temperature for BC

[ennyleve.livejournal.com]

So condoms and birth control are not happy in excessive heat. How does one handle this when one does not have AC in their apt?

Comments

Brainstorm

[tirlasutaa.livejournal.com]

refrigerator, in a box (drawer, cupboard, medicine cabinet, etc.) in the coldest part of the house, desk at work, friend/boyfriend's house...

[die-in-a-fire.livejournal.com]

Refrigerator?

Subject Line Request

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hi there. Could you please edit your post to include a descriptive subject line? This will help other members use your post as a resource in the future. For more information on what we mean, take a look at this part of our FAQ: http://www.vaginapagina.com/faq.php#ReadyToPost

Thanks!
Tori
for the VP Team
contact_vp

Re: Subject Line Request

[ennyleve.livejournal.com]

whoops, sorry, i thought i had. fixed now.

Re: Subject Line Request

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Thanks muchly!

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hi! :)

I live in Arizona and am on Nuva Ring right now, so I totally have that problem. (Well, not exactly. I have air conditioning in my apartment, but cooling it 20+ degrees leaves it at 86 in the coolest part of my apartment, which is not where I'd store my BC. I really cannot afford to cool it more than that.)

For storage, I keep my rings in the fridge. Through trial and error (read: inserting brrrr!!!! cold Nuva Ring into my vagina), I've decided that letting the ring sit on the counter 20-40 minutes before insertion might make it more comfortable for me. I expect the same might be true for condoms, but I don't imagine it's necessary with birth control pills.

[sacre.livejournal.com]

Fridge.

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

According to the Trojan (http://www.trojancondoms.com/info_center/condom_use/) website, condoms are safe as long as they are not stored at temps above 100 F. The FDA (http://www.fda.gov/oashi/aids/condom.html) and Go Ask Alice! (http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1660.html) also suggest that extreme cold might not be good for condoms, so I wouldn't recommend the fridge. Unless your apartment is above 100 F for prolonged periods, a drawer away from heat sources and light would probably be fine.

For HBC, the storage specifications depend on the type. The patch (http://www.orthoevra.com/html/pevr/faq.jsp?host=www.orthoevra.com) should not be stored in the fridge, the nuvaring (http://www.nuvaring.com/HCP/PatientSupport/CareInstructions/index.asp?guid={82D17501-2273-4075-B35E-FFF5187003E1}&sid=210331914) should be refrigerated, and I couldn't really find anything about BCP, so I would suggest checking your package insert for storage temperature information

[ennyleve.livejournal.com]

thanks! my instinct was that the fridge might still be a bad extreme... just which was worse i wasn't sure. I just remember being told in sex ed do not store condoms in your car b/c they'll heat up and that's bad.

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

Yep, cars are definitely not good storage places. They get way above 100F on a hot day. By the way, I just found this (http://www.medicinenet.com/oral_contraceptives_birth_control_pills/article.htm) link that pegs the proper storage temperature for BCP at between 59F and 86F.

[fruchtzwergchen.livejournal.com]

the fridge in a ziploc container.

we've been keeping both the nuva ring & the home pregnancy tests in there (HPTs go bad when stored over 86*F for long periods of time --oops!).

[br0ken_dolly]

the fridge. medication can be kept in the freezer, even.

in the case of condoms, let them come to room temp before using them. cold rubber can crack. although i dont think warm condoms are as bad as warm drugs :)

...i keep meaning to write up a post about stability (heat, humidity, time) of medications/bc pills for vp... i'll get off my butt and do it soon!

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

Do you happen to have any sources about storing HBC and condoms in the refrigerator or freezer?

According to the sources I've checked, if a condom freezes, the elasticity is permanently
compromised (http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1660.html) and is not reliable even if it seems fine when back at room temperature.

Hormonal birth control methods each have individual instructions about storage temperature. Ortho Evra (http://www.orthoevra.com/html/pevr/faq.jsp?host=www.orthoevra.com) should not be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, birth control pills (http://www.medicinenet.com/oral_contraceptives_birth_control_pills/article.htm) should be stored between 59 and 86 F (warmer than the fridge), and the
Nuvaring (http://www.nuvaring.com/HCP/PatientSupport/CareInstructions/index.asp?guid={82D17501-2273-4075-B35E-FFF5187003E1}&sid=210331914) can be refrigerated, but not frozen.

[br0ken_dolly]

i wouldnt put latex in the freezer ever (for the reasons you suggested), although i'd probably experiment myself about the fridge.

as far as the hbc goes, i'm not positive about the nuvaring (which is i believe a medical device, and not medication by the FDA's definition, and could have different circumstances since the ring is a polymer or whatever), but medication can (and should) be stored in the freezer, especially if it's used over a long time. (bcp's are generally used in a month's time, but if you were to stock up or if your apt gets unbearably hot, more than 80F, you may want to think about doing it.)

pharmaceutical companies (and later pharmacies) store all their stuff under very controlled conditions. we freeze the drugs to preserve their life, since degradation occurs when the drugs are exposed to heat, humidity, and in some cases light (for example, that's actually why advil tablets are brown coated, and why ibuprofen is always in a light-block bottle), all of which are curbed/slowed when in the freezer.

anyhow, like i mentioned-- a post about hbc storage is in the works. life's insane right now (changing jobs and relocating) but it's still in the back of my mind and i've talked with a couple vp mods about it. and i'll come up with some web links, too. right now i'm going off what i've learned (i work in pharmaceuticals and have done a lot of work with drug degradation studies), and my sources are texts and whatnot. i'll compile something soon.

[celestialstarco.livejournal.com]

You *do* have a fridge, right?

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

Some people don't have a fridge, no. And more people can't store things like condoms or contraception in shared fridges because of confidentiality concerns.