Medication at the Parks

[Figaro]

Well, I was just put on more medication and I am up the three different ones that need to be refrigerated. Not a problem at the hotel, as we are driving and I have decided that since we have plenty of room, I am taking along my daughter's dorm size fridge this time.

Do the first aid stations at the parks have fridges available and can I use them to store my medication? I've never done this, so I'm not quite sure how it works. All of the medications are prescription and in appropriate containers. Just wondering if anyone has ever done this and what the procedure is(smile).

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't know what the procedure is since we've never done it, but I know they do refrigerate meds for people. We have been in First Aid using the bathroom or having DD recover from a seizure when people have come to take a dose of medication that was in the refrigerator.

 

[cupcake]

Upon request, they will provide you with an in-room fridge if the room doesn't already have one, so you don't necessarily need to bring your own. Sue's right that the first aid stations will store meds for you, too. They have always been extremely accommodating although you do have to fill out a little paperwork. But esp when it's really hot and crowded, it's great not to have to worry about the temperature of a chilled meds carrier!

FYI for anyone with refrigerated meds traveling on the Disney Cruise, the in room fridge is really a "cooler" that won't work for meds. If I need to be on refrigerated meds when we go this fall, apparently I need a dr's letter for them to store it in the ship's first aid area (makes sense I guess bc they don't want problems when they are at sea). Have a super time and feel great!

Cupcake

 

[Figaro]

Thanks for the information! I called the Swan and they said that everyone has to pay for a room fridge and that there weren't any exceptions unless we were at concierge level. It's just too expensive for a total of 6 containers(smile).

 

[cupcake]

If so, if there is enough room (sounds like there wouldn't be), you could just empty it out while you were there. Now that you mention it, we were charged $5/day by *some* Disney hotels, other times they just brought it and said they weren't going to charge us. I have no experience at the Swan, though, maybe they aren't as good about this kind of thing bc they are run by Westin? I am lucky (well, sort of, you know what I mean!) that I don't have a real volume storage issue, although I have traveled with fragmin which is a nightmare bc it has a very small range of acceptable temps.

That's too bad! It's good that you are able to take your own fridge.

Cupcake

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a lot of inconsistency in whether WDW resorts will provide a refrigerator for medication at no change. They used to do it, but as more and more people were asking for one, they started charging, even for people who were working with the WDW Resorts Special Needs Reservations.
I have read "money saving tips" where people suggested that by saying you had medication that needed refrigeration (whether you did or not), you could get one provided for free. That's when WDW stopped providing them for free. I've read posts where people were told that if they didn't want to pay for the refrigerator, they would need to store their child's medication behind the front desk and come get it whenever they needed a dose (even 3 - 4 times a day).
So, I've been saying, if you need to refrigerate meds, ask, but don't be surprised if they make you pay.

 

[tammyh-oregon]

When you called the Swan did they offer an alternative place to store the medications incase you didn't want to pay for the refrigerator?

We are staying there for a week and will need someplace to store DH insulin. Haven't called yet and so was wondering if they said anything about storing it for you. Thanks

 

[Figaro]

Hi tammyh!

They did tell me that I could leave it behind the desk in a fridge they have. I take the medications at different times and I don't want to have to go down and get it in my jammies(smile), so I am just going to bring along the dorm fridge.

It hasn't been as much of a problem before, as we always would either bring or pick up a cheap cooler and keep it in the room. It's just that the new medication is more temperature sensitive (arrives at the pharmacy in a special little electric cooler) and so a cooler won't keep it at an even enough temperature.

 

[tammyh-oregon]

Thanks for the information. We will probably work something out with an ice bucket during the night and have the front desk keep it during the day. We have never worried about it before but with this (new to us) insulin it is suppose to be refrigerated. I wonder if they have a place to freeze the little packs that will go in his carrying case for during the day. So many questions.

We are staying at the AKL before the Swan and they are letting us use a refrigerator there at no charge because of the insulin. It really does vary. It is a shame they won't do something similiar especially if you can show them the medications and are not just saying you need a fridge. Oh well, such is life.

Have a great trip and I hope the new medications work out for you.

 

[Figaro]

tammyh, I honestly think that with so many people who didn't need a refrigerator but learned that if they said they needed it for medications they would get it free kind of ruined it for everyone else(sigh).

Oh well, I am still getting to spend 11 days at one of the most fun, accessible and enjoyable places I know(smile)!

 

[Talking Hands]

Tammy there is absolutely no need to refrigerate your insulin. The rooms are cool enough that they can be left out.

 

[tammyh-oregon]

Thanks. We didn't have to refrigerate his older insulin but this new humalog ( I think thats the one he uses 2 different ones now.) says it has to be refrigerated. He has only been on it for a month or so now and is still adjusting.

I will be sure to ask specifically about this when we see the doctor before our trip.

 

[SueM in MN]

I will be sure to ask specifically about this when we see the doctor before our trip.

You could check with the Pharmacist where you fill your prescriptions too. Make sure it's the Pharmacist, not just a pharmacy tech.
I don't know if this page will work, but it's a little electric refrigerator for $49.99, meant to hold one can of pop and a lunch.
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...ef=sr_2_1/601-5242647-1928961?asin=B00006IX9L
If the link doesn't work, just go to www.target.com and type "refrigerator" into the search box.

 

[Figaro]

I have a friend who is retired from teaching pharmacists and a few years ago (maybe when the topic of refrigerating insulin came up here), I asked him how the idea that insulin needed to refrigerated had started.

He told me that as best as he could tell (as he had been interested in this himself and took some time to track it down), when insulin was very new, a pharmacist set an entire supply of it on the radiator in the pharmacy (not knowing that it could be "baked" as it is protein based).

Insulin was VERY expensive and the pharmacist lost his entire supply. So the message went out to other pharmacists not to "bake" the insulin and it was decided to refrigerate it (back in the days before there was a lot of air conditioning and room temperature could reach into the 100"s!)

Insulin is perfectly safe at "normal" room temperatures. The reason that it is suggested (not required, just suggested) that unopened insulin be stored in a fridge is because if something should happen and the air conditioning should die, it might get too warm. Or if the heat should go out in the northern climates a fridge is fairly well insulated and has a better chance of keeping it from freezing for at least a while.

I just found this interesting and thought other people might too!(smile)