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Switching needle brand . . .

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Hops said:
I found this post after searching to see if anyone else has experienced quality issues with these Tricare needles.
I've been using Novofine needles for the last 18 years and was switched to Tricare by my GP about a year ago (as others have said, this was stated by my surgery as being a cost-cutting measure).
I'm all for saving the NHS some money where possible, but I have to say I'm really not happy with these new needles.

Issues so far have been:
  • Poor compatibility: The first batch I received didn't fit my Novopen 4 correctly because the little plastic cap that covers the needle was too long, so it prevented the pen lid from clicking closed. That was mildly irritating. In fairness it hasn't been an issue since the 2nd batch.
  • Bent needle shafts or (worse) bent needle tips (fresh out of the wrapper) which struggle to puncture the skin and hurt like hell.
  • Blocked needle shaft (which I just experienced, prompting this post).
  • Worst of all: an extremely weak needle shaft caused a needle to bend and snap off at the half-way point while still in my thigh! I had to pull it out with tweezers. This was very concerning because I almost didn't notice it happen and could have easily unwittingly left the needle remnant buried under my skin.
So yeah, I'd be interested to see if any of you stuck with the Tricare needles and what your experiences have been?
Click to expand...
I'm with @Ljc - get the surgery to change you back to novofine needles. If they say they are too expensive, point out to them that you have to inject several times a day, possibly for many decades more, and each injection carries with it the risk of compromising your injection sites - this is particularly important when you have been diagnosed as long as you have. Poorer quality needles increase this risk and can lead to poor absorption of insulin from those sites, which can lead to far more expensive problems, and potentially dangerous ones, such as severe and unexpected hypos. Saving a few quid a year on cheap needles pales in comparison to the cost of a single hospital admission. Some people may be fine using these needles, but you are not, and you must be considered in light of your individual needs, not subject to some blanket 'ban'. Good luck! 🙂
 
I save the NHS a fair bit of money. I use Ypsomed Click Fine needles. Made in Switzerland, where they know how to make things sharp. I last had a prescription at the beginning of April on the Isle of Mull for a box of 100. I’ve still got most of the box left, because as far as comfort is concerned, I don’t often change the needle till the pen is empty.

Switching to needles half the price would be a false economy - I would be on my third box of 100 by now.

Ok, I know this is against the ‘rules’, but I’ve been doing this for years and have never had a problem with injection sites.
 
Thanks guys, I'll see if I can get them changed. I was just curious to see if maybe I had been unlucky in my experience with that brand. Like MikeyB, I only tend to change my needle once a day, so a single box of 100 lasts me a long time and I'm only on my 2nd box of the Tricare ones. I took the quality of the Novofine needles for granted and it never occurred to me that I would have issues when switching brands.
 
Hops said:
I found this post after searching to see if anyone else has experienced quality issues with these Tricare needles.
I've been using Novofine needles for the last 18 years and was switched to Tricare by my GP about a year ago (as others have said, this was stated by my surgery as being a cost-cutting measure).
I'm all for saving the NHS some money where possible, but I have to say I'm really not happy with these new needles.

Issues so far have been:
  • Poor compatibility: The first batch I received didn't fit my Novopen 4 correctly because the little plastic cap that covers the needle was too long, so it prevented the pen lid from clicking closed. That was mildly irritating. In fairness it hasn't been an issue since the 2nd batch.
  • Bent needle shafts or (worse) bent needle tips (fresh out of the wrapper) which struggle to puncture the skin and hurt like hell.
  • Blocked needle shaft (which I just experienced, prompting this post).
  • Worst of all: an extremely weak needle shaft caused a needle to bend and snap off at the half-way point while still in my thigh! I had to pull it out with tweezers. This was very concerning because I almost didn't notice it happen and could have easily unwittingly left the needle remnant buried under my skin.
So yeah, I'd be interested to see if any of you stuck with the Tricare needles and what your experiences have been?
Click to expand...
That’s worrying me I am going back on my pens for my trip to Thailand beginning of feb they have given me nova rapid flex pen and using my old novo pen 4 will these tricare needles fit both of these?
 
Lorraine hunt said:
That’s worrying me I am going back on my pens for my trip to Thailand beginning of feb they have given me nova rapid flex pen and using my old novo pen 4 will these tricare needles fit both of these?
Click to expand...
Yes, according to the interweb.

Tricare needles cost around £7 for 100, BD Ultrafine around £15 for 100. My Ypsomed needles are around £23 for 100. If I were switched to Tricare I would be using 120 or so in a month. Using Ypsomed, about twenty or less. You do the maths- the CCGs don’t.
 
How have you got on?
 
sparklestar said:
i received a letter from the doctors today saying they are switching my usual BD Microfine 4mm needles to tricare needles. I have never heard of tricare needles (and I work at a GP surgery and regularly issue repeat prescriptions!) so just wondering if anyone had used both the Microfine and tricare and if you noticed any differences?

Claire x
Click to expand...
ive been using tricare needles for a while now 5mm and find them just as good as bd microfine
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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