Glucagen Hypokit question

The instructions on the hypokit say to store it in the fridge. If I take the hypokit with me for a day out, incase of an emergency, is it then ruined and need replacing? If I take the hypokit with me and keep it in a frio pouch or something similar to keep it cool, will it be okay to go back into the fridge?

I asked my pharmacist this question and she said that the hypokit is the same as insulin, it has a 4 hour life once out the fridge. I believed insulin can remain out the fridge for a month so I don't have a lot of confidence in the information she's given me. She also asked "do sweets not work?" The hypokit is a vial of sterile water and a powder that needs to be mixed before injected. I thought the powder would have a fairly long storage life before deteriorating.

If you do a trip quite far away from home do you take a hypokit with you or do you hope that if you have a severe hypo the paramedics will be equiped to deal with it? I have heard stories of paramedics arriving without a hypokit in their supplies and would hate to be caught out like this.

Let me clarify. We always use glucose sweets to get out of a mild or moderate hypo, and it works well. But the Glucagen kit is used in an emergency if the diabetic person becomes unconscious due to a severe hypo. If the person is unconscious they cannot be given anything to eat or drink due to choking risk. I have been told that the glucogel too should not be used if the person is unconscious.

Thanks bowell. I took another look at the kit and noticed that the label says store in the fridge but can be stored out the fridge below 25 C for 18 months provided it's used before it's expiry date. So that answers my question, thanks. I never noticed the out of fridge storage instruction, only noticed the store in fridge instructions.

You can get it on prescription from your GP, same as how you'd get your insulin etc.