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Xalatan & travelling

Question:

Unfortunately, Xalatan has to stay under 77F once opened.  Sometimes when travelling it’s not easy to do.  Any suggestions for *non-bulky* insulated storage that I can use to keep my Xalatan cool when travelling?  Those gel ice packs are out because a freezer isn’t always available to re-freeze them.  I have great hopes for travel in the next couple of years, but without the ability to keep this stupid drug cool, I’ll probably never be able to travel. I can’t switch drugs – I’ve reacted to several of them already and I’m not sure what’s left to try!

Response:

Airplanes are generally pretty cool, so I don’t worry too much about the drops being at room temp there! Using a thermos is great *if* you have access to ice to refresh it every day or refrigeration to re-freeze the top.  I guess my concern is if we travel overseas – how easy is it going to be to keep the Xalatan cool if we don’t stay in five-star American hotels???  What if the hotel/hostel/whatever doesn’t have air conditioning or ice available?  Dare I trust my medicine to the kitchen’s refrigerator?  Would the kitchen even be open late at night for me to retrieve my med, use it and put it back? Maybe I should check on a diabetic newsgroup?  They need to keep their insulin cool and I’m sure that doesn’t stop them from travelling to other countries! H. Haicken <hsh…@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message

news:39A010D3.6DC8862C@ix.netcom.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi- > You might try a small vacuum bottlewhiuch was refrigerated with the top open > before hand. then seald with the meds inside. This should keep cool for > several hours.  Additionally this could be wrapped in an innulating foam or > laom bag. > on airplanes let the companmy know what you need and they will kepp the meds > cool. > Good luck and good traveling. > Hal Haicken > Achoo wrote: > > Unfortunately, Xalatan has to stay under 77F once opened.  Sometimes when > > travelling it’s not easy to do.  Any suggestions for *non-bulky* insulated > > storage that I can use to keep my Xalatan cool when travelling?  Those gel > > ice packs are out because a freezer isn’t always available to re-freeze > > them.  I have great hopes for travel in the next couple of years, but > > without the ability to keep this stupid drug cool, I’ll probably never be > > able to travel. > > I can’t switch drugs – I’ve reacted to several of them already and I’m not > > sure what’s left to try!

Response:

Here’s the response I got from Pharmacia regarding the temperature issue with Xalatan –  I posted the query through the website and the return email address from them was Patient.Infoservi…@am.pnu.com just in case anyone has further questions.  So it sounds like ice in a thermos is sufficient to keep it cool. Sherry "We received your e-mail request for information regarding XALATAN.   As you read, once opened, XALATAN should be kept at room temperature,   which is approximately 77 degrees Fahrenheit.   If you are traveling by plane, we would suggest that you carry the   bottle on board with you.  If you are traveling by car, you may wish   to keep the XALATAN bottle in a thermos with a little ice in it to   keep the medication from being exposed to high temperatures.  You may   wish to place the bottle in a plastic bag or wrap it in plastic wrap   to keep the bottle from getting wet from melting ice.   Since most hotel rooms are air conditioned, there is no need to keep   the bottle in a refrigerator as long as the room temperature is about   77 degrees.  We hope this information is helpful.  If you have   additional questions, please contact Patient Product Information at   1-888-691-6813, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time.   Thank you for your interest in Pharmacia Corporation.   Sincerely,   Patient Product Information"

Response:

I would love some advise on this as well.  The "getting-there" part is not too bad for me.  I use a gel pack thing with an insulated bag.  It’s not having a fridge at my destination, and the return trip.  Luckily my last trip, last week, included very cool rooms.  On the trip back I just buried the scrip in my bags and hoped it did not get overly warm!

Response:

Hi- You might try a small vacuum bottlewhiuch was refrigerated with the top open before hand. then seald with the meds inside. This should keep cool for several hours.  Additionally this could be wrapped in an innulating foam or laom bag. on airplanes let the companmy know what you need and they will kepp the meds cool. Good luck and good traveling. Hal Haicken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Achoo wrote: > Unfortunately, Xalatan has to stay under 77F once opened.  Sometimes when > travelling it’s not easy to do.  Any suggestions for *non-bulky* insulated > storage that I can use to keep my Xalatan cool when travelling?  Those gel > ice packs are out because a freezer isn’t always available to re-freeze > them.  I have great hopes for travel in the next couple of years, but > without the ability to keep this stupid drug cool, I’ll probably never be > able to travel. > I can’t switch drugs – I’ve reacted to several of them already and I’m not > sure what’s left to try!

