Check insulin in vial

Check condition of the insulin

Second Revision, Saturday, 17 January 2009; 05:44

Examine the insulin in the vial!

Usually you would store insulin in the refrigerator, though that's not strictly necessary, depending on how fast you use it up! However, insulin should be kept away from excessive heat and light.

Caninsulin and its U.S.counterpart, Vetsulin, should be stored in the refrigerator, with the vial in an upright position.

The Novolin NPH insulin I use, I store in a plastic box with flaps, sealed tight, wrapped in paper towels, but I store the vial on its side in the box. Very handy! I put it in the butter-section, to help keep it from freezing.

Some people say Novolin or Humulin should also be stored upright, to keep the insulin from lying in contact with the rubber stopper on the vial.

When you get the vial out of the fridge, look at the contents, to make sure there's no particular precipitate visible - that is, no precipitated particles lying around in the bottom of the vial.

It's a good idea to have an extra vial of insulin on hand in case you drop a vial, or something else goes wrong. I try to have one fresh spare vial on hand at all times.

Your next step is to mix the insulin.

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