Omnipod: reuse insulin from old pod?

Oh no, absolutely not!

Think about it - if you do it every time, you are taking insulin molecules that - for example - were in a pod that you wore in a hot-tub a year ago and putting it into your new pod with new insulin. I would never advise anyone to do it every time.

It’s diminishing returns. If you have a new pod only a day old, you might have 150 units in there you don’t want to waste. But it’s only 1 day old, so it is reasonable to put it in a new pod.

On the other hand, if the pod is 2 or more days old, you might only have 40 units, so it’s not worth saving. It’s older insulin and it’s not as much. It’s a diminishing return the older the pod gets.

I use insulin that has expired or been left out of the refrigerator. I don’t waste insulin by throwing it away in a vial. But I am not extreme about saving it from the pods. I have a big prescription and a huge stash, so it is not a big concern for me. Maybe if it is a relatively new pod, but not every time.

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