I've just done something stupid and wish I didn't

[Honestlyonlyplease]

I've just by accident taken a golden dose out of a.pen that was opened 3ish months ago. It was out the fridge for the whole time:( Will i be ok im really scared

Well, you’ll probably be absolutely fine, in all likelihood. Did the liquid in the pen seem clear and not cloudy or with bits in? Presumably you’d have noticed if it had looked wrong?

The risk is bacterial growth, and the medication having degraded and no longer being effective. So watch out for any signs of an infection at the injection site and seek help if you notice anything that worries you.

I would also revise how you store and manage your medication, if you haven’t already, so that you can’t mix up a current pen with an old used pen.

Do you have anyone with you?

Chances are you will be OK and it just won't be as effective, but especially having not been refrigerated, no one can know what, if any organisms are in the medication.

You should really ask your prescriber for advice, but as you aren't following their prescription, I can understand why you'd be reluctant. Better safe than sorry though.

Be on the lookout for fever or any other symptoms such as swelling or redness at the injection site. If you have anything concerning, PLEASE get medical attention or advice immediately.

You've taken a big risk by being careless. Please be more careful in future.

the pen looked fine. I have binned all the open pens sk this can't happen again

Is there a reason you kept it for all this time?

There is a risk using very out of date pens, the likelihood of anything serious is low but impact could be significant so it is not something I personally choose to do. Many people do and are fine, I have seen a couple of posts where others have had issues, one ended up in hospital as she was constantly sick - could have been coincidence or the pen that had been sitting in a drawer for months (yours has kept in the fridge so hopefully that will work in your favour!)

You’ll most likely be fine, but keep an eye on how you’re feeling and make sure you know who to contact if you notice anything concerning.

Why do you have lots of open pens

Why are you keeping all the used pens?

There are so many of these “I just injected from a 3 month old pen” posts. This is your health. Store your medication safely and dispose of it once it’s reached the end of its recommended use after being opened.

Hope you're ok & you most probably will be absolutely fine.
I would keep the pen you injected from just in case you do become unwell as that would allow them to identify any bacterial growth etc

Good idea.

I don't know why you were keeping them in the first place, but do you need to put in any safeguards or plans to make sure you don't keep any more unopened ones in the future?

Why are you keeping opened pens with some meds out of the fridge, why aren’t you just using each one to completion then binning?

you obviously chose to do it, it’s not something you can do accidentally, so wanted the meds out of it. In all likely hood you will be fine, but no one can tell, plenty use pens for this long but keep it sterile and in fridge.

It was not in the fridge, it’s right there in the op.

Calm your keyboard, it was obviously just a misread. Happens to the best of us.

“Calm your keyboard” 🤣🤣

So many of these posts.

1. keep all pens in the fridge
2. when you take a pen out of the fridge write the date on it and bin it after 30 days
3. throw away a pen as soon as it’s finished
4. only ever have one pen open at a time

I thought i would update. No bad side effects but it really has scared me how easy i messed up.
I have now binned all pens.
New pen coming tomorrow which will state in the fridge until I bin it after the golden dose.

I did seek medical advice offline and it really scared me to death. I'm only ok due to sheer luck rather then it being safe.

To be honest, I’ve used a pen for seven weeks, but I stored it in the fridge and i used an anti bac wipe after each injection. The issue here was storage, length of time and I suspect hygiene.