this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2025
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I really don't get it. If it was in the freezer, why will it be damaged when put back again? Is it that once defreezed some reaction goes on and shouldn't be stopped? I really don't get it. Would it be better to keep it outside the freezer once it warm up?
It degrades from the freezing process and then dosage becomes unpredictable and thus dangerous. If you have insulin it's got big words on it saying don't.
Heres the side of some humalog:
DO NOT FREEZE. Store refrigerated at 36°F to 46°F [2°C to 8°C] until time of use. Store in-use vials refrigerated at 36°F to 46°F [2° C to 8°C]. If refrigeration is not possible, store at room temperature (up to 86°F [30°C]). Protect from direct heat and light.
I’m sure an experienced medic in an emergency could work with it somehow, but for the rest of us living in civilization, insulin that has been outside their recommended temperature range is very dangerous.
Long-acting insulin has crystals that dissolve at body temperature over time, hence it can gradually release insulin over hours. If you break or dissolve those crystals by freezing/thawing/overwarming, the best scenario would be that it became fast-acting insulin, and it would crash your glucose instantly on injection of your usual dose. The worst scenario is that it no longer acts like insulin.
Other way around. The removal of the prolonged release is what would kill you right away. Hypoglycaemia kills WAY faster than hyperglycaemia. Like - one takes minutes, the other one hours to days).
I thought “crash your glucose instantly” would be understood as hypoglycemia, but English is not my native language.
I think they’re saying that your proposed best case causes possible instant death, whereas the proposed worst case would take days to kill you.
Neither it is mine,so maybe we both missunderstood each other. No hard feelings.
But "worst" is generally,well the maximum.
Freezing temps breaks down insulin and causes it to lose efficacy which less efficacy is something you don't want with something that keeps you alive
Methinks you read it wrong friend; it was stored in the fridge originally
It was in the fridge, then put in the freezer.
It apparently loses effectiveness when subjected to extreme temps, but that loss depends on length of exposure. [Source]
it might just be in glass vial and freezing broke it
rea bra