New member 5/6/23: Expired insulin (glargine)

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Angie & Celia (Cruz)

Angie & Celia (Cruz)

Member Since 2023
A.) Does anyone know if harmful to your cat if you unknowingly give your cat expired insulin? And

B.) is there any other way to know it expired or is ruined besides it being cloudy, etc. (besides exp. date of course)? because

C.) My pharmacy said my glargine 10ml vial expired in 28 days but I refrigerated it some days after I brought it home (thanks to mixed messages) so don't know roughly how
long it should last now (?)

Thank you in advance!!
 
The 28 day information does not mean your insulin is expired. There should be an actual expiration date printed on the box or somewhere on the insulin container. Most insulin has an expiration date that is over a year (or two) from the date of purchase. I've used glargine from an open container, in my case an insulin pen, for at least 3 months.

The 28 days is predicated on a few issues. First, it's how the manufacturers ran their clinical trials. Further, humans use a much larger dose of insulin than most cats so the pens (or in some cases the vials) were used up in a month which is likely why the manufacturers used a 28-day window. Once the insulin pens came on the market, humans would carry the pens around as they didn't need to be refrigerated which was a huge bonus if you were traveling. I truly doubt that anyone would dispose of a good quantity of insulin after 28-days. For insulin like Lantus (glargine), that would be a very expensive consideration.

Some of the members here will mark when they start new insulin on their spreadsheets. If you want to review, you may see how long the insulin lasts. Unless you see the insulin is cloudy or has crystals ("floaties"), it's fine. I've only had one experience were my insulin was ineffective and that was because a pharmacy tech slammed the box on the counter because he didn't know what he was doing!

You do want to keep the insulin refrigerated. It's more important to keep it at a reasonably constant temperature. Especially for the vials, we encourage you to keep it refrigerated. You might find this sticky note on handling your insulin helpful.
 
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Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
The 28 day information does not mean your insulin is expired. There should be an actual expiration date printed on the box or somewhere on the insulin container. Most insulin has an expiration date that is over a year (or two) from the date of purchase. I've used glargine from an open container, in my case an insulin pen, for at least 3 months.

The 28 days is predicated on a few issues. First, it's how the manufacturers ran their clinical trials. Further, human's use a much larger dose of insulin than most cats so the pens (or in some cases the vials) were used up in a month which is likely why the manufacturers used a 28-day window. Once the insulin pens came on the market, humans would carry the pens around as they didn't need to be refrigerated which was a huge bonus if you were traveling. I truly doubt that anyone would dispose of a good quantity of insulin after 28-days. For insulin like Lantus (glargine), that would be a very expensive consideration.

Some of the members here will mark when they start new insulin on their spreadsheets. If you want to review, you may see how long the insulin lasts. Unless you see the insulin is cloudy or has crystals ("floats"), it's fine. I've only had one experience were my insulin was ineffective and that was because a pharmacy tech slammed the box on the counter because he didn't know what he was doing!

You do want to keep the insulin refrigerated. It's more important to keep it at a reasonably constant temperature. Especially for the vials, we encourage you to keep it refrigerated. You might find this sticky note on handling your insulin helpful.
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THANK YOU!!!
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
As I mentioned in your initial post, the 28 days are for humans who keep it at room temperature with them all the time and not refrigerated. You want to go by the actual expiration date on the pen
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Sorry for delay. Mine came in a vial & the box says exp. 4/30/2025, but I assumed that meant if unopened. I'm referring to once opened also? Thanks.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
If you home test you will notice when your insulin starts to become ineffective. You will start to see higher readings than normal
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Jut be careful in your evaluation. I use the same glargine pen for Wiggles and Merle.Many times I almost conclude that the insulin us losing effectivity on one cat but it works as expected on the other. Which cat seems to lose effectiveness changes.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Jut be careful in your evaluation. I use the same glargine pen for Wiggles and Merle.Many times I almost conclude that the insulin us losing effectivity on one cat but it works as expected on the other. Which cat seems to lose effectiveness changes.
Click to expand...
I agree. That was the same thing that happened when Witn and Spot were on the same insulin. You can't determine is the insulin is becoming ineffective by a few readings. If you see a pattern over several weeks where the numbers are consistently getting higher, then it may be close to the time where you need a new vial.
 
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