Freezing pre-filled insulin syringes?

bbbilly

bbbilly

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I'm aware tirzepatide holds up fine when frozen post-reconstitution, and a few folks have frozen their pre-filled pen cartridges without problems. What I'm curious about is whether a plain Easy Touch insulin syringe could take the same treatment — specifically, would the rubber plunger stay intact?

My instinct is that you'd need to keep them upright, needle pointing up, with a bit of air at the top or in the barrel so expansion doesn't push some liquid out. Has anyone else mulled this over?

I'm in a tight spot: my vial is larger than I can finish before it expires, and the smartest option seems to be loading some syringes ahead of time and freezing them until I need that single syringe.

Any ideas?
 
bbbilly said:

I'm aware tirzepatide holds up fine when frozen post-reconstitution, and a few folks have frozen their pre-filled pen cartridges without problems. What I'm curious about is whether a plain Easy Touch insulin syringe could take the same treatment — specifically, would the rubber plunger stay intact?

My instinct is that you'd need to keep them upright, needle pointing up, with a bit of air at the top or in the barrel so expansion doesn't push some liquid out. Has anyone else mulled this over?

I'm in a tight spot: my vial is larger than I can finish before it expires, and the smartest option seems to be loading some syringes ahead of time and freezing them until I need that single syringe.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
That is a fresh perspective—I do not think anyone has mentioned it previously?
 
Honestly, there are many reasons this seems like a poor plan. To start, peptides that have been reconstituted are typically not supposed to be frozen. Beyond that, keeping them in a needle would put sterility at risk. And you would be holding them in a plastic barrel meant to be used for just a few seconds.

It seems like you are overcomplicating this. My guess is that you are considering throwing out meds once the 28-day window passes. A lot of people keep using them well past that, and I believe any sterility concern from that would be lower than the risks of syringe storage.
 
bbbilly said:

I'm aware tirzepatide holds up fine when frozen post-reconstitution, and a few folks have frozen their pre-filled pen cartridges without problems. What I'm curious about is whether a plain Easy Touch insulin syringe could take the same treatment — specifically, would the rubber plunger stay intact?

My instinct is that you'd need to keep them upright, needle pointing up, with a bit of air at the top or in the barrel so expansion doesn't push some liquid out. Has anyone else mulled this over?

I'm in a tight spot: my vial is larger than I can finish before it expires, and the smartest option seems to be loading some syringes ahead of time and freezing them until I need that single syringe.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
What about moving it into 1 or several different vials, putting those in the freezer, and then defrosting just the amount you plan to use within whatever window you think is okay??? Naturally, you'd follow proper sterile technique the whole way...
 
I've come across several compounding pharmacies that ship their products in that manner. That doesn't prove it's correct (or incorrect), but it likely indicates that the pharmacist licensed by the state who supervises their operations permits it.

A lot of people (myself included) treat 90 days as the "safe" window for a refrigerated, reconstituted tirz vial (provided you alcohol-swab before each puncture of the vial). If the large vial you have fits within that timeframe, that could be the better option for you. It would also let you adjust the dosage up or down, split-dose, or do whatever else you need.
 
5byfive said:

Honestly, there are many reasons this seems like a poor plan. To start, peptides that have been reconstituted are typically not supposed to be frozen. Beyond that, keeping them in a needle would put sterility at risk. And you would be holding them in a plastic barrel meant to be used for just a few seconds.

It seems like you are overcomplicating this. My guess is that you are considering throwing out meds once the 28-day window passes. A lot of people keep using them well past that, and I believe any sterility concern from that would be lower than the risks of syringe storage.
Click to expand...
tirz holds up really well as a peptide — even through multiple freeze-thaw rounds it only degrades by roughly 2%. the plastic tube is exactly why i'm asking, though; unlike pen cartridges these aren't built for long-term storage, but i'm still weighing it...

skeptick said:

bbbilly said:

I'm aware tirzepatide holds up fine when frozen post-reconstitution, and a few folks have frozen their pre-filled pen cartridges without problems. What I'm curious about is whether a plain Easy Touch insulin syringe could take the same treatment — specifically, would the rubber plunger stay intact?

