Levemir Clogging Pen Needle Tips

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rebrascora said:
Are you saying that you use one needle a day and transfer it from your Levemir pen to your NR pen and then back to Levemir for your evening dose? For some reason I am less comfortable about doing that than using one new needle on my Levemir every 3 or 4 days and another on my Fiasp every 3-4 days. I don't know why I am concerned about swapping a needle back and forth. Perhaps the concern that the 2 insulins may contaminate or impact their performance in some way. Probably negligible risk but just feel less comfortable about it.
I wouldn't say there is a huge saving to the NHS but there is some saving and there is also a slight saving to the environment. A box of needles is probably about £8. If I use 4 needles a week I am going to use just over 200 a year. If I inject a minimum of 5 injections a day (generally I need several more) and use a new needle every time, I am up to 1825 needles a year minimum if I change it every time but more likely over 2000 with corrections etc, so a factor of 10 difference..... plus the extra Sharpsafe boxes plus disposal of them which will all cost someone money be it NHS or council.... I guess it mounts up quite a bit when you actually do the maths. My 1 litre Sharpsafe generally lasts 2-3 years.
Of course you have to also consider the risks of damaging your sites and perhaps even timescales involved in that. ie I was diagnosed late in life and will be unlikely to make it to 100, so not going to have 50 or 60 years injecting and the tiny modern needles are far less damaging than the old reusable needles that many long term diabetics started out using and modern insulins may well also be less damaging. If my fingers cope perfectly well with using the same lancet for a year without harm I am sure my injection sites can cope with reused needles and my experience to date demonstrates that it is OK for me, but I am not advocating others do it.
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Yes, I transfer between the two insulins. I never have any bruising due to the injections or any pain. I do have some lipohypertrophy but I can't believe it's due to using a 4mm needle multiple times but the normal effect of forcing fluid (insulin) into the flesh multiple times. I obviously rotate sites as far as I can.
 
othytim said:
My problem with Levemir is that I am forced to put a new needle on the pen immediately before I use it. I cannot plan ahead and put a fresh needle on in the morning that I'll then use in the evening, because it will be clogged up by then
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You shouldn’t be doing this for any insulin. You need to put the needle on directly before you use it. Just carry needles and insulin with you in a small pencil case or similar, you can put your BG meter and carbs in there too. You should already be carrying extra needles in case the one you put on in advance bends etc when taking the cap off or you accidentally drop it or whatever, so it’s nothing extra to carry.
 
DaveB said:
Yes, I transfer between the two insulins.
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I really wouldn’t do that, I’d be worried that injecting rapid acting insulin through a needle that has already been used for slow acting insulin could affect the way the fast acting insulin works
 
A modern development of insulin needles is the coating that allows this fine (large guage) sharp point to penetrative your skin with minimal tissue damage. Reusing needles negates this relatively expensive coating. One might think some saving is being created for the NHS, by reusing needles. But that potential saving is tiny in relation to the costs of needing to help / treat those suffering from lypohypertrophy and consequent irregular passing of insulin into our bodies. It really is a false economy to reuse needles.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
A modern development of insulin needles is the coating that allows this fine (large guage) sharp point to penetrative your skin with minimal tissue damage. Reusing needles negates this relatively expensive coating. One might think some saving is being created for the NHS, by reusing needles. But that potential saving is tiny in relation to the costs of needing to help / treat those suffering from lypohypertrophy and consequent irregular passing of insulin into our bodies. It really is a false economy to reuse needles.
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Hear blooming hear. Sorry I know the NHS are struggling but THIS IS FALSE ECONOMY AND YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL SUFFER NOT THE NHS!!!!!
 
Proud to be erratic said:
A modern development of insulin needles is the coating that allows this fine (large guage) sharp point to penetrative your skin with minimal tissue damage. Reusing needles negates this relatively expensive coating. One might think some saving is being created for the NHS, by reusing needles. But that potential saving is tiny in relation to the costs of needing to help / treat those suffering from lypohypertrophy and consequent irregular passing of insulin into our bodies. It really is a false economy to reuse needles.
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Whilst overusing same sites is main reason for lypohypertrophy reusing needles time & time again doesn't help matters either.

Have had issues with lypohypertrophy in early years due to repeatedly using same needle, it can make life more difficult & is totally unnecessary nowadays.
 
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