Since the stability of insulin is susceptible to a number of factors, such as temperature, light and vibration, all of which can affect the efficacy of insulin. Therefore, it is important to minimize factors that may reduce the effectiveness of insulin during storage.
Improper storage can spoil
It might be a bit abstract to say that insulin is a fine protein molecule, but it would be all too easy to understand to say that insulin is a protein just like milk. In the winter time, when left below freezing milk freezes and insulin becomes ineffective. In the summer, fresh milk without preservatives, if not kept in the refrigerator, the milk will also be visible to the naked eye, deterioration, curdled into lumps, and even become tofu crumb-like.
Milk is protein, insulin is also protein, so what happens to milk at high temperatures will happen to insulin, except that milk is a food that spoils, and insulin is a drug that breaks down, denatures, and is significantly less effective.
It can't be hidden or exposed, it has to be fixed in place
1. Unopened insulin
Requirements placed in the refrigerator at a low temperature of 2 to 8 degrees, not close to the back wall of the refrigerator, so as not to avoid the temperature is too low, insulin freezing ice; also do not put on the refrigerator door, so as not to avoid back and forth switching the refrigerator when the vibration; the best fixed position placed in the refrigerator close to the door, and pay attention to the regular cleaning of the refrigerator, to keep the refrigerator clean; forbidden to be placed in the refrigerator freezing layer or put into the freezer, even if the frozen insulin has already been melted, can not be use.
However, it is important to make sure that the temperature in the room is lower than 25 degrees because once the room temperature is higher than 25 degrees, the biological activity of the insulin decreases and subsequently the efficacy of the drug decreases accordingly. Therefore, you should have a thermometer at home, once the temperature is higher than 25 degrees, in order to prevent the effect of insulin, even if the insulin has been opened, it is best to put it in the refrigerator.
If you are concerned that the insulin is too cold in the refrigerator and you feel uncomfortable injecting it, take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before the injection to rewarm it. If you are concerned that putting insulin in the refrigerator will affect the stability of the insulin, the trade-off is infinitely better than injecting failed insulin.
Don't be afraid of freezing or getting hot. Keep it with you
Insulin therapy cannot be interrupted and must be carried with you when traveling for business or pleasure. For temperatures between 2 and 25 degrees Celsius, insulin can be carried in a handbag or backpack. If the temperature exceeds 25 degrees, keep the insulin in an insulin cooler.
When you take a bus, don't put the bag with insulin on the engine; when you take a train, don't put the insulin close to the computer you are using or next to the cup of hot water; when you drive a private car, don't put the insulin in the trunk, but you can put it in a small refrigerator.
The reason is that the higher the temperature and the longer the time, the less effective the medicine will be. Once the temperature exceeds 50 degrees, insulin will quickly become ineffective in a short period of time; when traveling by plane, do not check insulin with your luggage, so as not to freeze insulin, so that insulin inactivity.
Fear of shock, hold it gently and avoid shaking it
Insulin has two amino acids linked together by a disulfide bond, and when insulin is violently shocked for any reason, the disulfide bond breaks, destroying the bioactivity of the insulin and leading to drug failure.
Therefore, insulin should be held flat to prevent dropping. Avoid running when carrying it with you, and avoid violent bumps when going up and down stairs. Pre-mixed or mixed insulin is routinely shaken before use, and excessive shaking should be avoided.
Finally, note these 4 points
1. There are many different types of insulin, and it is important to read the drug's instructions before using each type of insulin and to use it within the expiration date.
2. Once opened, insulin is good for 4 weeks (28 days) and should be discarded whether or not it is used up.
3. Every time you open a new bottle of insulin or before each injection of insulin, check the insulin for discoloration, deterioration, turbidity, crystallization, icing, flocculent, etc. If you find any abnormality, prohibit its use.
4. During the injection of insulin, the changes of blood glucose should be closely monitored, and if you find that your blood glucose becomes abnormally high, you should check whether the insulin is properly preserved. It can be seen that any detail in the process of insulin use may affect the efficacy of insulin, so when you find that your blood glucose rises for an unknown reason, don't blindly increase the dosage of insulin or change the type of insulin, but first make sure that the insulin is properly preserved, and the efficacy of the insulin has been It would be more appropriate to determine whether the insulin is properly stored and whether its effectiveness is affected.
The information is from the Internet and is for reference only.