Medical Preparedness · Medications
Refrigerated Medications During a Power Outage
What to do with insulin, liquid antibiotics, biologics, and other temperature-sensitive drugs when the refrigerator stops running.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
Planning guidance, not medical advice. Medication storage requirements are product-specific. Contact your pharmacist, prescribing physician, or the drug manufacturer for guidance about any specific medication. This page summarizes current FDA and CDC guidance to help you ask the right questions and make informed decisions.
THE KEY DISTINCTION
Medications are not food. The rules are different.
The USDA gives a clear 4-hour rule for refrigerated food. There is no equivalent universal time limit for medications. Each drug has its own labeled storage range, its own tolerance for temperature excursions, and its own degradation curve. Insulin behaves differently from liquid antibiotics, which behave differently from biologics.
This means you cannot simply apply the food-refrigerator clock to your medicine shelf. The right answer for every medication question during a power outage is the same: check the labeling, and if you are unsure, call your pharmacist or the manufacturer.
What FDA says about refrigerated drugs during power loss
FDA notes that some medicines, such as insulin and certain liquid antibiotics, require refrigeration. If a medicine has not been kept at its recommended temperature during a power outage, FDA says to check the medicine's storage instructions, if available, or contact a pharmacist, health care provider, or the manufacturer to find out whether it can still be used.
If the medicine is needed to sustain life, such as insulin, and a replacement is not readily available, FDA says it may be used until you can get a new supply. Replace any medicine that can no longer be used as soon as possible.
Source: FDA, Safe Drug Use After a Natural Disaster
INSULIN
Keep it cool. Never freeze it.
CDC emergency insulin guidance
CDC advises keeping insulin cool, away from direct heat and sunlight, without letting it freeze. Frozen insulin can break down and be less effective. This is one of the most important distinctions for a household with a diabetic member during a winter outage: the instinct to keep things as cold as possible is correct for food but can be harmful for insulin.
CDC also recognizes that you may have to use insulin that has been stored above 86°F, and advises monitoring your blood sugar regularly if you do. Separately, FDA says insulin in the manufacturer's vials or cartridges, opened or unopened, may be left unrefrigerated between 59°F and 86°F for up to 28 days and continue to work. Pens and pump insulin follow their own labels.
If you use ice packs to keep insulin cool, put a cloth or the wall of a container between the pack and the insulin so it cannot freeze where they touch. Our medication storage handbook compares the ways to keep medicine cool without power.
Sources: CDC, Managing Insulin in an Emergency; FDA, Insulin Storage in an Emergency (both accessed October 6, 2026)
Do not freeze insulin
Do not place insulin directly against ice, in a freezer, or in snow. Frozen insulin can break down and be less effective, and FDA says not to use insulin that has been frozen. Contact your pharmacist or healthcare provider for a replacement.
Room-temperature limits vary by product
Many insulin formulations can be used at room temperature for a limited period (often up to 28 days, though this varies by brand and type). The labeled room-temperature range and duration are on the package insert and on the manufacturer's website. Do not assume all insulin products share the same limits.
If your household uses insulin, ask your pharmacist or endocrinologist before storm season: "How long can my specific insulin product remain unrefrigerated, and at what temperature range?" Record the answer in your household medical profile.
BEYOND INSULIN
Other medications that need cold storage.
Insulin is the most commonly discussed temperature-sensitive drug, but it is not the only one. Several categories of medications require refrigeration, and each has its own tolerance for temperature excursions.
Liquid antibiotics
Reconstituted liquid antibiotics (common for children) often require refrigeration and have short expiration windows. Check the pharmacy label for the specific storage temperature and discard date.
Biologic medications
Injectable biologics (used for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and psoriasis) typically require strict cold-chain storage. Manufacturer instructions control, and many include specific guidance for short-term temperature excursions.
Certain eye drops
Some prescription eye drops require refrigeration after opening. The label will specify. If yours does, treat it with the same care as other cold-storage medications during an outage.
Suppositories and certain creams
Some compounded or specialty formulations require refrigeration to maintain their physical form and potency. Check the pharmacy label and your pharmacist's instructions.
Who to call and what to ask
For any specific medication during a power outage, your best resource is your pharmacist. They have access to the manufacturer's stability data and can tell you whether your specific drug is still safe to use after a temperature excursion of a known duration.
If your pharmacist is unreachable, the drug manufacturer's customer service line (found on the packaging or their website) can provide product-specific storage guidance. The FDA also maintains a general drug information line at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).
FLOOD AND WATER DAMAGE
If floodwater touched it, discard it.
FDA guidance on flooded medications
FDA recommends discarding drugs that came into contact with flood or contaminated water, even if they are in their original containers with screw-top caps, snap lids, or droppers. FDA says medicines exposed to floodwater or water that may be contaminated can become unsafe to use.
Do not rinse a contaminated medication container and assume the contents are safe. Do not open a flood-damaged container to check whether the pills look normal. The contamination risk to your health outweighs the cost of the medication.
Source: FDA, Safe Drug Use After a Natural Disaster
Reconstituting medications with safe water
Some medications require mixing with water before use (reconstitution). FDA says medicines that must be mixed with water should be mixed only with purified or bottled water, and no other liquid.
This applies to powdered antibiotics and any other medication that is mixed before use. Follow the medication's instructions for reconstitution.
Heat and fire exposure
FDA says high temperatures from a fire can reduce or destroy the effectiveness of medicines, and that those medicines should be replaced.
ACTION STEPS
What to do before and during.
Before storm season
Ask your pharmacist which medications require refrigeration and the acceptable short-term room-temperature range for each one
Record the answers in your household medical profile
Keep an insulated bag or small cooler and reusable ice packs where you can reach them quickly
Store medications in waterproof containers if flooding is possible in your area
Know your pharmacy's emergency refill policy and your state's emergency dispensing laws
During a power outage
Move refrigerated medications to an insulated container with ice packs, with a barrier between the medication and the ice
Do not open the refrigerator repeatedly to check on medications (the same rule as food, for the same reason)
Note when the power went out, so you can tell your pharmacist the exact duration of the temperature excursion
Contact your pharmacist as soon as possible. They can advise whether your specific medication is still safe to use
Replace any medicine your pharmacist says can no longer be used as soon as a new supply is available
RELATED GUIDES
Connected topics.
Prescription Preparedness
The 30-day buffer, generic names, emergency dispensing laws, and what to ask before storm season.
Medical Devices and Power Outages
Backup power planning for CPAP, oxygen concentrators, and other power-dependent equipment.
Refrigerator During Outages
The 4-hour food rule, freezer timing, and appliance thermometers. The food version of this problem.