Injex Needle free injector (Diabetic Tat alert)

[Marc]

I have just been followed by Injex on twitter @noneedleinsulin their website is http://www.injexuk.com. Basically from what it looks like it is similar to how they used to give injections on Star Trek with compressed air so no need for a needle. Anyone heard of this before or using it?

Marc

 

[Medusa]

had not heard of it until now.... says available on nhs..... not to the masses i should think.....

 

[Northerner]

I have heard of this or similar before. I guess it is a technology that they are trying to refine as it hasn't caught on in the past.

 

[redrevis]

I did try getting one of these shortly after first being diagnosed, but it took so long I got used to the 4mm needles and decided to stick with them.

There's lots more info on it here

 

[Robster65]

I remember the prototype being bandied about on tomorrow's world about 20+ years ago I think.

Not sure it comes without problems though.

Rob

 

[robert@fm]

Not sure it comes without problems though.

For a start, how would it avoid an air embolism?

 

[Naomi]

I have just been followed by Injex on twitter @noneedleinsulin their website is http://www.injexuk.com. Basically from what it looks like it is similar to how they used to give injections on Star Trek with compressed air so no need for a needle. Anyone heard of this before or using it?

Marc

Hi Marc-I am using this system as I have a severe needle phobia which so far years of therapy has still not managed to overcome. It’s a fairly good system once I got used to it. Naomi

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Hi Marc-I am using this system as I have a severe needle phobia which so far years of therapy has still not managed to overcome. It’s a fairly good system once I got used to it. Naomi

Does the company still exist? Oh, it doesn't. Company status is dissolved, 4 June 2019.

I can see it used to: it's linked on their twitter profile, but the web site looks dead and the twitter handle hasn't done anything for years. If I were using the system I'd be looking for alternatives, to be honest.

 

[Naomi]

Yes-I am hoping I may still be able to source relevant components from elsewhere for the moment but am always looking for alternatives. If anyone knows of any please let me know. I hate change so usually leave it until I have no alternative but options seem to be few. I used the Diapen imported from Switzerland for around 30 years which I could cope with as the needles were hidden and only involved the click of a button to administer but they went out of production a few years ago when I switched to the Injex

 

[Inka]

@Naomi I have a needle phobia and still struggle with it sometimes. I found therapy useless and it was sheer force of will that helped me. I’ve never used the covered needles apart from for a non-diabetic medication but could you use the Autoshield ones? I think there’s another one too - Novofine Autocover.

The reason I didn’t use them was at the beginning they just made it worse in a way, and then there was a fuss about getting them. However, I think @TheClockworkDodo might use them?

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

@Naomi as @Inka says I use covered needles, I wouldn't be able to inject myself otherwise as I'm far too needle-phobic.

I tried both BD Autoshield and Novofine Autocover and I prefered the Novofine Autocover. The Autoshield ones actually cover the needle more completely, which I imagine some people will prefer, but I didn't like them because it's much more difficult to work out exactly which bit of your skin you're about to inject with them as they have quite big opaque ends. The Autocover still cover the needle but the end is clear so you can see exactly where (on you) you're about to inject, even though you can't see the needle itself unless you look really carefully (I don't!).

In both cases, it's not so much like having to give yourself an injection as it is like pushing the end of a biro against your skin. I would never have believed it before I was diabetic, but I've now given myself thousands of injections with no trouble at all, in fact I'd happily give myself an extra one in order to be able to eat a piece of cake, and am thinking of changing my basal insulin to one I'd have to inject twice a day instead of once a day.