My instinct is that you'd need to keep them upright, needle pointing up, with a bit of air at the top or in the barrel so expansion doesn't push some liquid out. Has anyone else mulled this over?

I'm in a tight spot: my vial is larger than I can finish before it expires, and the smartest option seems to be loading some syringes ahead of time and freezing them until I need that single syringe.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
What about moving it into 1 or several different vials, putting those in the freezer, and then defrosting just the amount you plan to use within whatever window you think is okay??? Naturally, you'd follow proper sterile technique the whole way...
Click to expand...

5byfive said:

Honestly, there are many reasons this seems like a poor plan. To start, peptides that have been reconstituted are typically not supposed to be frozen. Beyond that, keeping them in a needle would put sterility at risk. And you would be holding them in a plastic barrel meant to be used for just a few seconds.

It seems like you are overcomplicating this. My guess is that you are considering throwing out meds once the 28-day window passes. A lot of people keep using them well past that, and I believe any sterility concern from that would be lower than the risks of syringe storage.
Click to expand...
it comes down to not knowing better before i found this place plus buying a vial that was way too big on impulse. i'm roughly 5-6 weeks into this vial and i'd guess i've gone through about 1/3 of it, so i'd like to preserve the rest. splitting what's left into other vials would mean each one starts out already 5-6 weeks into its lifespan, and to really stretch the tirz i'd probably need to break it into something like 6 vials. alternatively i could pre load the syringes and use them as needed, without the worry that half the lifespan is already gone — assuming a 90 day use limit sits fine with you. if you're the type to toss it at 28 days, i'm already way past that lol. that's the dilemma i'm stuck on
 
indolent said:

I've come across several compounding pharmacies that ship their products in that manner. That doesn't prove it's correct (or incorrect), but it likely indicates that the pharmacist licensed by the state who supervises their operations permits it.

A lot of people (myself included) treat 90 days as the "safe" window for a refrigerated, reconstituted tirz vial (provided you alcohol-swab before each puncture of the vial). If the large vial you have fits within that timeframe, that could be the better option for you. It would also let you adjust the dosage up or down, split-dose, or do whatever else you need.
Click to expand...
that's a new one to me, never came across a compounder pulling that off. are we talking plain run-of-the-mill syringes here, or the nicer pen-style injectors? my gut says the pen kind would handle it far better, but unfortunately i don't own one right now
 
CNCCurrency said:

bbbilly said:

I'm aware tirzepatide holds up fine when frozen post-reconstitution, and a few folks have frozen their pre-filled pen cartridges without problems. What I'm curious about is whether a plain Easy Touch insulin syringe could take the same treatment — specifically, would the rubber plunger stay intact?

My instinct is that you'd need to keep them upright, needle pointing up, with a bit of air at the top or in the barrel so expansion doesn't push some liquid out. Has anyone else mulled this over?

I'm in a tight spot: my vial is larger than I can finish before it expires, and the smartest option seems to be loading some syringes ahead of time and freezing them until I need that single syringe.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
That is a fresh perspective—I do not think anyone has mentioned it previously?
Click to expand...
last night i was figuring out how to handle a bunch of 30mg kits from a group buy. the plan was to grab a pile of sterile vials, divide the kits, and stash them in the freezer, since another thread said that stops the golden elixir from going to waste. then i realized the 1 vial i'm currently using, already about 40 days in, would need the same treatment, which means tracking all the dates and so on. that's when the idea struck me, but i couldn't find any other threads about it...

kinda cant believe ive had an original thought on here lol
 
bbbilly said:

CNCCurrency said:

bbbilly said:

I'm aware tirzepatide holds up fine when frozen post-reconstitution, and a few folks have frozen their pre-filled pen cartridges without problems. What I'm curious about is whether a plain Easy Touch insulin syringe could take the same treatment — specifically, would the rubber plunger stay intact?

