Quick Answer: You should not use insulin after its expiration date. While expired insulin won't make you immediately sick, it can cause serious health risks, including diabetic ketoacidosis.
One of the tricky parts of living with diabetes is dealing with insulin. This life-saving hormone allows type 1 and type 2 diabetics to control their blood sugars and keep them within safe range to avoid health complications.
But insulis is a very sensitive medicine with a limited shelf life. It must be kept at specific temperatures and can quickly go bad if not properly stored.
Besides, insulin is a bit of an unusual medicine in that it has two expiration dates. Learn here how to know and what to do when your insulin expires.
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If you're a visual learner or just prefer watching over reading, we've got you covered! Take a look at our video below, same topic, different format!
When Does Insulin Expire?
As noted before, insulin actually has two expiration dates!
- The first expiration date is the "official" oneand is printed on each insulin pen, vial, or cartridge.
- The second one isn't set as a fixed date but arrives about one month after insulin has been opened or taken out of the fridge (it may vary from 28 days to 56 days, depending on the specific type of insulin you're using).
Related article: Does Insulin Need to Be Refrigerated and How to Store Your Pens and Vials Correctly?
Expiration Date on Insulin Pens & Vials
All insulin products sold in the UK, including pens, vials, and cartridges, are marked with an expiry date by the manufacturer, which is usually one year from the purchase date. This date can be found on the packaging and each pen, vial, or cartridge. If you cannot find it, consult your pharmacist for assistance.
Every medication has an expiry date; this is not arbitrarily assigned but is based on extensive clinical research that defines the shelf life beyond which the medication may become unstable and no longer suitable for use. This stability is contingent upon the degradation processes specific to each pharmaceutical product.
Once this offical expiration date has passed, the stability of the insulin cannot be assured, and it should be regarded as expired whether or not it has been opened, and irrespective of whether it was stored inside or outside the refrigerator.
Furthermore, remember that for insulin to be good until its epiration date, it must have been kept refrigerated.
Always verify the expiry date on a pen or vial before using it. Additionally, don't forget to monitor a subsequent expiry date-the one that comes into effect once you open your insulin container for the first time (below).
Insulin Expiration After Opening
Once opened or even briefly removed from the fridge, insulin begins to degrade and is assured to remain fully effective for a limited time (typically a month). Thus, a new expiration process begins when you first puncture an insulin vial, or use an insulin pen.
Consequently, your insulin will expire before the expiration date indicated on its label. The new expiry typically occurs within a month, although this can vary based on the specific insulin and its stability at room temperature. For instance:
- Lantus, Novolog, Humalog, Apidra, and Basaglar, expire 28 days after opening or removal from the fridge.
- For Humulin, the expiration date after opening is 31 days.
- For Novolin N, Levemir, and Toujeo, the expiration date after opening is 42 days.
- Tresiba has one of the longest shelf life out of the fridge. It expires 56 days after opening.
Always check the storage instructions for your specific insulin before use.
And don't forget that, once your insulin has been opened, it must be kept at room temperature and should never be exposed to temperatures above 25°C.
Related article: How to Keep Insulin Cool While Travelling?
Can You Use Expired Insulin?
In either case, beyond any of the two expiry dates, manufacturers do not assure the stability or efficacy of insulin and advise against its use. Using expired insulin is unsafe. Do not risk it.
Whatever the reason your insulin has expired, it should not be used after reaching either of its two expiry dates. Expired insulin is unsafe and could lead to severe health complications.
Moreover, never use insulin that appears to have deteriorated, even if it's still within its designated shelf life. Expiry dates are merely one factor in why insulin may expire. Exposure to high temperatures, freezing conditions, light, or potential bacterial contamination can cause your insulin to degrade more quickly than anticipated.
If in doubt, dispose of your insulin pen or vial and get a fresh one from the refrigerator.
Can Expired Insulin Make You Sick?
Using expired insulin should not immediately make you sick or be fatal. However, the repercussions of using expired insulin can be extremely severe and even life-threatening.
Because it's akin to injecting no insulin or one of very low potency, your blood glucose levels will continue to rise, leading to prolonged hyperglycaemia which could eventually result in Diabetic Ketoacidosis and potentially coma, especially in type 1 diabetics.
The symptoms of using expired insulin are the same as hyperglycemia, including high blood sugar, thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent urination, nausea, ketones in urine, etc. If you experience these symptoms and have doubt about the quality of your insulin, immediately dispose of it and take a new pen or vial. If symptoms persist, consult with your GP or sick medical care as soon as possible.
How Long Can You Use Insulin After It Expires?
You should not use insulin after its expiration date. However, consensus among manufacturers, doctors, diabetes nurses, and patients is that if insulin was stored correctly, using it a few days beyond its expiry date might not pose any problem. This should only be considered if you have no other options, though...
How to Dispose of Expired Insulin
Expired insulin is no longer safe for use, so you must discard it. To avoid any confusion between your usable pens or vials and those that are expired, we recommend disposing of insulin as soon as you realise it has expired.
According to UK regulations, you should not dispose of medicines, including expired insulin pens and vials, in household rubbish. Instead, these should be taken to a local pharmacy or chemist for safe disposal. This ensures they do not harm the environment or pose a risk to other people.
Before disposing of insulin, it is advisable not to remove it from its original container to prevent accidental needle sticks. Instead, the entire pen or vial should be returned to a pharmacy. Additionally, to protect your privacy, remove any labels from the container that may contain personal information before disposal.
Used needles and other sharps should never be thrown into household trash or recycling bins. They must be placed in specifically designed sharps disposal bins. These bins can often be obtained free of charge from your local council, pharmacy, or GP surgery. Once full, these bins should be returned to the pharmacy, your GP surgery, or other designated collection points.
This method of disposal helps to prevent injury and ensure that medical waste is handled in an environmentally responsible way.
We'd Love to Hear Your Thoughts!
Have you ever encountered expired insulin? How did you handle it? We'd love to hear your story!
