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Drug Info

Does Mounjaro need to be refrigerated?

It’s perfectly safe to travel with Mounjaro as long as you plan ahead and keep a few conditions in mind
Zoey Larsen
By | Dec. 17, 2024 Medically reviewed by Marissa Walsh, Pharm.D., BCPS-AQ ID
refrigerator next to an injector pen - does Mounjaro need to be refrigerated

Key takeaways

  • It’s perfectly safe to travel with Mounjaro as long as you plan and consider a few conditions.

  • Ideally, Mounjaro should be stored at temperatures between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • While refrigerated temperatures are ideal, Mounjaro can be left at room temperature for up to 21 days as long as the temperature does not exceed 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • If stored properly, Mounjaro can last up to 24 months, depending on the expiration date.

In this article:

Like semaglutide, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a once-a-week injectable medication that is FDA approved for helping manage blood sugar levels in those with Type 2 diabetes. It mimics two gastrointestinal hormones: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP). So, the active ingredient can also be prescribed for weight loss or obesity, combined with diet and exercise, under its licensed brand name Zepbound.

While Mounjaro should be refrigerated to maximize shelf life, that doesn’t need to be a cause for stress if there’s travel in your future. Read along to find out how to safely take Mounjaro with you on vacation, what to do if you accidentally leave your medication outside of the refrigerator, and how hot is too hot for this medication.

Does Mounjaro need to be refrigerated?

“Ideally, Mounjaro should be stored at temperatures between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Tracey Brigman, Ed.D., MS, RDN, a clinical associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Georgia. While the medication can be left at room temperature for periods of time (more on this later), it will last longer when refrigerated at these temperatures. When placing Mounjaro pens or vials in the refrigerator, it’s best to leave them in their original packaging until use, as they should not be exposed to light, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

It’s important to note that colder isn’t better, however: Mounjaro should not be frozen. That means extra-cold places like the back of your refrigerator might not be the best place to store your medication. If liquids placed around the edges of your refrigerator tend to freeze, avoid those spaces and opt for a more central location. If you notice that your Mounjaro has frozen, do not use this medication and reach out to a healthcare professional for medical advice.

The refrigerator door can also be a tricky place to store medication. Depending on how often the fridge is opened, door temperatures can fluctuate, leading to warmer-than-expected conditions. (This is the same reason experts advise against storing eggs, the Goldilocks of fridge staples, in the door of your refrigerator.) In fact, storing Mounjaro near the eggs (not too warm, not too cold) is generally safe and will meet storage requirements.

The final storage location consideration is that all prescription drugs should be kept out of reach of children. If you have young kids, consider storing medication on a higher shelf that they are unable to access and away from food they typically open the fridge to find, like cheese sticks or juice boxes.

Why does Mounjaro need to be refrigerated?

While Mounjaro isn’t the only medication that should be refrigerated, it is one of the more common ones (alongside diabetes and weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Zepbound). But why is this the recommended method of storage? “The active ingredient in Mounjaro, tirzepatide, breaks down more quickly at room temperature and becomes less effective over time,” says Brigman.

“If medications are not appropriately refrigerated, the chemical structure of the medication can deteriorate and lose its effectiveness for the treatment of diabetes,” adds Devika Umashanker, MD, System Director, Medical Weight Loss, with the Hartford HealthCare Digestive Health Institute. That doesn’t mean that you need to inject the medication straight from the refrigerator, however. Many people find it more comfortable to leave their Mounjaro pen on the counter for 30 minutes prior to administering, which is perfectly safe. The temperature of the Mounjaro injection is not known to have an impact on side effects.

How to travel with Mounjaro

Refrigerated medication shouldn’t cause stress during a drip. Whether you use Mounjaro for weight management or another medical condition, with the right knowledge and preparation, travel can be seamless. For starters, don’t travel with more doses of your medication than you expect to need. This will reduce the likelihood that medication is left unrefrigerated unnecessarily.

For most travel (a quick car ride, a plane trip, etc.), Mounjaro will be safe at room temperature. It’s also important to pack Mounjaro in your carry-on luggage and not your checked luggage. (Don’t worry, prescription medications are exempt from TSA liquid regulations.) First, you don’t want your medication to be an accidental casualty of lost baggage. Still, more importantly, the cargo hold where checked baggage is stored during flight is subject to extreme temperatures, making it a less controlled location for medication.

If you’re traveling for an extended period or temperatures may spike higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit during transit, patients can purchase medical boxes that have cooling packs, says Dr. Umashanker. If that’s not an option, cooler bags can also work. It’s important not to store Mounjaro directly next to an ice pack in order to prevent unintentional freezing. Another consideration: Bring something with you that you can use as a sharps container to discard used injection pens.

Finally, we’ve all forgotten to pack items on a trip. If this happens to you and you forget your medication, there are a few steps to follow. “If you miss a dose while traveling (or for any other reason), take the missed dose as soon as possible within 96 hours (four days). If more than four days have passed, skip the missed dose and resume the next dose on the scheduled day. It is important not to take two doses within three days of each other,” says Brigman.

If you forget to bring your injection pens on an extended trip, contact your healthcare provider and ask what they recommend.

What to do if Mounjaro is left out of the fridge

Life happens. If your Mounjaro is left outside of the fridge, step one is not to panic. Whether you left your medication on the counter for a few hours or you’re on a two-day road trip to visit family, your Mounjaro is safe as long as it doesn’t reach a temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit or remain unrefrigerated for more than 21 days.

“If you left your Mounjaro out of the refrigerator by accident, it is generally still safe to use if it has not been out of the refrigerator for more than 21 days and the temperature did not go over 86 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Brigman. Once you reach your destination, place your medication back in the refrigerator until you need to travel home. Ensure that it remains out of direct sunlight during transit.

To avoid complicated math, experts recommend traveling with only the amount of medication required. If you are unsure about whether it is safe to use your medicine, check with your healthcare provider, notes Brigman.

Mounjaro shelf life

With proper storage conditions, Mounjaro can last up to 24 months, depending on the expiration date, which can be found both on the exterior of the original carton as well as the single-dose pen or vial containing the actual medication.

With these tips, traveling with medication should be as breezy as the wind off the water. As always, if you have questions or concerns, contact your prescribing healthcare provider for guidance.