I'm going on a month long trip to Europe this summer which will involve being in a half dozen hotels and using all modes of transportation (plans, trains, and automobiles), and I had assumed that it would be too difficult to bring my Enbrel with me. But I talked to my rheumatologist yesterday and he said that as long as I don't let the Enbrel get hot (e.g., if I keep it in the insulated bag), I don't have to worry about keeping it refrigerated. I was stunned (and skeptical) about this given that all the package info for Enbrel says to keep it refrigerated below 46 degrees.
Have any of your doctors ever said anything similar about storing Enbrel? What's the longest any of you have left your Enbrel un-refrigerated? Did you ever happen to leave it out for a while and find that it was still okay?
It's likely that most of the hotels that I will be staying at will have a mini-bar to keep the Enbrel in, and so I really only have to worry about the travel days. I guess I can just bring lots of sealable plastic baggies with me and keep them filled with ice...Anyway, if you guys have any travel tips, please let me know!
I get my enbrel shipped direct to me and it always has refreezable ice bags with it . i use them . If you don't have any < ask your druggist .Thay likely throw them away . Good luck
I take Humira; but it's the same type of thing. You have to keep it cool. I have it shipped UPS and it's always packaged with a cold pack. I'm sure your doctor knows his business but I personally would travel with it this way as well just to be safe. You don't want to be out of the country and have some sort of reaction from your medication. Take one of those little lunch box coolers and stick a couple cold packs in there...better safe than sorry.
Hi,
I would call the makers of Enbrel and ask them. My info from their website states that if it is left out for more than 2 hours, it is no good!! I had ordered a travel bag from them, but it was only for very short trips, and to make sure that the ice doesn't touch the enbrel as it can't freeze either. Their instructions said that if I was planning a long trip to call them for the best way to pack it. Also, you have to let the airlines know that you are carrying needles, even if it is in your checked baggage.
Lu
I have travled with enbrel a few times. I was unsure about how to store it while on a plane and in a hotel room so I called the pharmacist. He said that you can travel with enbrel without cooling or refigerating it. Just toss it in your purse/backpack etc. That once it reaches 77º you have 45 days to use it. After the 45 days it's no good.
Keeping it in the fridge at the correct temp will keep it good til the expiration date on the package. (but not once it reaches 77 degrees)
Also since the 50m seem to hurt like the dickens I took it out of the fridge and sat it on my bureau for 2 days. Then I warmed it up in my hands before injecting. I injected really slow counting to 20 til I got to the end. It wasn't bad at all.
I'm not sure that you have to notify the airlines that you're carrying needles. All the airlines' websites say to bring the prescription label and a letter from your doctor in case you get stopped in a security check.
A scary thing--I've traveled with needles by air 15 or 20 times, both domestically and internationally, since 9/11. Not one single time has the X-ray picked up on the needles! I just pass right through without anyone questioning me. Twice, I've gotten stopped in one of those random take-off-your-shoes-and-let-us-pillage-through-your-purse things. They opened compacts, lipsticks--everything. But did they open the container with the needles? No! I was prepared with script and letter, but was not questioned. Doesn't this make you a little nervous? What if I were a terrorist with some nasty biochemical stuff in those needles?
Kayobe,Yes you have to let the airlines know that you are carrying needles, when you are going through the security point or you will get a big suprise from them and you should have a note from the dr stating that you need this medication. All meds should be in your carry on bag!!!! Otherwise you may have them come up missing if your baggage gets lost. If you are concerned about keeping it cool, use one of those reusable ice bags they send with the med it will last for awhile and keep the med cool.
I travel with Embrel all of the time. I throw it one of those lunch box coolers with some ice packs - carry a note from my Dr. and also make sure my prescribtion is on the embrel pack. In two or three years and 50 some odd flights internationally and domestically I have never been asked to show them my Dr.'s note or been stopped in the security line.
Side note - for longer flights I have asked the flight attendents if I can store my bag in the little fridge and they have never had a problem with this either once I explain it is medicine.
Good luck and enjoy your trip!!
I called my pharmacist where my Enbrel comes from and that's the info he told me. When kept at temps below 46 degrees Enbrel will last until the expiration date on the packaging (several months). That's why it is shipped overnight in insulated cartons with ice packs. Leaving it out in room temp, once it reaches 77 degrees, the expiration date is then 45 days.
I will contact the Enbrel folks to be sure. If the info I got from my pharmacist is incorrect they will have to inform them. Otherwise anyone who gets their Enbrel from the same place I do (Curascript) is getting this info.
I called the airline I traveled with and they said you do not have to inform them or security check point people you are carry needles. As long as you have the prescription label you're fine.
Thanks everyone for the advice about traveling with Enbrel. And thanks also Kayobe for trying to get to the bottom of the whole issue of whether refrigeration is absolutely necessary. It's clear that there are some pharmacists/doctors (i.e., Kayobe's and mine) who have been telling patients something different than what the Enbrel packaging says, and if they are wrong they should know that, but if they are right then WE should know that.
I'll also make a few phone calls, to see if I learn anything new. I'll update soon.
No info, but have a great trip! Love, JuliahI have more info!
I realized the info I got was from my old pharmacy. I switched not that long ago. Rather my insurance company switched places on me.
Anywho, I called the pharmacist tonight and indeed the info I got from the other pharmacy was correct - that once enbrel comes to 77 degrees, a.k.a room temperature, the expiration becomes 45 days. I switched from the 25's to the 50's not that long ago either.
(and this part that I did not know - it's 77 degress for 24 hours or more, or at temps greater than 95 the expiration becomes 45 days. Less than 24 hours at room temp the expiration date remains the date printed on the package. I hope I explained that well)
HOWEVER... this is where it varies.
That info is for the 25 mg shots, not the prefilled 50 mg shots.
The 50 mg shots must be refrigerated or in a cool pack when travelling.
Also, I'm not sure how one would travel with the 50's. How do you keep the plunger from possibly getting pushed?
I also asked her if people have complained about the 50 mg shot hurting and she did. She said many are going back to the 25's. I know I will be doing so. I like the flexibility the 25's offer being able to travel without worrying about cool packs or accidentally squishing the plunger and releasing the enbrel.
Hope this helps and hope you have a great vacation.
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