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Storing and traveling with GLP-1 pens and peptide vials
Keep new pens in the fridge at 36–46°F, and never freeze them. Keep them in the box, away from light and heat. Each pen may spend a set time out of the fridge, and the number differs by medicine. The table below gives each one, from its FDA label.
Not medical advice. Follow your prescriber and the leaflet in your medicine's box.
The everyday rules
- Fridge, 36–46°F. Not in the freezer, and not right against the cold plate at the back.
- Never frozen. If a pen has frozen, don't use it, even after it thaws.
- In the box. The carton keeps out light. Keep pens away from heat and direct sun.
- Cap on. For a pen you use more than once, put the cap back on and take the needle off after each injection.
How long each pen may stay out of the fridge
"Out of the fridge" means room temperature, never above the highest temperature shown.
| Medicine | Out of the fridge | No warmer than | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)Single-dose pen or single-dose vial | Up to 21 days in total, then throw it away | 86°F | Mounjaro and Zepbound labels |
| Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)KwikPen or multi-dose vial | Unopened: up to 30 days. Once opened: in the fridge or out, for up to 30 days, or until its four doses are used, even if some medicine is left | 86°F | Mounjaro and Zepbound labels |
| Semaglutide (Ozempic)Pen | Fridge until first use. After first use: 56 days, at 59–86°F or in the fridge | 86°F | Ozempic label |
| Semaglutide (Ozempic)Single-dose prefilled syringe | Up to 28 days | 86°F | Ozempic label |
| Semaglutide (Wegovy)Single-dose pen or syringe | Up to 28 days, before you take the cap off | 86°F | Wegovy label |
| Semaglutide (Wegovy FlexTouch)Pen you use more than once | Fridge until first use. After first use: 56 days, at 59–86°F or in the fridge | 86°F | Wegovy label |
| Dulaglutide (Trulicity)Single-dose pen | Up to 14 days in total | 86°F | Trulicity label |
| Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda)Pen | Fridge until first use. After first use: 30 days, at 59–86°F or in the fridge | 86°F | Victoza and Saxenda labels |
| Semaglutide tablets (Rybelsus; Ozempic and Wegovy also come as tablets)Tablets taken by mouth | No fridge. Room temperature, 68–77°F, in the original bottle, somewhere dry | 77°F (brief spells between 59°F and 86°F are allowed) | Rybelsus and Wegovy labels |
If a pen got too warm, or froze
Don't use a pen that has frozen. Once a pen has been out of the fridge for as long as its label allows, labels like Mounjaro's, Zepbound's and Wegovy's say to throw it away. If it got hotter than its label allows, ask your pharmacist before you use it.
Flying with your pens
- Carry them on, never in a checked bag. The CDC advises carrying all medicines in your hand luggage, so they are not lost, damaged, delayed or stolen.
- Keep the pharmacy label on. Pack them in their box, with your name on the label.
- Tell the security officer. TSA allows medically necessary liquids over the usual 3.4 ounces, in reasonable amounts, when you tell the officer at the checkpoint. Cool packs and gel packs may be screened too, and you can ask for your medicine not to be X-rayed or opened.
- Keep it cool, never frozen. If your pen needs to stay cold, use a cool pack with a layer between it and the pen.
- Bring enough for the whole trip, plus a little extra in case of delays, as the CDC suggests.
- Crossing time zones? Ask your prescriber how to time your dose day.
Hot cars and cold cars
Never leave a pen in a parked car. In summer the inside can get far hotter than the 86°F these labels allow, and in winter it can freeze. Take it with you.
Peptide vials
A mixed vial is usually kept in the fridge and used within the time on its pharmacy label, often 28 days. Follow the label on your vial.
Let PeptideUp keep the clock
The Cold Vault counts the pens left in your box and reminds you to reorder. It keeps each mixed vial on its freshness clock and nudges you 3 days before it ends. One Vault item with its freshness alert is free.
Questions people ask
How long can a tirzepatide pen (Mounjaro, Zepbound) stay out of the fridge?
A single-dose pen or vial may stay out for up to 21 days in total, at no more than 86°F. An unopened KwikPen or multi-dose vial may stay out for up to 30 days. After that, the label says to throw it away.
How long can a semaglutide pen (Ozempic, Wegovy) stay out of the fridge?
Once you start an Ozempic pen or a Wegovy FlexTouch pen, it keeps for 56 days at 59–86°F or in the fridge. A Wegovy single-dose pen may be kept at 46–86°F for up to 28 days before you take the cap off.
Can I use a pen that froze?
No. Every pen label on this page says not to use it if it has been frozen, even after it thaws.
Can GLP-1 pens go in checked luggage?
Keep them in your carry-on. The CDC advises carrying all medicines in hand luggage, and TSA lets medically necessary liquids through security when you tell the officer about them.
Sources
- Mounjaro (tirzepatide) prescribing information, section 16.2. Eli Lilly and Company, revised August 2026. pi.lilly.com/us/mounjaro-uspi.pdf
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, section 16.2. Eli Lilly and Company, revised August 2026. pi.lilly.com/us/zepbound-uspi.pdf
- Ozempic (semaglutide) prescribing information, section 16. Novo Nordisk, revised May 2026. novo-pi.com/ozempic.pdf
- Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, section 16. Novo Nordisk, revised June 2026. novo-pi.com/wegovy.pdf
- Trulicity (dulaglutide) prescribing information, section 16.2. Eli Lilly and Company, revised March 2026. pi.lilly.com/us/trulicity-uspi.pdf
- Victoza (liraglutide) prescribing information, section 16. Novo Nordisk, revised October 2025. novo-pi.com/victoza.pdf
- Saxenda (liraglutide) prescribing information, section 16. Novo Nordisk, revised February 2026. novo-pi.com/saxenda.pdf
- Rybelsus (semaglutide) tablets prescribing information, section 16. Novo Nordisk, revised January 2026. novo-pi.com/rybelsus.pdf
- CDC Yellow Book, Travelers with Chronic Illnesses. cdc.gov/yellow-book
- TSA, Disabilities and Medical Conditions. tsa.gov/travel/tsa-cares
PeptideUp is a tracker, not medical advice. It never recommends a medicine, a dose or a schedule.