Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
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If you use an insulin pump, have you ever used expired pump supplies? If so, did you notice any issues with the expired supplies? Cancel reply
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I used Omnipod eros pods more than a year past the expiration. The only issue I noticed was the adhesive wasn’t as strong.
Expired pump supplies – Yes, and no issues.
Expired CGM supplies – Yes, and yes issues.
While I do not check the expiration date on my supplies, I do not believe my insurance has ever allowed a large enough quantity to be sent to me that would result in expired supplies. That said, the only one I think might be affected by an expiration date would be the CGM sensors.
I have always filled my reservoirs to 300 and just used them until they were empty, not changing it every 3 days because that is a huge waste. I have also reused them. I built up a huge supply and the last time I got new ones was in 2018 because I forgot to tell them I didn’t need any when I received my new pump. The reservoir I am current using expired in 2015 I think.
Last year I found a couple of old infusion sets and used them and they worked just fine.
I used an expired cgm sensor. I did not work as accurately.
Have been using expired supplies for years. The oldest bottle of insulin i used was 5 years, and it was kept in the fridge, and zero issues when using it. I wear the Dex and it did not pick up any carb ratio errors.
I use the medtronic infusion sets and the resorvoirs , with usually 2-3 years expiration, because that is what i have purchased on the internet, and no issues. But could see my some possible on the glue stickness, because of experiation. But i guess nothing so far. Thank God, because i dont have insurance.
Also, the Dex sensors now have approx 1-2 years exp, and they still work great. The glue might be a little weaker, but i am using the SkinTac and that might override the Dex sensor losing its “glueness”. If anybody has expired supplies you can reply with name
I have some extra reservoirs that I will gladly share.
T1 since 1964, Pumping since 1998, some sets weren’t as sticky as new but not a real problem like expired insulin I had back in ’67
Medicare rules require me to be down to a ten day supply before qualifying orders will be processed.
Rarely get a stockpile and doubt any are expired.
I’d use outdated ones anyway if necessary as what’s to go bad except maybe adhesive?
Medicare forces us to lie. Much as I hate it. The folks that make the rules obviously have NO understanding of t1d.
I didn’t know pump supplies could expire.
Most of these dates, even for insulin, are wayyyyyy conservative, as they should be. But I’ve definitely used “expired” insulin without any problem. As for infusion sets, if they’re really old the adhesive dries out, and I think I have run into that maybe once. Mostly it’s not an issue though.
I do not use an insulin pump, but tried the cgm sensors past the expiration date and they were not reading very close to accuracy. But I did use them because it is so hard to toss supplies into the trash. My endo NP told me test strips can be used after the expiration date and I have a lot of extra test strip boxes since going to the cgm. I still do blood tests occasionally. The Glucagon often expired before using and had to be thrown out too.
I once used an expired omnipod because the pump I was using failed. It worked. My other choice was many injections until I received a pump replacement. I currently use a Tandem pump but started with Medtronic, then Omnipod, followed by Medtronic and currently using Tandem which I has been best for me.
Not pump supplies, but I did use expired test strips when delivery of my CGM sensors was delayed. When I bought new test strips and compared expired with new ones, the results were close.
I think there’s a huge difference between using expired insulin or an expired pod and an expired cartridges or infusion set. I don’t use expired insulin as I manage my supply to prevent overstock and use the older vials first. The same goes for when I was using the omnipod system. Now that I’m on the Tandem pump, I think I’m alright with using “expired” infusion sets and cartridges as there are no batteries or active ingredients except for maybe the adhesive. I didn’t even know there were dates on them and had to look.
#BeWell
Medicare keeps you right on the edge. I dislike the feeling and have built up a reserve in case of emergency. Always be prepared.
I used an expired insulin pump until my insurance allowed me a new one. Everything else doesn’t sit around long enough to expire. I make sure everything is rotated anyway. As for stashes….not sure how that happens. My insurance company makes sure I don’t have one because they probably think I’m gonna run out and sell it! ha!🤣
When I was contemplating leaving my job and moving to another state, I began stockpiling reservoirs and quick sets. I moved to Fla and had issues with the rubber around the reservoir. I called Medtronic and they asked if I was using expired ones and told me I needed to throw them out. I was a little panicked because I didn’t know the cause at first. Luckily I had unexpired ones and I kept my job working remotely so alls well.
DEXCOM has sent out CGM sensors that have had an extended or extension of shelf-life. The paper labels on the individual sensors show expired in Dec, 2021 but have received extension of shelf-life to June 2022. The 3 pack box has different lot numbers than what is on the inner packages. The sensors bubble pack have a label placed on the side of the plastic bubble with info on the extension of life. NO other information placed anywhere with packaging. I have had no problems as of yet.
I have received several shipments of these “extended shelf – life sensors”. I have called and asked to have them replaced and they send me the identical ones with the extended shelf – life. The last one I used asked me for two blood sugar calibrations before it gave a reading after the 2 hour warm up. Technical assistance said that it must not have saved the code that I entered. Subsequently, It has required me to calibrate daily. Looking forward to changing it tomorrow and hope that the next extended shelf – life one works better. I feel this is very poor quality control on the part of Dexcom.
Yes. Due to previous problems when between jobs and insurance coverage, I typically get a year or longer on each “90 day supply” of pump cartridges and despite Tandem having discontinued them and switched to their proprietary t:Lock tubing connectors already in late 2017, I was still using the better original Tandem tSlim Lueur Lock pump cartridges until I got my tSlim X2 pump in November 2019 and was no longer able to get the Lueur Lock cartridges for their pumps. My last tSlim Lueur Lock pump cartridge package was marked as having expired in June 2018 when I started using it in November 2019 and it still performed flawlessly in all of its three WEEKS of use.
In 2012 when I lost a job and insurance at the same time, my Doctor emptied his sample fridge and gave me ALL the Humalog Insulin he had including two vials he told me to use first because he noticed that they were marked as having expired already 2 years before he gave them to me, yet they worked just as effectively as the Humalog vials he gave me that were marked as having been manufactured just the week before he gave them to me.
And my next job insurance kept insisting on sending me more Dexcom CGM sensors than I could possibly use in the specified time period and I was also restarting my sensors and getting up to 30 days of accurate readings from each of my prior to G6 Dexcom sensors which resulted in my not having the ability to buy Dexcom sensors when I lost my job in 2015, and at that time I used my stockpiled Dexcom sensors, many of which were marked by Dexcom as having “expired” as early as March 2013 and according to my BG meter checks, even my Dexcom CGM sensors continued giving me reliably accurate readings despite having not even had their package opened until more than two years after the Dexcom marked product expiration date!!!
I can’t say whether the current Dexcom sensors would perform that well that long after expiration, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t .
FDA REQUIRES medical supplies to be marked with conservative product expiration dates and I’d be shocked if there was even one medical equipment manufacturer that DOESN’T take full advantage of the required product expiration date requirements and mark their products with an expiration date they know their product is perfectly good for much longer than, at least in part to boost their company sales volume since they can make more profit by getting people to toss out unused product if it gets older than the 2 – 6 month marked expiration date instead of using it until it’s gone as long as it continues to work as designed and intended for 8 – 10 times longer than the marked expiration date would have the patient thinking the product will for some reason stop working.
I never have anything that has time to expire before I use it.