Is famotidine (Famotidine) suspension stored at room temperature or refrigerated?

From the Guidelines

Famotidine oral suspension should be refrigerated after preparation, as this is crucial for maintaining its stability and effectiveness. The commercially available famotidine suspension should be stored in the refrigerator at 2-8°C (36-46°F) and not at room temperature. Once prepared, the suspension is typically stable for 30 days when refrigerated. Refrigeration is necessary because the suspension's stability decreases at higher temperatures, which could lead to reduced effectiveness of the medication. The active ingredient famotidine may degrade more quickly at room temperature, potentially compromising its therapeutic benefits in treating conditions like heartburn, acid reflux, and peptic ulcers. Always check the specific storage instructions on the product label or package insert, as formulations can vary slightly between manufacturers. Remember to shake the suspension well before each use to ensure proper dosing of the medication. It's worth noting that the provided evidence 1 discusses insulin storage and handling, which is not directly relevant to the storage of famotidine suspension, and therefore does not influence the recommendation for famotidine storage. Key points to consider when storing famotidine suspension include:

• Refrigeration at 2-8°C (36-46°F)
• Stability for 30 days after preparation when refrigerated
• Avoiding room temperature storage to prevent degradation
• Checking the product label for specific storage instructions
• Shaking the suspension well before use to ensure proper dosing.

From the FDA Drug Label

Storage Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F) [see USP controlled room temperature]. The FDA drug label does not answer the question about the storage of famotidine suspension. The provided label only discusses the storage of famotidine tablets at room temperature, and does not mention suspension 2.

From the Research

Storage Conditions for Famotidine Suspension

• The stability of famotidine in an extemporaneously prepared oral liquid stored at 4 and 24 degrees C for 30 days was studied 3.
• The concentration of famotidine remained above 90% of original concentration for 20 days at 4 degrees C and for 15 days at room temperature 3.
• After 30 days, famotidine concentration was reduced by 15% and 24% at 4 degrees C and room temperature respectively 3.
• Famotidine liquid 8 mg/mL compounded extemporaneously from tablets was stable for 20 days at 4 degrees C and for 15 days at 24 degrees C 3.

Stability in Total Parenteral Nutrient Solutions

• The stability of famotidine in total parenteral nutrient (TPN) solutions and the concentrations of amino acids in the presence of famotidine were determined 4.
• Two famotidine concentrations (20 mg/L and 40 mg/L) and two amino acid concentrations (20 g/L and 42.5 g/L) were studied under various storage conditions, including refrigeration and room temperature 4.
• At 24 hours, all solutions retained at least 95% of the initial famotidine concentration 4.
• Seven of the eight famotidine solutions retained more than 95% of the initial famotidine concentration at 48 hours 4.
• All samples refrigerated for seven days retained more than 95% of the initial famotidine concentration 4.

General Storage Guidelines

• The medicines refrigerator is used to ensure specific medicines are safely stored within a narrow temperature range in line with manufacturers' instructions, usually between +2˚C and +8˚C, and ideally +5˚C 5.
• However, the specific storage conditions for famotidine suspension are not explicitly mentioned in the general storage guidelines 5.
• The stability of famotidine in minibags refrigerated and/or frozen in total parenteral nutrition solutions was studied, and it was found to be stable when mixed in dextrose 5% injection and NaC1 0.9% injection at a concentration of 200 micrograms/mL and stored in polyvinyl chloride bags at 4 degrees C for 14 days or when frozen for 28 days and subsequently refrigerated for 14 days 6.