Refrigerator for Insulin

I think I will go Back to the Vials I used them then found the Pen more handy when I worked each day. Now retired The Vials willl work very well again. Thanks for all the replies.

I use my RV fridge but I do not get that much insulin, plus the fast acting (At this time) is vials and syringe instead of pen (Long acting is pen) (Used to be the other way around)

There are several "Toy" fridges that have basically no moving parts (Other than a fan) I used to use one of those for some things (not insulin) but I call those a "-30 box" they cool to 30 degrees BELOW room temp. (I could design one for colder but the cost would be excessive) They also draw a lot of power for the amount of cool. The one you'd need drew over six amps. I did ship a smaller one to a friend who used it in her care between home and hotel when traveling (engine running that's not a lot of power)

If you go with a portable.. NORCOLD I think, and possibly Dometic, and for sure Engel (I'm sitting next to an Engel which I use as a Freezer) make compressor driven units that are VERY good at converting 12vdc into COLD. They are a tad pricey but they work very very well.. Mine goes to zero and draws... 3 amps running.

You can at least buffer temperature changes by keeping the pens in a thermos bottle. Just an icecube or 2 would keep it plenty cold. Recommendation is to keep it between 36 and 46 degrees. Open vials don't need to be refrigerated - remain good for about a month (keep below 86 degrees if possible). My dad was a bad diabetic - I have active friends who currently deal with this issue. ST

Both my wife & me use insulin. When we are gone for a few days plus, we keep it in a smaller cooler. We make a 1/2 gallon of ice in the RV freezer, & then swap that out with the 1/2 gallon container in the cooler, every day. This system works forever, if you have sufficient propane.

I have a kitty who needs insulin. I use a little 12v fridge and keep it outside in the shade I also have a 120v adapter for it, and ice packs, to give me multiple options.

I cool weather I keep a spare bottle in a cool place in the van, not in the fridge, because I fear the fridge may freeze the insulin. It hasn't yet. I unplug it at night. With the pens, you could divide them into several bags and store in different places, as a precaution.

I use vials and needles, both for the space and the cost. insulin in pens costs about 4 times as much as the same thing in vials. For those of us on fixed income, that can be a lot! Mine stays in the veggie bins at the bottom of the Norcold refrig. We have been out up to 4 months at a time, and I always try to carry extra in case we don't make it back when we plan. depending on you type and dosage, consider vials. one vial will last me about a week, one pen about three days. you can store at least two vials in the space of one pen. For me, injectins with a syringe is much easier than with a pen. Needles are the same size.

Seems to me a quick and simple solution would be to get the vials of insulin (a 3 month supply would take up less space than than a 1/2 dozen of eggs---easily stored on the fridge door) and keep the syringes in dry storage.

I get it......pre-dosed pens are EASY, but learning how to load your own syringe is a lot cheaper than a second fridge.

Drawing one's own dosage from the vile is not that difficult. I have even done it. Is this an option for you???

Dog Trainer wrote:
Just wanted to know if anyone uses a separate refrigerator for their insulin when on a long stay.
We are gone a couple of times a year for extended periods our longest about 3 months in the winter. I get my insulin from the VA in 3 month supplies.. Our TT refer is smaller than the home one so I would like to be able to have an additional yet reliable place for my medicine.A 3 month supply is about 9 boxes of pens as I take 2 different kinds. I did look at some of the dedicated medical transport refers but they are quite expensive. I also looked at Camping World and they have a nice portable cooler that runs AC/DC for a reasonable price with temp control. So putting this out to those that have used the portables for your reecomendations.

Do like DW and take the pens out of their boxes and put in a zip lock. DW can get like 30 pens in a zip lock abt the size of a head of iceberg lettuce. She keeps hers in the regular refer crisper drawer.

Larry

DW uses the insulin pens and let me tell you, 6 boxes is a lot. Bottles take up a lot less space. Several years ago we started taking a small refer with us that sits outside. I just put them in there once we get settled. Dometic also markets a compressor refer that become a freezer that we use for frozen food. But there is no reason the smallest version could not be used for your insulin. They work on 12VDC or 120VAC, so they are ideal for traveling.

You could consider one of the very high efficiency 12 V refrigerators, such as an Engel or ARB.

Good information on them here.