Does Ozempic Need To Be Refrigerated?
Ozempic is an injectable prescription medicine used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It contains the active ingredient semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist that works by helping the body release more insulin when needed. In this article, we will discuss in further detail what Ozempic is, how to properly store it, how to tell if it has gone bad, and how to travel with it.
What Does Ozempic Help With?
Ozempic can help improve A1C levels and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in people with type 2 diabetes. It is also approved for use as an adjunct to diet and exercise to reduce blood sugar spikes after meals for those who have not achieved adequate glycemic control on other medications. It also helps with losing weight in some cases.
Ozempic should be injected once weekly at any time of day and can be taken with or without food. Ozempic should be injected subcutaneously, meaning under the skin. It is most commonly injected into the abdomen, upper arm, or thigh. To inject Ozempic correctly, clean the area with an alcohol swab before and after injection. The needle should be inserted at a 90-degree angle and pushed firmly against your skin.
How Should It Be Stored?
Like Insulin, Victoza, Trulicity, and many other injectable drugs, Ozempic is highly sensitive to high and low temperatures. This means that to ensure it stays safe and does not lose any of its efficiency, it requires rigorous storage conditions. Any unopened Ozempic pens must be kept in the fridge at a temperature between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. After the first use, it can either be placed at room temperature below 86 degrees or placed back into the fridge. But keep in mind that whether you store it in the fridge or at room temperature, it must be used within 56 days after opening, or else it will go bad.
Any unopened Ozempic pens that are properly stored in the fridge at the right temperature are good until their expiration dates, which you can find on the pen and/or on the carton box. Any pen that has been open or out of the fridge for more than 56 days should be thrown away, even if there is still medicine inside. This is because laboratory tests have shown that after those 56 days, Ozempic starts losing its efficiency and won't help anymore. Also, if the pen becomes exposed to temperatures above 86 degrees for any period of time, throw it away as it is not safe for use, and injecting yourself with a pen that has gone bad can come with many severe consequences.
Just like Insulin and Victoza, Ozempic must never be frozen. As we learned above, Ozempic is extremely sensitive to temperature and can freeze at 32 degrees. Once frozen, the solution breaks down, and it won't regain its original efficiency, meaning it is not safe for use anymore, even if it has thawed after being frozen. If this happens, immediately throw the pen away and get a new one.
How To Tell If Ozempic Has Gone Bad?
The easiest way to tell if your pen has gone bad is to look for any solid elements, strings, or particles or if it has changed color and looks different than normal (clear and colorless). Unusual high blood glucose levels can also be a sign that your pen isn't working as it should and may have gone bad. In any case of doubt, immediately throw it away and get a new pen.
Traveling With Ozempic
Traveling with diabetes and medical gear, in general, can be stressful. But millions of diabetics travel just fine with their medicine and gear every day, so you are not alone and will be okay; it just takes a little more pre-planning and organization. Fortunately, Ozempic storage instructions are pretty straightforward and easy to follow.
The first tip to traveling with it is obviously always keep your pen in the shade and away from direct sunlight or any temperatures above 86 degrees. But if that isn't possible, the best way to ensure it stays safe is to consider carrying it in a portable medical-grade cooling device. 4AllFamily designs coolers specifically for temperature-sensitive medicines like Ozempic. And they are lightweight, portable, safe, hyper-performant, laboratory tested, and TSA-approved simply to make your life while traveling easier.
Conclusion:
Ozempic is a temperature-sensitive medicine used in adults with type 2 diabetes. To ensure it stays efficient and safe for use, it is crucial to follow all instructions for storage listed above. As a quick reminder, it can be stored in the fridge between 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit before the first use up until the expiration date. After first use, it can be stored at room temperature for up to 56 days, but make sure it is never stored at 86 degrees or higher and never frozen.