Storage and Handling Insulin
Always read the instructions that come with your insulin. Bottles of insulin, either open or
unopened, generally last for one month when stored at room temperature (59 to 86°F). A bottle is
considered open if its seal has been punctured. If you remove the cap but don't puncture the seal,
the bottle is still considered unopened.
If stored in a refrigerator, unopened bottles are good until the expiration date printed on the
bottle. Opened bottles that are stored in a refrigerator should be used within one month of being
opened. Many people store their unopened bottles in the refrigerator and keep open bottles at
room temperature because they find it uncomfortable to inject cold insulin.
Don't use bottled insulin past the expiration date printed on the label. And no matter what the
expiration date is, throw away a bottle one month after you open it. To help you keep track, write
the date that you opened the bottle on the bottle's label.
With insulin pens and their cartridges, storage life ranges from ten days to one month. Check the
chart below for shelf life details on popular brands.
Length of time an insulin pen can be at room temperature