My instinct is that you'd need to keep them upright, needle pointing up, with a bit of air at the top or in the barrel so expansion doesn't push some liquid out. Has anyone else mulled this over?

I'm in a tight spot: my vial is larger than I can finish before it expires, and the smartest option seems to be loading some syringes ahead of time and freezing them until I need that single syringe.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
That is a fresh perspective—I do not think anyone has mentioned it previously?
Click to expand...
last night i was figuring out how to handle a bunch of 30mg kits from a group buy. the plan was to grab a pile of sterile vials, divide the kits, and stash them in the freezer, since another thread said that stops the golden elixir from going to waste. then i realized the 1 vial i'm currently using, already about 40 days in, would need the same treatment, which means tracking all the dates and so on. that's when the idea struck me, but i couldn't find any other threads about it...

kinda cant believe ive had an original thought on here lol
Click to expand...
Back when I was still using compounded sources and had no clue about peptides, I filled my insulin syringes with compounded Sema ahead of time. I didn't put them in the freezer. About 8 weeks or more from now, I'll take that final syringe. It still does the job — no injection site reactions, nothing wrong whatsoever, and I'm still here.

So perhaps that's something to think about if it's just a one-time situation.
 
looks like i'll just have to test it out on my own. i'll come back with results...at some point lol
 
bbbilly said:

looks like i'll just have to test it out on my own. i'll come back with results...at some point lol
Click to expand...
Try it out with just 1 or maybe a few, each done differently, to figure out what does the trick.

Blowing an entire vial just to get a yes or no isn't worth it.

My own take is that it'll be fine. Keep in mind, as it gets warmer the air will expand, so make sure it's aimed upward when that starts! For safety I'd leave the caps on, though with the plungers you really can't.

The irritating part, and also one more plus for carts, is that by the time you get around to using it the needle may have gotten a little duller.
 
joseblo said:

bbbilly said:

looks like i'll just have to test it out on my own. i'll come back with results...at some point lol
Click to expand...
Try it out with just 1 or maybe a few, each done differently, to figure out what does the trick.

Blowing an entire vial just to get a yes or no isn't worth it.

My own take is that it'll be fine. Keep in mind, as it gets warmer the air will expand, so make sure it's aimed upward when that starts! For safety I'd leave the caps on, though with the plungers you really can't.

The irritating part, and also one more plus for carts, is that by the time you get around to using it the needle may have gotten a little duller.
Click to expand...
oh ya, my aim is to squeeze the last few weeks out of this vial, though i think that might be pushing it — like 120+days to finish it off, so if it all goes wrong, i have not REALLY lost a thing.

ooooooh ya, so they stay pointed up the whole time. good looking out, i would probably have laid them flat to thaw without thinking about it.
 
bbbilly said:

joseblo said:

bbbilly said:

looks like i'll just have to test it out on my own. i'll come back with results...at some point lol
Click to expand...
Try it out with just 1 or maybe a few, each done differently, to figure out what does the trick.

Blowing an entire vial just to get a yes or no isn't worth it.

My own take is that it'll be fine. Keep in mind, as it gets warmer the air will expand, so make sure it's aimed upward when that starts! For safety I'd leave the caps on, though with the plungers you really can't.

The irritating part, and also one more plus for carts, is that by the time you get around to using it the needle may have gotten a little duller.
Click to expand...
oh ya, my aim is to squeeze the last few weeks out of this vial, though i think that might be pushing it — like 120+days to finish it off, so if it all goes wrong, i have not REALLY lost a thing.

ooooooh ya, so they stay pointed up the whole time. good looking out, i would probably have laid them flat to thaw without thinking about it.
Click to expand...
Here's a curious property of water: it grows in volume upon freezing, and it grows again when it heats back up....
 
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