed about safe cooling bags.
Since pharmacies most likely do not have a safe cool bag or box, you need to take responsibility for the safe transport of your medicines yourself.
To avoid the risk of freezing, choose the patented and certified COOL*SAFE cooling bags for medications. We have specifically designed them to keep medicines at the correct temperature, protect them from freezing, and support the success of your treatment.
Temperature Requirements for Transporting Insulin and Weight Control Medications
Here you will find requirements for the proper storage and transport of your diabetes and weight loss medications. This can help you maintain their effectiveness and support smooth weight loss.
Insulin
Many diabetics, as well as doctors and pharmacists, are unaware that insulin loses its effectiveness if it is not properly cooled during transport from the pharmacy. Since the loss of effectiveness is not immediately obvious, this is often overlooked. And perhaps you occasionally wonder whether your diabetes has worsened because you need to inject more units. But in reality, it’s simply because the medication has lost its effectiveness.
This means:
The same applies to weight loss medications once they have been exposed to temperatures above +8°C. Disposal should occur after:
- Trulicity: 2 weeks
- Mounjaro: 3 weeks
- Most brands: 4 weeks
- Ozempic and Wegovy: 6 weeks
If you transport your insulin or weight loss medication below +2°C / 36°F or above +8°C / 46°F, there is a high likelihood that you may not get the intended effect of the medication or be exposed to additional unwanted side effects.
What does the package insert of Ozempic say?
This means:
- Unused Ozempic pens must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- Ozempic pens must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- Store the package with the unused Ozempic pens in the refrigerator.
- The Ozempic pen that is in use can be stored at a temperature of up to 30°C for up to 42 days.
Ozempic pens must never be frozen, and you should not use them if they have been frozen, even if you rewarm them to 2°C to 8°C after freezing. If you do, the intended effect of this medication may not occur, or you may experience unwanted side effects.
What does the package insert of Wegovy say?
This means:
- Unused Wegovy pens must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- Wegovy pens must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- You can store the pen currently in use in the refrigerator, as long as it is kept away from cooling elements.
- You can store the pen currently in use at room temperature, up to a maximum of 30°C.
These pens of Ozempic and Wegovy must be discarded:
- All pens that have been frozen (beware: this can also happen in the refrigerator!)
- All pens that have been exposed to temperatures higher than 30°C.
- All unopened pens after 42 days, if they have been warmer than 8°C, even if you put the vials back in the refrigerator afterward.
- The pen currently in use and stored at room temperature after 42 days, even if there is still medicine left.
How to cool properly:
You need a secure cooling bag to carry your Ozempic and Wegovy packages from the pharmacy home if you buy more than one pen at a time.
You need a secure cooling bag to transport your pens while traveling.
Even if you are only picking up one pen from the pharmacy and whenever you take the pen with you for activities outside the home, you must ensure that the pen is not exposed to temperatures above 30°C. This can happen even on a cooler day because if you leave the pen in the car, the car can easily heat up to over 30°C in the sun.
You need a certified medical cooling bag.
What does the package insert of Mounjaro say?
This means:
- Unused Mounjaro vials must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- Mounjaro vials must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- You can store the Mounjaro vial that is currently in use in the refrigerator.
- You can store the Mounjaro vial that is currently in use at room temperature up to a maximum of 30°C.
These Mounjaro vials must be discarded:
- All vials that have been frozen (beware: this can also happen in the refrigerator!)
- All vials that have been exposed to temperatures higher than 30°C.
- All unopened vials after 21 days if they have been warmer than 8°C, even if you placed the vials back in the refrigerator afterward.
- The vial currently in use and stored at room temperature after 21 days, even if there is still medication left.
How to cool properly:
To avoid compromising the effectiveness of your treatment, you need a secure cooling bag to carry Mounjaro home from the pharmacy if you are purchasing more than one vial at a time.
You need a secure cooling bag to transport your vials while traveling.
Even if you are only picking up one vial from the pharmacy, and whenever you take the vial with you for activities outside the home, you must ensure that it is not exposed to temperatures above 30°C. This can happen even on a cooler day, as leaving Mounjaro in a car can easily cause it to heat up to over 30°C in the sun.
What does the package insert of Saxenda say?
This means:
- Unused pens must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- All pens must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- Store the package with the unused pens in the refrigerator.
