How long can insulin safely stay stable in the syringe?

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She managed to get under the bed before I could jab her. Darn it!
I know from experience that once she wedges herself down there it will be at least two or three hours before she finally comes out. I put the filled syringe back in the refrigerator but do I need to discard it after a couple hours and pull up a fresh dose?
In fact, how long would it be safe to stay in the syringe but out of the refrigerator if I'm lying in wait for her.
The refrigerator door is a dead giveaway so it would be far more sly if I could keep the syringe hidden on the coffee table.

(It's 2 units of ProZinc in a U-40 if that makes a difference.)
 
It will be ok for hours. I'm not concerned about that part but I am a little concerned about the dose.
Are you testing? should I just look up your prior posts? That seems high.
 
I can't speak on the question of how long you can keep it in the syringe.
I don't see how that could make much difference. But, I don't KNOW, that's just me guessing. :-D

If it's ok to keep it in there, and you're worried about keeping it cold, why not try putting some icecubes in a baggie in a cup and keep the syringe in there?
 
lori and tom said:
Are you testing? should I just look up your prior posts?
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol:
When I read this, I had this "cop voice" in my head. Makes you sound like the pokey police!!!

haha_smiley haha_smiley haha_smiley
 
I've done that several times over the years and to be honest, it never made any difference in whether the shot worked or not. and this one might surprise some, but i've done it both with pzi And lantus. mine has been done more though when i've tested and Mousie was too low for a shot so i laid the syringe in the fridge and re-tested and shot an hour or two later, when the number warranted it.
 
OMG, :lol: your so right...'should I look up your priors?" :lol:
 
Ah! The ice cubes in a baggie idea is brilliant! Thanks!
As for the dose being high, perhaps I don't mean units? It's the first two little lines on the U40 syringe. The vet told me it was a low dose.

Fortunately, she just came out from under the bed. I gave her a jab and she ran back under. She's under there now eating her dinner- silly cat!
 
yes, that is 2 units.
are you home testing your kitty?
granted that LOOKS like a tiny amount of insulin but in reality that is a high starting dose. Too high.
Especially if you are not home testing.
Unfortunalty more often than not veterinarians prescribe a dose that turns out to be much to much.
We start with one unit.
It can always be raised, but when you have too much insulin in the kitty it is dangerous.
so often even 1 unit is too much and newbie's find them selves giving a fraction of that dose.
Lori
 
I read, or actually I think I was told, that you can store it pre-drawn in the syringe in the fridge for hours, but that you should store it with the needle pointing "up" so that the insulin is not getting gummed up or thick near the hole in the needle. I was going to do this at home so that my wife could handle one test/dose if I was working and I could do the other. I ended up deciding to just to all the treatments and dosings myself so I never tried pre-filling the syringes. But then I've never had Bob make "the great escape" after the syringe is ready so I can understand your dillema!
The couple times I've worried about Bob getting away and hiding (mostly when I need to get him in a carrier to take a ride in the car), I've closed off every door in the house so he's limited to just one room. Less running, and fewer places to hide!

Carl in SC
 
For Lantus, there is a Sticky that talks about proper storage and handling. It's not recommended that you pre-fill syringes. Personally I would just get a fresh one. Not worth the trouble.

I'm not familiar with PZI and can't advise.
 
PZI can be stored in the syringe for a least a couple of days. Just be sure to roll the syringe in your hands to remix it before shooting. That will also warm the insulin a bit and make it sting less.
 
lori and tom said:
Especially if you are not home testing.
Click to expand...
Home testing is not a possibility with this extremely fractious cat who also has a history of feline hyperesthesia syndrome (external stimuli or stress makes her attack any nearby person or she will self mutilate resulting in bite wounds to herself). In order to get a blood draw at the vet she has to be put in an anesthesia chamber to make her groggy.
I originally had doubts that I could get the insulin into her without incident but so far it is happening.
Yesterday I tried to sneak under her to get a urine catch but she stopped going and took off.
 
hmmm, I see.
Bless you for attempting to treat a fractious cat, that is certainly a challenge and potentially a bloody one!
Is you sweet kitty eatting hard kibble or low carb wet food?
If low carb wet, It may be wise to start on 1unit as 2 units is almost always too much.
And if anything it is better to have your kitty running a little high than too low, ESPECIALLY if you cannot test during what appears to be a hypo...or to avoid one.
thoughts?
 
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