How do I use my insulin cartridges? What pens do I need?

[jasmine]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the warm welcome last week. I was diagnosed T1 a week ago, and was sent home with a Novorapid Flexpen and Lantus Solostar pen. Just filled my insulin prescription today and I’ve been given Novorapid penfill cartridges and Lantus cartridges, but nothing to put them in? As far as I can see online, my pens from the hospital are both disposable.

When I sent over my prescription, I specifically asked my GP for compatible pens to put the cartridges in, but he ignored me. (He’s also gotten my glucose strips and ketone strips prescription wrong TWICE, so I still don’t have those after a week of waiting and multiple calls, ended up buying some online, I’m sort of at my wit’s end with him).

I checked the Lantus box to see if I could just buy a pen myself, and it looks like a lot of the pens the cartridges are compatible with have recently been discontinued in the UK? Am I missing something? I only have about a week’s worth left in my disposable Novo pen. I’m worried my GP will mess this up as well, or ignore me again, and I’ll run out. Any advice would be helpful, or the names of the pens I need to get ahold of!

Thank you!! xx

 

[leonS]

Contact the presciber, ask why the change to refillable pens. If intrnded then pens must be provided.

You will need pen needles too!

 

[mashedupmatt]

It's the disposable pens that are in short supply - if you have the cartridges prescribed you need the pens that are compatible with them - ask for Novopen Echo Plus pens as they also have half units (very useful when early diagnosed) - speak to the Diabetes Centre rather than the GP and they should sort it relatively quickly

 

[Robin]

The Novopen Echo will fit the Novorapid cartridges, but you need a different one for compatibility with the Lantus cartridge. It used to be the Allstar, I think, but maybe now the Clikstar, and the juniorstar for one that does half units. Your Diabetes centre should tell you.

 

[Lucyr]

Juniorstar is best for Lantus, unless you’re on a dose over 30u. You’ll need to specify if you want a blue red or silver one

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the warm welcome last week. I was diagnosed T1 a week ago, and was sent home with a Novorapid Flexpen and Lantus Solostar pen. Just filled my insulin prescription today and I’ve been given Novorapid penfill cartridges and Lantus cartridges, but nothing to put them in? As far as I can see online, my pens from the hospital are both disposable.

When I sent over my prescription, I specifically asked my GP for compatible pens to put the cartridges in, but he ignored me. (He’s also gotten my glucose strips and ketone strips prescription wrong TWICE, so I still don’t have those after a week of waiting and multiple calls, ended up buying some online, I’m sort of at my wit’s end with him).

I checked the Lantus box to see if I could just buy a pen myself, and it looks like a lot of the pens the cartridges are compatible with have recently been discontinued in the UK? Am I missing something? I only have about a week’s worth left in my disposable Novo pen. I’m worried my GP will mess this up as well, or ignore me again, and I’ll run out. Any advice would be helpful, or the names of the pens I need to get ahold of!

Thank you!! xx

Cartriges from the insulin prescribed. Novopen for Novorapid. & something like a Sanofi Allstar pro for Lantus. You can’t fit Novorapid in a Lantus pen & visa versa.

 

[JJay]

Sanofi Allstar Pro pens are well nigh impossible to find. I’m no longer using Lantus, but when I did, Boots could never source one and all Google results ended in “out of stock”. I eventually found one on eBay, but to be honest, the quality of materials and manufacture was far inferior to Novo pens and it wasn’t long before it started to jam. I reverted to my old Autopen, not pretty and not clever, but reliable. Unfortunately they were discontinued in December 2024, but a quick Google suggests they can still be purchased from various suppliers. Don’t know about getting them prescribed though.

Hope this helps

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Do you have contact details for your hospital clinic’s DSNs @jasmine?

They may very well have a cupboard of goodies they can raid, which would usually include various pens.

In an emergency you can also get hypodermic syringes, though you’d need someone to show you how to use those as there’s more of a knack than the pens.

