Trulicity pens should be stored in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C) until you’re ready to use them. If you need to take a pen out of the fridge, it can stay at room temperature for up to 14 days, as long as the temperature doesn’t exceed 86°F (30°C). Here’s everything you need to know to keep your medication safe and effective.
Refrigerator Storage Basics
The standard home for your Trulicity pens is the refrigerator. Keep them in the original carton, which protects the medication from light. Light exposure can degrade the active ingredient over time, so the carton isn’t just packaging; it’s part of the storage system. Don’t toss it.
Place the carton somewhere in the middle of the fridge rather than at the back, where temperatures can dip low enough to partially freeze the contents. The door shelves are another reasonable spot since they tend to stay slightly warmer. The goal is a consistent temperature between 36°F and 46°F.
Room Temperature: The 14-Day Rule
Each individual pen can be kept outside the refrigerator for a total of 14 days at temperatures below 86°F (30°C). That 14-day window doesn’t have to be continuous. You can take a pen out for a few hours, put it back in the fridge, and take it out again later. What matters is the cumulative time at room temperature, which cannot exceed 14 days (336 hours total).
This flexibility is useful if you prefer to inject at room temperature to reduce discomfort, or if you’re traveling and refrigeration isn’t always available. Just keep a rough mental count of how long a pen has been out. Once it passes the 14-day mark at room temperature, discard it even if it hasn’t been used.
Never Freeze Your Pens
Freezing destroys Trulicity. If a pen has been frozen, do not use it, even if it has thawed and looks normal. The medication’s structure can be damaged at a molecular level without any visible sign. To avoid accidental freezing, keep pens away from the back wall of the refrigerator and away from the freezer compartment, where cold air tends to concentrate.
Check Before You Inject
Before each injection, look at the liquid through the pen’s viewing window. It should be clear and colorless to slightly yellow. Do not use the pen if the liquid appears cloudy, has visible particles floating in it, or looks discolored. Also inspect the pen itself for cracks or damage. If anything looks off, grab a new pen.
Protecting Pens From Light and Heat
Trulicity is light-sensitive. Keeping pens in the original carton solves this problem in the fridge and during short stretches at room temperature. Don’t leave a pen sitting on a windowsill, on a car dashboard, or anywhere it could be exposed to direct sunlight or temperatures above 86°F. Excessive heat is just as damaging as freezing, and a pen exposed to either should be discarded.
Traveling With Trulicity
When flying, always pack your Trulicity pens in your carry-on bag. Checked luggage goes into the cargo hold, where temperatures can swing from extremely cold to extremely hot depending on the aircraft and route. Airport X-ray machines and changes in cabin air pressure do not affect the medication, so there’s no need to request a manual screening.
If you’re using an insulated cooler bag to keep pens cold during longer trips, make sure the pens never touch ice or frozen gel packs directly. Wrap the gel packs in a cloth or towel to create a buffer. Eli Lilly doesn’t endorse any specific travel cooler, so the responsibility falls on you to monitor the temperature. A small thermometer inside the bag can help.
For trips lasting fewer than 14 days, you can skip the cooler entirely and rely on the room temperature allowance, as long as you’re confident the environment will stay below 86°F. Hot climates and cars parked in the sun are the main risks.
Disposing of Used Pens
After injecting, place the used pen in a sharps disposal container right away. You can buy FDA-cleared sharps containers at most pharmacies, or use a heavy-duty plastic household container (like a laundry detergent bottle) with a tight-fitting lid. Fill the container only to about three-quarters full to reduce the risk of a needle-stick injury.
Once your container is ready to go, disposal options vary by location. Common options include drop-off boxes at pharmacies, hospitals, or fire stations; household hazardous waste collection sites; and mail-back programs. You can find options specific to your area by calling Safe Needle Disposal at 1-800-643-1643. Never throw loose pens into the regular trash or recycling.