Shipping Method for Armour (refrigerated ?)

[Ali1101]

I would like to move to NDT (Armour) I found a website that offer refrigerated shipping that cost over $200 as well as regular shipping methods. I don't know if it worth to ship refrigerated medication or not! I'm worry about excessive temp here in Saudi Arabia compared to very low temp in the plane! These temp swings might damage Armour.

Armour will take at least 2 weeks to arrive from US going through various conditions. What do you recommend to me?

[shaws Administrator]

As far as I know these do not need to be refrigerated as they have a long-life. They will not be exposed as they will be in cargo, I should imagine. Thousands of food-stuff is shipped every day. If it was meat or something like that, yes it would have to be refrigerated.

Others will respond if I'm wrong.

[Ali1101 in reply to shaws]

but the recommendation say it has to be stored in room temperature, here in Saudi temp will be double normal room temp. but $200 is very expensive shipping option beside I'm not sure the refrigeration will actually perfectly store the medicine at room temp!

[shaws Administrator in reply to Ali1101]

I assume in Saudia Arabia you have air-conditioning so I would think your tablets will be fine. However, I have seen the excerpt and hope it doesn't confuse you even more

Armour will last a full year (at least) at room temperature. The manufacturer's recommendations say to NOT frig. it, but that is probably because they tested for storage at room temp. and they are required by law to recommend the same conditions that it was tested under. Like film and batteries, frig. storage will extend lifetime

PROVIDED that exposure to humidity and condensation is AVOIDED. Armour should store even longer under freezing, but the physical condition of the tablets may be damaged since they are not totally dry to start. HOWEVER most modern frig/freezers do this anti-frosting thing, where the freezer compartment is periodically HEATED before being returned to freezing temperatures. The presumption is that the cycling is fast, so frozen foods will stay frozen through the cycles (probably true in the bulk, but the surfaces of those foods are prone to more and more rapid freezer burn).

HOWEVER small bottles of medication will NOT stay frozen through such cycling and will be exposed, briefly, to higher temperatures.

SO -- cool dry romm temp is adequate for a year. Dry refrigerator storage, while not recommended by the manufacturer, will extend potentshelf life. FREEZING is problematic unless you KNOW you have a NON "Frost Free" freezer.

If you want to know the technicalities of this, check out Arrhenius (?sp) and energy barriers to chemical reactions. The gradual potency decay of thyroid meds in storage is a temperature activated reaction with a lower than normal energy barrier. Lowering the temperature reduces the amount of random energy to "push" the reaction. BUT temp appears in an exponent, so small temp changes can have large effects. Look for "Reaction kinetics" in "physical chemistry".

(I'm just an electrical engineer, probably didn't even spell "Arrhenius" properly.)

groups.google.com/forum/#!t...

[LAHs]

We get ludicrously high temps in my part of California. It can stay up at 110 deg F for about three weeks anytime during the three months of our summer. I have not noticed any degradation in my NDT Armour nor in my response to them. i.e. I do not feel any worse in hot parts of the summer than any other time of the year.

[Ali1101 in reply to LAHs]

I liked your answer it gave courage to go ahead and try it out to ship it with normal shipping method. In my experience with Levo, if I keep without an A/C in summer it will not gradate but actually my body will not tolerate it!