 

[jasmine]

Do you have contact details for your hospital clinic’s DSNs @jasmine?

They may very well have a cupboard of goodies they can raid, which would usually include various pens.

In an emergency you can also get hypodermic syringes, though you’d need someone to show you how to use those as there’s more of a knack than the pens.

Yes, I called the diabetes clinic, they were unfortunately very unhelpful (and quite rude). Said only my GP could help me get pens. I said a) I already asked him to and he ignored me, and b) he probably has no idea what pens to prescribe, but they wouldn't tell me what I needed and just said he needed to call them. I'm pretty concerned that he won't do that particularly quickly, he's honestly been a bit useless so far.

I'll look into if I can buy the pens recommended above myself.

 

[Leadinglights]

Yes, I called the diabetes clinic, they were unfortunately very unhelpful (and quite rude). Said only my GP could help me get pens. I said a) I already asked him to and he ignored me, and b) he probably has no idea what pens to prescribe, but they wouldn't tell me what I needed and just said he needed to call them. I'm pretty concerned that he won't do that particularly quickly, he's honestly been a bit useless so far.

I'll look into if I can buy the pens recommended above myself.

There is no way you should have to do this.
You could ring the DUK helpline for advice as to how to progress your request with your GP.
This is a very basic requirement and you should not be left in the lurch by either the clinic or your GP.

You could complain through the PALS system, the contact details should be available on the hospital website.

 

[Sally71]

You could try to contact the GP practice manager. You have been given a life-sustaining medication in a form that’s impossible for you to use, and the GP doesn’t seem interested in providing the means for you to use it. Which in effect is the same as not giving you the insulin in the first place, and I believe that withholding such medication is illegal (not to mention morally completely wrong!)

 

[rebrascora]

The way it should happen I believe is that the diabetes clinic staff (DSN or consultant) should send a letter to the GP advising them of all your prescription needs and they should supply you with enough medication until that letter has time to be processed. GPs really have no idea about items like this and it is a waste of resources if they prescribe the wrong items, because the pharmacy cannot accept returns of any medication or equipment once it has left their premises, even if it is still sealed.
It really is shocking and unacceptable that the DSN was not only unhelpful but rude to you. It is not your fault that you have been left in this situation and they should be putting it right not treating you like piggy in the middle. I know you will not want to do it, but I think you need to ring the clinic again and hope you get someone more helpful and if not, tell them you intend to make a formal complaint.

I actually purchased a NovoPen Echo off ebay a few years ago because I didn't have a spare, so I know that it is possible, but they are about £40 each so not cheap. They are really great pens though!

 

[jasmine]

The way it should happen I believe is that the diabetes clinic staff (DSN or consultant) should send a letter to the GP advising them of all your prescription needs and they should supply you with enough medication until that letter has time to be processed. GPs really have no idea about items like this and it is a waste of resources if they prescribe the wrong items, because the pharmacy cannot accept returns of any medication or equipment once it has left their premises, even if it is still sealed.
It really is shocking and unacceptable that the DSN was not only unhelpful but rude to you. It is not your fault that you have been left in this situation and they should be putting it right not treating you like piggy in the middle. I know you will not want to do it, but I think you need to ring the clinic again and hope you get someone more helpful and if not, tell them you intend to make a formal complaint.

I actually purchased a NovoPen Echo off ebay a few years ago because I didn't have a spare, so I know that it is possible, but they are about £40 each so not cheap. They are really great pens though!

Yes, the GP has twice prescribed me now rounds of glucose strips and ketone strips which don’t work with my monitor. I’ve messaged him, called to correct it, even gone to the reception in person with a highlighted list to insist that I need a specific brand. Still don’t have a correct prescription sent to my pharmacy a week after discharge, I ended up having to order them online because I ran out days ago. So I don’t really trust him to move fast/prescribe me the right thing.

