# Okay to use Expired OmniPod Pods? **URL:** \ **Category:** Type 1 & LADA\ **Created:** [February 7, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499 "2019-02-07T23:28:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/1 "2019-02-07T23:28:05Z")
I’ve searched to see if this has already been answered but could only find information on the _3 day expiration_. I have a group member trying to find out if it’s okay to use her old pods that say December 2018 on them. My guess is it’s fine, but I also thought _you guys_ were fine and see? Joking… 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/2 "2019-02-07T23:29:46Z")
Yes. They can be used. I’ve used them as much as 6-months expired and they’re fine and I believe others have done the same or even farther back. ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:35pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/3 "2019-02-07T23:35:54Z")
Perfect. Thank you, sir. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/4 "2019-02-07T23:41:44Z")
December isn’t that old, but I wouldn’t want to stretch it too long because … > [@Hoard photos](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/hoard-photos/1258/26): > > The pod battery life is limited. This is one of the few instances where an expiration date has some validity. Make sure you rotate your usage of them, using the oldest first. Not sure if anyone has determined how old is too old. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/5 "2019-02-07T23:44:17Z")
@Eric, plz share your wisdom here. I’ve used expired ones fine but not sure how far back is safe given your comments on Battey life. ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/6 "2019-02-07T23:57:33Z")
Thank you, @Beacher. There were others who responded to her about batteries dying. I had no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Trying](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/trying/32/4078_2.png) [@Trying](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Trying)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/7 "2019-02-08T00:03:58Z")
I used expired pods, too, not realizing it. These pods had a high failure rate, something like 40% of the box failed. I called Insulet and they confirmed that expired pods shouldn’t be used due to the high failure rate. ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/8 "2019-02-08T00:14:34Z")
> [@ClaudnDaye](#): > > I’ve used expired ones fine but not sure how far back is safe given your comments on Battey life. I have not kept any for a long time just for the sake of seeing if it would work, because I only started using them 2 1/2 years ago. 😃 I can tuck a few pods away, and then come back and revisit this subject in a few years after using them. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudnDaye](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/claudndaye/32/5_2.png) [@ClaudnDaye](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/ClaudnDaye)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/9 "2019-02-08T01:58:39Z")
I used a whole box of pods that were 6 months expired and not a single one of them errored out. I guess I got really fortunate! ---
**Author:** ![T1Allison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@T1Allison](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/T1Allison)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/10 "2019-09-22T20:38:31Z")
> [@Beacher](#): > > Not sure if anyone has determined how old is too old. I just had three Day 1 pod failures (within first 24 hours) in a row. My pods were 26-28 days expired. I have now chucked the last eight pods with that expiration date because I’m tired of wasting insulin since I purposefully don’t recover the insulin out of the pods. ---
**Author:** ![Thomas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/thomas/32/1719_2.png) [@Thomas](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Thomas)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/11 "2019-09-22T20:41:07Z")
> [@T1Allison](#): > > … because I’m tired of wasting insulin since I purposefully don’t recover the insulin out of the pods. Why purposefully ? ---
**Author:** ![T1Allison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@T1Allison](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/T1Allison)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/12 "2019-09-22T21:00:30Z")
If they fail right away, I’ll recover it. If I’ve been working outside (hot), showered (heat exposure), swimming, etc with it on and had the pod on for close to a day or more, I let it go. I just try to limit my variables for the next pod/insulin load. ---
**Author:** ![TravelingOn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/travelingon/32/1583_2.png) [@TravelingOn](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/TravelingOn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/okay-to-use-expired-omnipod-pods/6499/13 "2019-09-22T23:12:15Z")
Well, one more thing to keep track of. I totally didn’t think about the pods expiring. I feel like we go through them – and we don’t have a lot of spares. But this was helpful! I’m sorry that you had to find out the hard way, but it is good to know.