MDI what happens when you’re not sure you have enough insulin left in the cartridge to give a full dose?

[Leo]

If you go to inject and you find there isn’t enough to give a full dose does the pen let you know how many units you have missed? I’m sure this is a really basic question but tbh if I thought there might be less than I needed I binned the cartridge and put a new one in therefore wasting precious insulin?! I would very much appreciate all your thoughts on this and many thanks in advance x

 

[Robin]

If you go to inject and you find there isn’t enough to give a full dose does the pen let you know how many units you have missed? I’m sure this is a really basic question but tbh if I thought there might be less than I needed I binned the cartridge and put a new one in therefore wasting precious insulin?! I would very much appreciate all your thoughts on this and many thanks in advance x

The pen won’t let you dial up more units than are left in the cartridge. Say I’m going to inject 8 units of insulin, I start dialling up the dose, and if there are only 5 units left in the pen, the dial will stop at 5. So I then inject that 5, remember that i’m 3 units short, set up a new cartridge and dial up and inject 3 units.

 

[Leo]

Thank you Robin, you’re quick off the mark I only posted a minute ago! So I’m looking at a luxura pen for Lilly Abasaglar and the grey plunger is telling me I have less than 20 units left but it still allows me to dial the max 30 units?!

 

[Leo]

 

[Robin]

Thank you Robin, you’re quick off the mark I only posted a minute ago! So I’m looking at a luxura pen for Lilly Abasaglar and the grey plunger is telling me I have less than 20 units left but it still allows me to dial the max 30 units?!

Ah, sorry, it seems to work differently from my pens. See 3. in these instructions. You dial up your dose as usual and if there isn’t enough, it will stop at the number of units that you are short,

https://pi.lilly.com/us/HumaPen_Luxura_HD_um.pdf

So if you dial up, say, 20, and there are only 5 units left in the pen, it will stop at 15, showing you that you have received 5 units and you need 15 more units from a new cartridge.

 

[helli]

I am on a pump now so relying a little on memory to answer this.
My recollection is that the pen allows you to dial up your full dose but the dial will stop when the insulin runs out.
So, if I dialled up 30 units when only 20 were left, when I pressed the plunger, it would stop with 10 units left.
Due to the cartridge renewal mechanism, I had to remember these remaining 10 units, renew the cartridge, attach a new needle, do an air shot and then dial up the remaining 10 units to inject.

 

[Leo]

Ah, sorry, it seems to work differently from my pens. See 3. in these instructions. You dial up your dose as usual and if there isn’t enough, it will stop at the number of units that you are short,

https://pi.lilly.com/us/HumaPen_Luxura_HD_um.pdf

So if you dial up, say, 20, and there are only 5 units left in the pen, it will stop at 15, showing you that you have received 5 units and you need 15 more units from a new cartridge.

That makes absolute sense, I will try this with tomorrows dose. I hoped this was the case I just wasn’t sure and I’d hate to waste it! Thank you so much and happy Friday to you!

 

[Leo]

I am on a pump now so relying a little on memory to answer this.
My recollection is that the pen allows you to dial up your full dose but the dial will stop when the insulin runs out.
So, if I dialled up 30 units when only 20 were left, when I pressed the plunger, it would stop with 10 units left.
Due to the cartridge renewal mechanism, I had to remember these remaining 10 units, renew the cartridge, attach a new needle, do an air shot and then dial up the remaining 10 units to inject.

Thank you so much for replying, I will experiment with this for tomorrow’s dose! Kindest regards and have a great weekend! Thanks again x

 

[Leo]

@helli & @Robin.. many thanks you were absolutely correct! Thank you and have a great weekend x