Loading...Q. I just received a shipment of supplements and noticed the box was very hot. I stuck a thermometer through the seal and it registered over 100 degrees F.
Does this high temperature degrade supplements? Are they delivered the same way to stores? If so, it may not matter where you purchase them.
A. You have stumbled on a secret no one in the pharmaceutical or supplement industry likes to talk about. Improper shipping and storage may shorten shelf life for many products.
Guidelines for medications generally call for storage at room temperature (68 to 77 degrees F). Temporary fluctuations are allowed down to 59 or up to 86 degrees.
Shipment in non-refrigerated vehicles can easily allow for long periods at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. That includes deliveries to wholesalers, pharmacies and health food stores.
Drug sales reps often give free samples to doctors. If these drugs have been stored in the trunk of a car, the temperature could exceed 120 degrees. Even more alarming, it has been discovered that ambulances may also exceed the proper storage temperature of some of their crucial medicines.
So many insurance companies now require people to buy their medicines from mail-order pharmacies that no one wants to deal with the issue of proper storage. Not only is it likely that the mail delivery truck is very hot, even worse is the likelihood that the medicine could sit in a mailbox for hours at a VERY high temperature. In our opinion, the impact of this practice on the quality of the medicine has not been adequately addressed by the FDA, the pharmaceutical industry, professional pharmacy or the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).
We are sorry to admit that we do not have an answer to this problem. Try calling the mail-order pharmacy or supplement shipper, and ask him or her about the shipping problem. Then please let us know what you discover. We would be fascinated to learn the answer you get.
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RenegadeRN
I have always worried about this and refused to have my thyroid medication mail-ordered.
Jaice
Very much appreciate that heat in shipping is a real concern.
Jon G
Charlotte, NC
What kind of temperatures are OTC medicines exposed to on the way from the manufacture to Walmart or Target? Does anybody know?
Laurie
Florida
I do not order mail order medications for this very reason. There is no way to know how long the box is sitting in a truck, or the temperatures in trucks or warehouses. The only safe way to ship perishable foods is with dry ice, overnight, and even then stores will not ship perishables. The same should apply to medications, which can loose effectiveness, or make chemicals turn toxic if exposed to heat.
I plan to contact the FDA about this issue. Maybe someone will look into the problem.
lsm
I ordered probiotics that cost $100 and come in a Styrofoam box with 2 ice packs. I live in florida and when I got home the box that says on the outside, “Refrigerate immediately upon arrival”, was sitting in the sun. When I opened it, both ice packs were melted and the probiotics were hot. I emailed the company and they did not even respond.
George
I’m concerned that many employers are forcing employees to use mail order drug companies but the employers are not taking any responsibility for any harm that comes to their employees from this practice. Medical coverage is part of our benefits but forcing employees to use medicine that may harm them is not a benefit. Paying for something that does not work is not cost effective either.
This also brings up the issue of medicines being made in foreign countries. What kind of environment are drugs exposed to on their trip from China. Are they shipped by air or sea? Who checks the condition of them when they arrive? Are there sensors that record the humidity and temperature drugs are exposed to? I’d like to see a system where medications are checked for over exposure and if the actual dosage matches the label.
BJ
A shipment for Lupron, injectable syringe, just arrived from Express Scripts, via UPS. The UPS delivery person handed it to me at the door. The box was very hot to touch, the packaging was styrofoam enclosed syringe in plastic tray inside of a clear bag. It was all very warm to the touch. I called pharmacist for the company and she told me that the medicine should be kept at room temperature at home. I told of my concern, since this medicine is what doctors are relying on to help my daughter maintain ovary function while she is undergoing chemo.
We didn’t want to take any chances of having bad medicine. Hesitantly, I had to accept her statements which are rehearsed or read from script. They have allowed for the delivery temperature to fluctuate up to 86 degrees and she checked the average temperature of Studio City. I looked and at 5 pm it was 85 degress outside. I know it was hotter during the day and especially on a UPS truck with no temperature control.
I’m LIVID. I know it was packaged in styrofoam, but it got very hot! Come on, government, do something about this….. if we are being forced by our insurance companies to order medication that require temperature control such as this, then make someone fix it! This is ridiculous. We are talking about a young woman’s fertility here!!
HealthMatters
Was just cautioning an Aunt about this mail-order prescription “convenience”, am also thinking that extreme COLD affects some medicines too. Not to mention, with all the storm activity lately, wet conditions can have an impact as well. I’ve never chosen the mail-order system personally for these reasons (especially the heat issue), as I don’t trust it & there is no guarantee that the U.S. Postal system – especially with all the money issues they have.
Medicine that has lost or has the potential of losing its potency – to me – isn’t worth the health risks or the loss of your “peace of mind” ! Am thinking heat or cold can also cause a certain medicine to be dangerous/toxic health-wise? The mail order system seems to be within itself more of a money-saving convenience (?) to the pharmaceutical companies, since they don’t have to cover overhead & costs of human pharmacists or safe delivery options?
This system overall seems too casual & being not regulated makes me uncomfortable, as it concerns my health !
ANNE H. D.
