Sanofi Aventis insulin pens

[pmailkeey]

Perhaps this is a good point to throw in some info from my engineering background !

When attaching needles to the pens to treat the process as precise engineering and get the pen and needle perfectly aligned before screwing it on. This will avoid damaging the part of the needle that pierces into the pen cartridge and avoid getting the thread crossed.

 

[trophywench]

Good God! may be OK if you have an engineering background AND have rock steady hands all 5 times you attach a pen needle every single day of your life but if you're 7 or 87, perhaps not! My husband is a retired engineer and still pretty ****-on with all things mechanical and electrical - but at 73 - his close eyesight, simply ain't!

 

[Robin]

Good God! may be OK if you have an engineering background AND have rock steady hands all 5 times you attach a pen needle every single day of your life but if you're 7 or 87, perhaps not! My husband is a retired engineer and still pretty ****-on with all things mechanical and electrical - but at 73 - his close eyesight, simply ain't!

...and if you’re my son, who is a Chartered Engineer, and still has to get his Mum to help him build his self assembly furniture because his fine motor control is about the level of permanently wearing boxing gloves, you’d have no chance!

 

[Lucyr]

I used an Autopen 24 for my Lantus quite successfully until a new DSN said rather sniffily that it was "very old-fashioned", and prescribed a Sanofi Allstar Pro. However, Boots could never manage to obtain one so I reverted to my Autopen, though it was admittedly a bit clunky and only did 2x units. Out of curiosity I got an Allstar Pro off Ebay. It honestly isn't that much better, although it does at least dispense in 1x units. It feels plasticy and flimsy and the mechanism seems stiff, but I have to say I have no reason to believe it isn't dispensing the right amount. But at the risk of being boring - yes, airshot EVERY time!

The sanofi junior star is about a million times nicer than their other all star click star whatever pens. Though the rewind mechanism is a bit of a slow process unwinding it all the way back.

 

[pmailkeey]

Jenny & Robin - a big thumbs up to you both !

Here's a possible answer for you - use refillable pens ! (E.G. CLICKSTAR - which comes with a useful plastic case)

The end of the pen that holds the cartridge unclips so you can replace the cartridge. After your dose, remove the needle as normal. Then remove the cartridge and store in the USEFUL plastic case and reassemble the pen. For the next dose, attach the needle easily as normal just onto the thread - STRAIGHT ! then dismantle the pen to reinsert the cartridge (the right way round !) and the needle will pierce the seal perfectly straight !

Is this too complicated ?

 

[Robin]

Jenny & Robin - a big thumbs up to you both !

Here's a possible answer for you - use refillable pens ! (E.G. CLICKSTAR - which comes with a useful plastic case)

The end of the pen that holds the cartridge unclips so you can replace the cartridge. After your dose, remove the needle as normal. Then remove the cartridge and store in the USEFUL plastic case and reassemble the pen. For the next dose, attach the needle easily as normal just onto the thread - STRAIGHT ! then dismantle the pen to reinsert the cartridge (the right way round !) and the needle will pierce the seal perfectly straight !

Is this too complicated ?

Seems an awful lot of a palaver, when in fact what happens is, I start screwing the needle in, feel it’s not engaged the thread cleanly, give it a half twist in the opposite direction, and then proceed as normal and find it screws on cleanly.🙂 I do a lot of sewing, and it’s similar to threading a needle. If you miss the eye, you just backtrack and try again.
Edit: In the interests of scientific experiment, I just tried your method, and it won’t work, at least not on my Novopen Echo. The thread that the needle screws into is on the cartridge, not the pen.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I reverted to my Autopen, though it was admittedly a bit clunky and only did 2x units.

There are autopens that do 1u increments. I think it’s the green ones that are 1u and the blue ones that are 2u.

Never my favourite type of pen though. Those springs were always a bit ferocious!

 

[JJay]

There are autopens that do 1u increments. I think it’s the green ones that are 1u and the blue ones that are 2u.

Never my favourite type of pen though. Those springs were always a bit ferocious!

Yes! They're my "spare spares" now!

 

[Robert459]

Definitely perform airshot every time. Why wouldn't you? It clears any air from the system and lets you see that insulin comes out the needle

 

[trophywench]

... and I use a pump although my GP point blank refuses to allow me to have re-usable pen insulin cartridges to keep as spares for when something goes awry and I need to inject with a pen - and insists on only prescribing ONE Flexpen at a time. He's never been able to grasp that you can fill a pump reservoir from a cartridge which has never been in a pen ...........

 

[pmailkeey]

Definitely perform airshot every time. Why wouldn't you? It clears any air from the system and lets you see that insulin comes out the needle

I have no difficulty seeing the solution on the needle tip with out an 'airshot'. If I don't see any, a little pressure on the button usually encourages a bead to appear.

 

[pmailkeey]

... and I use a pump although my GP point blank refuses to allow me to have re-usable pen insulin cartridges to keep as spares for when something goes awry and I need to inject with a pen - and insists on only prescribing ONE Flexpen at a time. He's never been able to grasp that you can fill a pump reservoir from a cartridge which has never been in a pen ...........

I have no objection to using refillables but that does leave me with the problem if the pen fails. Having 1 or more pens as an emergency source for a year - then use them and get a new set of backup pens would solve that one - so that your backup pens never go out of date.

 

[Lucyr]

I have no objection to using refillables but that does leave me with the problem if the pen fails. Having 1 or more pens as an emergency source for a year - then use them and get a new set of backup pens would solve that one - so that your backup pens never go out of date.

From experience, the hospital keep spare pens and if your pen and your spare pen are both broken then a quick call to the diabetes department and they will leave you a new one at reception, or a call to the GP can get emergency disposable ones (i should probably learn from these past experiences and check my spare works)

 

[trophywench]

I know mine works - needed to use it last night.

 

[JJay]

I have spare pens. And spare spare pens. (And as I discovered today, spare spare spare pens: 2 Autopens I'd completely forgotten about but still functioning if absolutely necessary) Why use disposable (waste) plastic when I have plenty of it in the house?!

 

[pmailkeey]

From experience, the hospital keep spare pens and if your pen and your spare pen are both broken then a quick call to the diabetes department and they will leave you a new one at reception, or a call to the GP can get emergency disposable ones (i should probably learn from these past experiences and check my spare works)

It sounds like you live in a civilised world. I don't.

Have you got a good GP ?

 

[Lucyr]

It sounds like you live in a civilised world. I don't.

Have you got a good GP ?

I haven’t spoken to my GP in years, an emergency prescription is a phone call to the receptionist for me and doesn’t need an appointment.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I only ever used reusable pens when on MDI, one at a time. I always felt more comfortable with the solidity of a pen that was built to last 🙂 I never had a failure in more or less 20 years, and didn’t keep spares (perhaps a little reckless in hindsight?)

My fallback plan for pump failure is syringes. I can use the vials that I fill the reservoirs with... or even draw it up out of my ‘in use’ reservoir - though that would be trickier on the tSlim.

 

[Gulshankim]

...and if you’re my son, who is a Chartered Engineer, and still has to get his Mum to help him build his self assembly furniture because his fine motor control is about the level of permanently wearing boxing gloves, you’d have no chance!

It's really hurt touching....