Insulin Safety Tips

If you need to inject insulin to manage your diabetes, take care of your insulin properly. Ask your pharmacist how to safely store and use your insulin medicines and remember these general tips from the American Diabetes Association:

Store insulin safely. Keep your extra bottles in the refrigerator, away from very hot or very cold temperatures. Never store insulin in the freezer or in direct sunlight.
In general, after you open a bottle, don’t keep it for more than 28 days. The cartridges of some insulin pens may need to be discarded after as few as 10 days at room temperature.
Before you open a new bottle, check the date that is printed on it. Do not use the insulin if it is past its expiration date.

Tell your diabetes health care team and your pharmacist if you have any special needs, such as vision problems, that interfere with the safe use of your insulin. They can suggest ways to help you safely manage your medications.

Related Video: I Didn't Think I Could Inject Insulin

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Afraid to self-inject? These people were too. Let these stories help you cope with fear of self-injection.

Medical Reviewer: Medical Reviewer: Gerald W. Smetana, MD Last Annual Review Date: Last Annual Review Date: August 30, 2010 © 2012 Healthgrades, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Healthgrades, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement.

Indications and Usage for Lantus® (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection)

Prescription Lantus® is a long-acting insulin used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes and adults and children (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes for the control of high blood sugar. It should be taken once a day at the same time each day to lower blood glucose.

Do not use Lantus® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.

Important Safety Information for Lantus® (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection)

Do not take Lantus® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients in Lantus®.

You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®. Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your healthcare provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.

Do NOT dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Lantus® must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible. Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with others.

The most common side effect of insulin, including Lantus®, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious. Some people may experience symptoms such as shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Severe hypoglycemia may be serious and life threatening. It may cause harm to your heart or brain. Other possible side effects may include injection site reactions, including changes in fat tissue at the injection site, and allergic reactions, including itching and rash. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life threatening.

Tell your doctor about other medicines and supplements you are taking because they can change the way insulin works. Before starting Lantus®, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including if you have liver or kidney problems, are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed.

Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin pen. Please talk to your healthcare provider about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that accompanies the pen.

Please click here or the link below for the full prescribing information for Lantus®

Prescribing Information

Medical Reviewer: Fraser, Marianne MSN, RN Jones, Niya, MD Last Annual Review Date: Apr 9, 2012 Copyright: Copyright Health Ink & Vitality Communications