I am told (and dictated to) to mail-order my prescriptions from Medco, when is cheaper and larger supply. During a recent shipment, the FED-EX driver delivered my shipment to my neighbor’s home, rang the doorbell and left my insulin there on the porch. A couple of hours later, when my neighbor returned home, she brought my medicine to me. I called both the the delivery service and Medco. When I asked Medco if the medication had lost any of its potency, I was told, nonchalantly, “probably not!” I was told by Medco to call the delivery company.
The delivery company apologized and promised to be more careful the next time.
However, I suffered from the use of this insulin. For 2 months my glucose was totally out of control, ranging from 300ml to 500ml regardless of what I did. I became lethargic, my energy level declined, my memory was affected. I am not exaggerating.
When I told my doctor about my condition, his nurse gave me vial of insulin and
my recovery was almost immediately discernible.
L.A.
Not only were the meds we were required to order through the mail in our hot mailbox in near 100 degree heat, I saw that the warehouse they were shipped from was in Las Vegas! Nice 110 degree days are the norm there in the summer. No doubt it sat on more than one truck in over 140 – 150 degree heat before it saw our mailbox.
How can we win, or even break even?
GAYLE S.
That’s why I have packages delivered to work… someone signs for it if UPS, and if USPS I get it out of the mailbox right away. Of course, I work at the front desk and that helps!
Suzanne
I asked our (independent) pharmacist about this after taking some hot pills out of the mailbox that my husband has to take daily. He said it is frustrating because he isn’t even allowed to match the price given by the mail order pharmacies AND if the heat or air conditioning goes out at his pharmacy, he is required to document to temperature during the outage!
Bob Bench
We used to have a black mailbox. We moved and now we have a white one. The white mailbox keeps the contents a lot cooler. This is good in the summer–not so good in the winter. If you live in a temperate climate I guess it would be ideal to have a white mailbox for summer and a black one for winter.
RJZ
Our retiree plan thankfully does not require using mail order for Rx’s. Even before I retired it was optional. Never trusted someone I couldn’t eyeball and I have a 20-year relationship w/ my pharmacist/pharmacy. I could get my allergy serum mailed but I go get it for safety’s sake. I have always wondered how in the world meds are safe in a hot, mailed environment. It’s all about the money, not about our health.
PS
I have, in the past, expressed my concern to the mail order pharmacy that I am required to use since I have a couple of chronic conditions (diabetes and arthritis). Their response was not very helpful. They told me that I could opt to pay for express shipping, including overnight, with fees (added to my bill) ranging from about $10 to over $20! And even then, this would not guarantee that, when delivered, the medications would not be left in the hot mailbox or exposed to the sun on my front porch.
I also asked if it would not be possible for them to use some kind of insulated packaging, such as foam. They said they don’t do that. Period. In general, these companies want to sell their drugs, make their profits, and exhibit little or no care about the delivery mechanics once the shipment leaves their doors. And because insurance companies require the use of mail order, the consumer has no reasonable option to go to a drug store or local pharmacy to pick up the medications needed.
P.J.
A related question … I have heard that most, if not all, packages that are processed through the US Postal system are irradiated, as a result of the postal anthrax scares after 9/11. Such irradiation may diminish the effectiveness of supplements and medications, just as excessive heat may. Do you know the extent to which USPS irradiates packages passing through their system and / or how to protect supplements and medications from such?
Karen
I use a POB, too, but that only solves the “last mile” problem. The trucks between the factory / warehouse and the post office aren’t air conditioned. The warehouses themselves are probably not air conditioned.
Look at how many semis sit outside the big-box stores in the sun. They’re not air conditioned.
So I place my big orders in January.
OTOH, the whole notion of expiration dates is a decent-sized hoax. The US Army medical corps saved millions by actually testing when drugs lost their potency, and it is, for the most part, well past the year-out expiration date that pharmacies post on patient distribution bottles.
Sally M
I receive mailed prescriptions monthly. My condo complex has a bank of mailboxes in direct sun and I’ve often worried about catching the mailman at the right time. A couple of times, the package has been hot and I’ve called the pharmacy who tells me the prescription “should be OK”. Not too reassuring. I think the P.O. Box sounds like a possible solution.
JK
We no longer use Medco mail order because they no longer will ship to our PO BOX. According to them, they will ONLY ship to our home address. Our PO BOX does not have a street address associated with it as far as I know. Daniel P. are you talking about a USPS PO box or a commercial mail center?
Michele C
I called my mail order pharmacy two years ago asking this very question. They said that the medicines were safe and not compromised by the temperature of the mailing process, but I got the distinct impression that this was said simply to satisfy me. I felt like they did not take the issue very seriously. I cannot see how something that has to be kept relatively cool can survive a hot mail truck, and then my hot mailbox. I live in Texas, so there is no way I can believe my prescription medicine is not affected by this. However, there is nothing I can do about it since my insurance requires me to use the mail order process as much as possible.
Daniel P.
It is for this reason that I have a PO Box. Anything that is weather sensitive or something I would not want stolen out of my mailbox, I sent to my PO Box. I can’t solve shipping issues on their way to me but I can make sure that when it’s delivered to me that its safe. FYI, PO Boxes also now have a street address attached to them so you can receive packages from package services that require street addresses.