The diabetes clinic did give me a letter to pass onto him of things I needed prescribed, but they only listed cartridges and no pens, so I'm assuming he has no idea what pen to prescribe, or thinks I don't actually need one. So I guess it's the clinic's fault too

My dad called the diabetes clinic for me and was a bit firm with them lol, and they said they’d call me back today, so hopefully they’ll be able to help me out! Honestly, I'm mostly just upset that it's so hard for me to get my medication, I'm still struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis and it feels like no one really wants to help me at the moment. But hopefully the clinic will ring back and help me sort it out! If not then yes I can threaten to complain

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Yes, the GP has twice prescribed me now rounds of glucose strips and ketone strips which don’t work with my monitor. I’ve messaged him, called to correct it, even gone to the reception in person with a highlighted list to insist that I need a specific brand.

If your GP surgery has a practice pharmacist, it might be worth trying to try to talk to them rather than a GP.

 

[Lucyr]

Said only my GP could help me get pens. I said a) I already asked him to and he ignored me, and b) he probably has no idea what pens to prescribe, but they wouldn't tell me what I needed and just said he needed to call them. I'm pretty concerned that he won't do that particularly quickly, he's honestly been a bit useless so far.

You don’t need to ask the GP to call them. People here have told you which pens, just tell the GP you need those

 

[Proud to be erratic]

If your GP surgery has a practice pharmacist, it might be worth trying to try to talk to them rather than a GP.

Actually, I think all GP Surgeries must now have a Practice Pharmacist, in accord with NHS Guidance or Direction. That person may not be on the premises and may not be a Dispensing agency, but could be outsourced. However that person will behave as if part of the Surgery team.

They are there for 2 or 3 reasons:
1. To provide all GPs with suitable advice on an increasingly complicated mix of medications.

2. Usually to conduct annual medication reviews with patients to make sure that what is being provided is actually needed. This should help with reducing waste of medications as well as being a semi-independent sanity check.

3. To generally take some workload away from GPs. This has been actively encouraged by the Dep't of Health and the NHS in recent years.

I found if I asked Reception for that person's name and a cintact phone no, they tend to not provide a phone number but will pass a message to that person asking them to call me. So far this has worked well, although most recently I found there was an "in-between" office in the Surgery itself, which did some quizzing, before getting the expert themselves to contact me; that person phoned on a withheld number, but confirmed they were definitely calling as part of the Surgery Team. Our Surgery is a massive Medical Centre, serving a town of c.65k people and has recently taken over one of the 3 alternative independent GP Surgeries associated with our town.

I certainly think you could make progress by talking with the in-house Pharmacist and ours seems to have the authority to unilaterally make minor changes etc on my repeat prescriptions.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I certainly think you could make progress by talking with the in-house Pharmacist and ours seems to have the authority to unilaterally make minor changes etc on my repeat prescriptions.

Yes, and I suspect they're more willing (and likely better equipped) to spend a few minutes checking their computer to make sure the prescriptions make sense.

 

[helli]

Actually, I think all GP Surgeries must now have a Practice Pharmacist, in accord with NHS Guidance or Direction.

At my surgery, this person is called a Prescribing Pharmacist.
She does not dispense anything but, as you say, she knows the items that are prescribed.
I have spoken to mine a few times when some things have "magically" disappeared from my repeat prescription because I haven't ordered them often enough. For example, she instantly understood why I need long acting insulin as a back up to my pump and returned it to my script.
Although I would expect her to be most helpful with something like a reusable pen, in my surgery, she works part time and seems to have quite a backlog so it can be challenging to speak to her. I had to wait about 2 weeks to get my Lantus back on my script but it wasn't urgent.
I certainly see no harm in trying to speak to a prescribing/practice pharmacist but I just wanted to add the caveat that they may not be available.

 

[jasmine]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I sent a list of exactly what I need to my GP surgery and they said they've passed it onto the prescribing pharmacist, they say it should be ready soon. Fingers crossed!!

 

[HayleyR]

Hi @jasmine I can't believe you've had all this hassle just trying to get everything you need😡 - I do hope the prescribing pharmacist sorts it all out for you 🙂