Response:

I would suggest writing to the manufacturer.When my  former ophthalmologist (a glaucoma specialist) handed me a sample when first prescribing Xalatan ,he spontaneously mentioned something to the effect that the temperature instructions were not quite as critical as listed on the label.(I did not ask specifics) It might be that he had read some of the research on this. (He was on a medical school faculty ) Drug manufacturers usually overdo warnings as a protection for themselves. For example there was a recent study by our armed forces regarding expiration dates on most drugs. The military found that  (I think with the exception of tetracycline) that expiration dates on labels  were often years earlier than necessary. They are considering  using the expired drugs longer instead of discarding them as before. It might be difficult to get an answer from the drug company, but you might ask them for any research studies on this or perhaps your glaucoma specialist can ferret out an answer. You may discover that loss of Xalatan potency at temperatures over 77 would be too minimal to matter  in most climates for a vacation of maybe two weeks. I consider it unlikely that 77 is a definite cut off point  for a  manufacturer would  normally allow a margin of safety/error  in instructions given.  Unless you are in a tropical area which does not cool  off  much at night, high temperatures might be for only a portion of a 24 hour period and hardly matter. Personally, I would not worry for myself unless I were in Egypt or the Amazon in the hottest time of the year, but then Xalatan is not my only glaucoma medication and for reasons of comfort I  avoid travel in the hottest seasons. I am more concerned about how long Xalatan has been without refrigeration by the time it reaches my druggist. If you obtain any further information , please share it with the rest of us. Betty — "Achoo" <TansyRagw…@netscape.net> wrote in message

news:3994ce73_1@news.foxinternet.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Unfortunately, Xalatan has to stay under 77F once opened.  Sometimes when > travelling it’s not easy to do.  Any suggestions for *non-bulky* insulated > storage that I can use to keep my Xalatan cool when travelling?  Those gel > ice packs are out because a freezer isn’t always available to re-freeze > them.  I have great hopes for travel in the next couple of years, but > without the ability to keep this stupid drug cool, I’ll probably never be > able to travel. > I can’t switch drugs – I’ve reacted to several of them already and I’m not > sure what’s left to try!

Response:

Someone from the diabetic newsgroup shared this product – it’s called "Frio" and crystals in the panel are activated by immersing the pack in cold water. According to the website, it can keep insulin at a safe temp for up to 45 hours, even in environmental temps of 100F!!! http://twilight.webbernet.net/~gooteebob/index_html.htm Achoo <TansyRagw…@netscape.net> wrote in message

news:39a01b8a$1_1@news.foxinternet.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Airplanes are generally pretty cool, so I don’t worry too much about the > drops being at room temp there! > Using a thermos is great *if* you have access to ice to refresh it every day > or refrigeration to re-freeze the top.  I guess my concern is if we travel > overseas – how easy is it going to be to keep the Xalatan cool if we don’t > stay in five-star American hotels???  What if the hotel/hostel/whatever > doesn’t have air conditioning or ice available?  Dare I trust my medicine to > the kitchen’s refrigerator?  Would the kitchen even be open late at night > for me to retrieve my med, use it and put it back? > Maybe I should check on a diabetic newsgroup?  They need to keep their > insulin cool and I’m sure that doesn’t stop them from travelling to other > countries!

Response:

Achoo wrote: > Unfortunately, Xalatan has to stay under 77F once opened.  Sometimes when > travelling it’s not easy to do.  Any suggestions for *non-bulky* insulated > storage that I can use to keep my Xalatan cool when travelling?  Those gel > ice packs are out because a freezer isn’t always available to re-freeze > them.  I have great hopes for travel in the next couple of years, but > without the ability to keep this stupid drug cool, I’ll probably never be > able to travel. > I can’t switch drugs – I’ve reacted to several of them already and I’m not > sure what’s left to try!

When I travel, I look for hotels that offer in-room kitchenettes, which have refrigerators with small freezer sections.  Refreezing the ice packs becomes easy. Pam

Response:

   I had the same questions concerning Trusopt, which was a 3X-per-day drug, meaning I had to carry it around with me on very hot days.  I wrote the manufacturer, which refused to answer, saying they deal only with doctors. When I asked my ophthalmologist his advice was what I decided to follow: "Do the best you can to avoid temperature extremes during the day, and keep it away from extemes of heat or cold at home or in hotels." Good luck, Don Singleton – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Achoo wrote: > Unfortunately, Xalatan has to stay under 77F once opened.  Sometimes when > travelling it’s not easy to do.  Any suggestions for *non-bulky* insulated > storage that I can use to keep my Xalatan cool when travelling?  Those gel > ice packs are out because a freezer isn’t always available to re-freeze > them.  I have great hopes for travel in the next couple of years, but > without the ability to keep this stupid drug cool, I’ll probably never be > able to travel. > I can’t switch drugs – I’ve reacted to several of them already and I’m not > sure what’s left to try!

Response:

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