needle size

[persephone]

Can anyone tell me how different sizes of needles affect your bodies use of insulin. Is there a better size to use. mine is 5mm.

 

[Ljc]

I find 4mm fine for me. Insulin doesn’t need to go into deeper fat layers nor should it go into muscle.

Are you having problems with your needles.

 

[persephone]

no problems I had just read something about larger needles can make the absorption of insulin is slower than with smaller needles cos they might go into the muscle. Im happy with mine. I just want to understand stuff better.

 

[Kaylz]

if you inject into a muscle it can be absorbed quicker and push you low before the carbs hit not make the absorption slower? xx

 

[KARNAK]

Hi @persephone, I use 5mm no problem.

 

[persephone]

Oh right thanks. I got it the wrong way around. I usually inject into my tummy. no chance of me hitting muscle, got lots of wibbily fat around there 😛

 

[SB2015]

I found the shorter needles hurt less and gave me fewer bruises, so I went down to the 4mm needles.

 

[nonethewiser]

4 or 5mm needles are fine, just don't angle the pen as you inject, this was the advice with older needles which were much longer then.

 

[Carlos]

I started with 8mm needless back in the dark ages (1994), then I think 6mm, 5 and now 4. Can't say I noticed a difference, other than the angle advice for the long ones.

 

[ukjohn]

Can anyone tell me how different sizes of needles affect your bodies use of insulin. Is there a better size to use. mine is 5mm.

Not sure the reason for the different sizes of needles, but for what it's worth, I have used 6mm needles for 13 years with no problems.

PS I love the picture of your bird.

John

 

[trophywench]

Well syringe needles were on average 12 or 13mm and if you were a bit skinny - remembering lots of babies and children get Type 1 so ARE skinny ribs - that was like injecting me with a knitting needle, thank the Lord they then sh ortened them to 6, 7 or 8mm. Then research was published that human skin, no matter what weight the human is, is on average 4 to 5mm deep from the outside down to where the interstitial fluid layer is, ie exactly where we need to inject our insulin into!

So they made 4 and 5mm needles and gradually started to automatically put us all on them. If we didn't like them for a valid reason then OK we can have longer ones. In this case the customer is always right providing their HbA1c agrees!

 

[Matt Cycle]

I started on 13mm syringes. Always had to pinch the flesh and then went onto 8mm pen needles and still used to pinch! Eventually went onto 4mm in the last 3 or so years which are barely visible. Can't say I noticed it made a right lot of difference in terms of insulin (it may have done) but was a lot easier on the body! Now on the pump and the cannula inserter needles are quite long.

From my collection and from the top - 13mm disposable syringe; 8mm pen needle; 4mm pen needle; cannula inserter.

 

[Carlos]

Actually, now that 12mm is mentioned, I think I may have used some 12mm pen needles for a short while just after diagnosis. Beckton Dickinson I think, with the Novo disposable pens.

 

[trophywench]

BD Plastipak rules LOL

Yep the insertion needles are ruddy long, but the pointy bit does have to stick out the end of the bendy Teflon cannula to get it in, in the first place otherwise there's no way anyone can get it in - but once you have it's immediately removed and binned. Every cannula for anything ever inserted into any vein or anywhere else of any animal human or otherwise worldwide is similar and there's an end to it! They all hurt if they hit a spot they're not supposed to whether it's a needle, an introducer needle or just that bendy bit of plastic - it's ideal cos it's instant proof that what's just being done is wrong - if the patient yells!

 

[DaveB]

My understanding is that 4mm is rapidly becoming the standard and that larger ones may not help in any real way but I guess it may depend on your weight and hence skin thickness

 

[HOBIE]

In the 60s I used to call them "Panel Pins" not needles because they where so big 😱. 4mm is a lot different 😉

 

[HOBIE]

They used to BEND in my Toughened skin on my arm.

 

[mikeyB]

I prefer 8mm. Long enough to get through pullover and shirt.🙂

Probably shouldn’t say that, it’ll frighten the purists.🙄

 

[Carlos]

I prefer 8mm. Long enough to get through pullover and shirt.🙂

Probably shouldn’t say that, it’ll frighten the purists.🙄

I've sometimes thought of doing that, but I am concerned I might get fibres from the fabric under my skin.

Have you ever had a reaction in the injection site that may be attributed to pushing the needle through the fabric?

 

[mikeyB]

Never in 23 years.