Inside an Emergency Kit

A glucagon emergency kit holds supplies for a severe low. Most kits have three parts.

The first is the medicine. The second is a syringe or another device to give it. The third is printed instructions for that exact kit.

Keep all three together, so nothing is missing when someone needs it.

A helper stands next to an open emergency kit. A medicine vial, a device and a printed instruction sheet drop into the kit. The sheet comes up large and each numbered step gets a tick. Then the person lies on the floor, turned on their side. Last, a phone shows Call 911 and a cup with a red cross shows Nothing by mouth.

Your kit label lists a storage temperature range. Some kits use 59 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow your own label, not someone else's.

Keep the kit in plain view at home. Everyone who lives with you should know where it sits. Household members should find it quickly, not locked away.

Every kit has an expiration date printed on its label. Check that date today. Mark it on a calendar so you remember.

Replace the kit when it expires. Also replace it if the medicine looks changed in any way.

Ask your care team what changes to watch for in your medicine.

Key takeaways

• A kit usually holds the medicine, a syringe or device, and instructions.
• Keep it within the temperature range on its label, where people can find it.
• Check the expiration date, and replace the kit when it expires or looks changed.

Try it

If you have a kit, read the list of what is inside it and check that each part is there.