Stockpiling insulin

Here’s a question on stockpiling - what if you have way more than you even need to stockpile (likely would expire before anyone needed it)? I use ~1 cartridge/month (probably will be getting closer to 2 with my ratios changing), but I get a box of 5 each month. Right now I’m just not filling it every month so I won’t have a ton overflowing my fridge - what would you do with such excess if it was you?

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Keep filling it and get another small fridge if necessary until you have a decent stockpile. Your life depends on this liquid, or if it doesn’t yet you are headed that direction. Expiration dates aren’t terribly important in my opinion as long as stored properly

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Right now I just use cheap analog fridge thermometers. I have three and occasionally move them around from freezer to fridge. (I have a similar one with a different scale for the oven.) Convenient. When not moving, I keep 2 in the fridge and 1 in the freezer. As long as the 2 in the fridge read relatively close to each other than I assume their accuracy is reading close enough.
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I saw the below digital thermeter on Amazon and it looked nice. ~ $60 w/ shipping. I am on the fence trying to decide to get it or not.
Anybody use other methods/devices to monitor fridge temps?
(My full-sized side-by-side fridge was purchased ~ 12 years ago and all things considered, I would rather not buy a new fridge at this point.)
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Just think about it in these terms.


You are on the moon and get an oxygen supply each month, more than you need. You are depending on someone to deliver oxygen to you, but you never know what might happen to that delivery. Storing the excess oxygen is easy.

You don’t like to breath old stale oxygen, but you know it would keep you alive. Would you get rid of the excess oxygen? Would you say, “No thanks, I have plenty. Don’t need any more oxygen delivered this month.”


The choice is really that easy.

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We use a digital thermometer that we calibrated. It just sits on top of the box with the insulin so we look at it when we open the fridge.

The good/bad news is that the manufacturer has probably built in a part that will explode soon requiring you to buy a new fridge, even though none of us want to. :wink:

THanks for that perspective. I was thinking about it from a purely financial standpoint - refilling my script about 3x a year (using 1 cartridge/mo, even 3x would give me a little extra) rather than 12x is significant savings. But I do think your perspective is also a valid and important point to consider.

Oh sure. I understand that. You don’t need a warehouse of spare cartridges. As long as you are able to slowly build a stash, that is fine.

Don’t get just enough to last each time. I guess my general recommendation is to always get a little more than you use every time. Slowly build it up. That’s kind of my main point.

Gotcha. I’m planning right now to refill it probably every 3 months or so. We’ll see what happens when my insurance switches me to a 90 day supply (always happens).

We are aiming for a 12 month supply in storage. Any more than that, and it gets unwieldy.

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