- The pen that is currently in use can be stored at a temperature of up to 30°C for up to 30 days. However, this pen can also be stored in the refrigerator.
All pens must never be frozen, and you should not use them if they have been frozen, even if you rewarm them to 2-8°C after freezing. If you do, the intended effect of this medication may not occur, or you may experience unwanted side effects.
What does the package insert of Victoza say?
This means:
- Unused pens must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- All pens must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- Store the package with the unused pens in the refrigerator.
- The pen that is currently in use can be stored at a temperature of up to 30°C for up to 30 days. However, this pen can also be stored in the refrigerator.
All pens must never be frozen, and you should not use them if they have been frozen, even if you rewarm them to 2-8°C after freezing. If you do, the intended effect of this medication may not occur, or you may experience unwanted side effects.
These Saxenda and Victoza pens must be discarded:
- All pens that have been frozen (beware: this can also happen in the refrigerator!).
- All pens that have been exposed to temperatures higher than 30°C.
- All unopened pens after 1 month if they have been warmer than 8°C, even if you placed them back in the refrigerator afterward.
- The pen that is currently in use and stored at room temperature after 30 days, even if there is still medication left.
How to properly cool Saxenda and Victoza:
You need a secure cooling bag to carry your medication boxes home from the pharmacy if you purchase more than one pen at a time.
You need a secure cooling bag to transport your pens while traveling.
Even if you are only picking up one pen from the pharmacy, and whenever you take the pen with you for activities outside the home, you must ensure that the pen is not exposed to temperatures above 30°C. This can happen even on a cooler day, as leaving the pen in a car can easily cause it to heat up to over 30°C in the sun.
You need a certified medical cooling bag.
What does the package insert of Trulicity say?
1m Kühlschrank lagern (2 oc — 8 oc). Nicht einfrieren.
In der Originalverpackung aufbewahren, um den Inhalt vor Licht zu schützen.
Trulicity kann außerhalb des Kühlschranks bis zu 14 Tagen bei einer Temperatur nicht über 30 oc gelagert werden.
This means:
- Unused pens must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- All pens must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- Store the package with the unused pens in the refrigerator.
- The pen that is currently in use can be stored at a temperature of up to 30°C for up to 14 days. However, this pen can also be stored in the refrigerator.
- All pens must never be frozen, and you should not use them if they have been frozen, even if you rewarm them to 2°C – 8°C after freezing. If you do, the intended effect of this medication may not occur, or you may experience unwanted side effects.
What does the package insert of Byetta say?
This means:
- Unused pens must be transported between 2°C and 8°C from the pharmacy to your refrigerator. The entire package must always remain cool.
- All pens must not be frozen, neither in the refrigerator nor in a cooling bag.
- Store the package with the unused pens in the refrigerator.
- The pen that is currently in use can be stored at a temperature of up to 30°C for up to 14 days. However, this pen can also be stored in the refrigerator.
- All pens must never be frozen, and you should not use them if they have been frozen, even if you rewarm them to 2°C – 8°C after freezing. If you do, the intended effect of this medication may not occur, or you may experience unwanted side effects.
These Trulicity pens must be discarded:
- All pens that have been frozen (beware: this can also happen in the refrigerator!)
- All pens that have been exposed to temperatures higher than 30°C.
- All unopened pens after 14 days if they have been warmer than 8°C, even if you placed them back in the refrigerator afterward.
- The pen that is currently in use and stored at room temperature after 14 days, even if there is still medication left.
How to properly cool Trulicity and Byetta:
You need a secure cooling bag to carry your medication boxes home from the pharmacy if you purchase more than one pen at a time.
You need a secure cooling bag to transport your pens while traveling.
Even if you are only picking up one pen from the pharmacy, and whenever you take the pen currently in use for activities outside the home, you must ensure that the Byetta pen is not exposed to temperatures above 25°C and the Trulicity pen to temperatures above 30°C. This can happen even on a cooler day, as leaving the pen in a car can easily cause it to heat up to over 30°C in the sun.
You need a certified medical cooling bag.
These Byetta pens must be discarded:
- All pens that have been frozen (beware: this can also happen in the refrigerator!)
- All pens that have been exposed to temperatures higher than 25°C.
- All unopened pens after 1 month if they have been warmer than 8°C, even if you placed them back in the refrigerator afterward.
- The pen that is currently in use and stored at room temperature after 30 days, even if there is still medication left.