Refrigerating Injections - Humira Pens

Sorry, I should have told you where I was headed. We will be in Bruges, Bacharach, Rothenburg, Munich, Hallstatt, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague & Budapest...

Thanks for the link!

There are kits you can get for your supplies. They come with a gel pack that can be frozen over and over. Like the blue ice packs, but better. My Dad had one for his insulin. I am certain that the hotels will accomodate you. If not, McDonald's will give (or sell) you a few cups of ice. We were never charged for ice when we asked for it.

My wife is diabetic, so we've had the same problem on our trips. The following are sources we've used in Europe:

• most supermarkets have fresh fish, which means they have ice. We've always had our requests for ice gladly accommodated.

• bars always have ice. We scored some on a hot June 5th at St Marie du Mont in a very busy bar.

• frozen foods: sherbet (a pretty good drink when it melts), peas, OJ, etc. Be creative.

It is difficult to find ice, also to freeze icepacks. Maybe western hotel chains have fridges in rooms, but no French/German/Italian/Austrian hotels we stayed at did. Of course, these were budget 1- or 2-star hotels.

I am sorry. That was my mistake. After being diabetic 46 years, I tend to assume that injection pens contain insulin.

I still recommend the Frio.

In London I stay in the EasyHotel which has no option for refrigeration.
I would buy a couple groceries and a small bag of frozen fruit on my way home at night(peaches, etc... 89p at Tesco) and put that in my cooling bag in my room to keep my yogurt, etc cold until morning. Then I would also have the defrosted fruit! Was a cheap option and healthy breakfast!

Couple of things:

There is a cooling system called FRIO. These are great, as you just wet the pouches and as they dry they keep the items cool. No need for ice. There are a lot of websites that sell them, so just search for FRIO. I love mine and it works great.

Also, the pen you are using does not need to be refrigerated. Most docs recommend that insulin that is being used is not refrigerated, just the back up supply. The insulin will stay good for 30 days without refrigeration--just keep it away from really high summer type heat. Check with your doctor, but this has worked for me for years.

Check the TSA site, as they have clear instructions on what is needed. Be sure you have a scrip for all the diabetic supplies you need to carry: insulin, pens, syringes, lancets, strips, etc. These can be required at airline secuirty, but also are helpful, if you forget something, get stuck due to volcanic ash, etc.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I should clarify that the medicine I'm talking about isn't insulin. I have ulcerative colitis and the pens say they are supposed to be kept at 36-46°F. I'm not sure if that's different than the temperature at which insulin has to be kept.

Thanks for everyone's help! I was worried I wouldn't be able to make this trip happen with my health issues!

Hi Katie,
I traveled Germany, Austria and Italy with my medication that has to be refrigerated. Every place I stayed was happy to keep my meds in their refrigerator and at some places we had one in the room. I have a freezer block, thingy (not sure what to call it, it came with my medication package) that I would put into the hotel/B &B's freezer at each stop so I could lean it up against my meds for extended time and travel from location to location without problems. Everyone was willing to keep my medication and every place had somewhere to store it for me. I did not check this out ahead of time, just figured that I would work it out when I got there. It turned out ok for me. As far as airport security...they checked my liquids, no one has ever said a word about my meds. I do make sure to bring the prescription and a note from my doc stating that I take an injectable drug, but have never showed them to anyone. Don't count on ice, even if you get some, it doesn't last long enough to keep meds cold. Have fun and don't worry, it will work out.