How to Choose the Right Insulin Pen Needle or Syringe

If you happen to dwell with insulin-dependent diabetes and handle your blood sugars with an insulin pen or syringe, you’re more than likely taking 2 or extra insulin photographs a day.

That’s a minimal of 730 instances a yr that you simply’re piercing your pores and skin with a needle to do an injection.

I do much more than 2 injections a day. I’m nearer to 7 doses a day, which isn’t uncommon for folks dwelling with diabetes. That’s 2,555 injections a yr!

I don’t thoughts and it doesn’t harm. However one of many most important causes it doesn’t harm is that I exploit the proper needle, the proper injection approach, and I alter my needles incessantly.

On this article, you’ll learn to select the needle or syringe dimension that’s best for you to attenuate ache, keep away from scar tissue buildup, and make sure that a full dose is acquired each time you inject.

What’s a pen needle?

Pen needles are needles that you simply connect to a prefilled or sturdy pen with the intention to inject the treatment.

Frequent forms of pen needles embody normal pen needles and security pen needles, with most individuals utilizing a normal pen needle.

You’ll be able to watch this 1-minute video to see precisely what a pen needle is:

A typical pen needle has an outer cowl and a detachable interior needle cowl. Each have to be eliminated earlier than insulin flows.

Sadly, on account of poor coaching, not everybody has been taught that it’s essential take away each covers. In accordance with the FDA, this has led to folks ending up with severely elevated blood sugars and even hospitalizations. So keep in mind to take away each covers and visually make sure that insulin is flowing.

The security needle is somewhat completely different. It has an outer cowl that’s eliminated earlier than injections, however the interior cowl isn’t eliminated. While you push the security needle into your pores and skin, the interior cowl slides again to disclose the needle.

As a result of the interior cowl isn’t eliminated, it protects you in opposition to by chance poking your self with the needle.

Such a needle is good in case you’re fearful of needles (as you’ll by no means see the precise needle) or if there’s a concern that you simply’ll by chance poke your self with the needle.

Pen needle sizes

Insulin pen needles can be found in several sizes from 4 mm to 12.7 mm in size (5/32 inch to ½ inch).

Supply: https://www.bd.com/useful resource.aspx?IDX=26507

Usually, the medical neighborhood leans in the direction of the usage of shorter needles, however you in the end have to determine which needle dimension is best for you.

Being prescribed an extended needle could make that preliminary insulin injection considerably daunting and would possibly even influence your want to take your injections as prescribed.

If that’s the case, please attain out to your physician and request a special needle, or in case you’re in a state that doesn’t require a prescription (extra on that later), buy a dimension that fits you on-line or at your native pharmacy.

How are you aware what dimension insulin needle to make use of?

Insulin and GLP-1s have to be injected subcutaneously (into the fats between your pores and skin and your muscle) so you must select a needle that means that you can try this the best.

On common, human pores and skin is 1.9–2.4 mm thick no matter physique dimension, gender, ethnicity, and BMI. Because of this a brief 4- or 5-mm needle must be efficient for all physique varieties.

The Worldwide Scientific Advisory Board states that there isn’t a medical cause to suggest a needle size longer than 8 mm. The board recommends 4-, 5-, and 6-mm needles for all grownup sufferers no matter their BMI.

That doesn’t imply you may’t use an extended needle, however utilizing an extended needle can improve the probabilities of bruising, bleeding, and ache.

When utilizing an extended needle, you additionally threat injecting your insulin into the muscle (referred to as an intramuscular shot). If insulin is injected into the muscle as an alternative of the fatty tissue, absorption might be too speedy which might result in low blood sugars.

Though shorter needles are usually really useful, there are particular circumstances the place an extended needle could also be a greater choice.

For instance, chances are you’ll profit from utilizing an extended needle When you’ve got coordination challenges from situations reminiscent of arthritis or Parkinson’s illness. 

Needle thickness – What’s the deal?

Needle thickness is measured in gauge (G) somewhat than millimeters or inches. Pen needles are available in 29 G to 32 G, and the upper the gauge, the thinner the needle.

The pen needle thickness is especially related in case you inject a considerable amount of insulin at a time, as you may want a needle with a decrease gauge that can enable extra insulin to movement by way of sooner.

When to pinch the pores and skin

There are other ways of efficiently doing a subcutaneous injection and the proper approach comes all the way down to what size of needle you select.

In case your needle is 4 mm or 5 mm, you are able to do the injection at a 90-degree angle. Which means you don’t have to pinch the pores and skin, and you are able to do the injection one-handed in case you like. This may be sensible in case you’re injecting into the arm, decrease again, or glutes.

Kids from 2 to six years outdated or extraordinarily lean adults may have to make use of a pinch-up approach no matter needle size.

If you happen to go for a needle longer than 5 mm, you’ll want to do the injection with a pinched-up skinfold or a 45-degree angle to keep away from intramuscular injection of insulin.

What about leakage issues associated to shorter needles?

Some folks have raised the priority that brief needles will result in leakage (insulin not being absolutely injected) or that they aren’t appropriate for folks with bigger our bodies.

That concern has been debunked and analysis has proven that shorter needles work for many physique varieties, with no further leakage.

However in case you really feel extra comfy utilizing an extended needle, then you must completely try this.

The way to get your pen needles or syringes

You would possibly marvel if you should buy pen needles over-the-counter, and the brief reply is that it relies upon.

In america, prescription guidelines differ from state to state and in some states, you don’t want a prescription to purchase pen needles.

Nevertheless, in case you use your insurance coverage to pay to your needles, they may require a prescription. Attain out to your insurance coverage firm to be taught in case you want a prescription and if that’s the case, how a lot your co-pay is.

There are additionally choices to purchase pen needles on-line and not using a prescription, however which answer is most cost-effective for you’ll rely in your insurance coverage.

Manufacturers providing pen needles both on-line or by way of a prescription:

How to decide on the proper insulin syringe?

Utilizing a syringe to your insulin injections continues to be essentially the most broadly used means of delivering insulin in america.

A syringe is a hole plastic tube with a plunger inside and a brief skinny needle hooked up. You must use the syringe to attract the insulin out of a vial after which inject it.

You need to select the proper syringe for the kind of insulin that you simply use, and the very first thing to test is that if the focus of your insulin matches the syringe.

It’s indicated on the syringe (in addition to on the packaging) what insulin focus the syringe is for. Insulin focus is measured in Items/mL and indicated as U-100, U-200, or U-500.

Be certain that your syringe matches your insulin focus otherwise you would possibly find yourself injecting the mistaken quantity of insulin.

Secondly, you need to select the syringe dimension that’s applicable for you. If you happen to use massive quantities of insulin at a time, you’ll need to select a bigger syringe so that you simply don’t have to chop your doses up in smaller quantities.

• 0.3 mL syringes are for doses underneath 30 items of insulin and are numbered at 1-unit intervals.
• 0.5 mL syringes are for doses of 30 to 50 items of insulin and are numbered at 1-unit intervals.
• 1.0 mL syringes are for doses of greater than 50 items of insulin and are numbered at 2-units intervals.

Lastly, you need to take into account which dimension needle is acceptable for you. Simply as with pen needles, shorter needles sizes are usually really useful.

You may get syringes with needles so long as 12.7 mm (1/2”) lengthy however the shortest syringe needle size obtainable is 6 mm (15/64”) x 31G.

Good injection follows

Selecting the needle or syringe that works for you is necessary, however injections shall be extra comfy with much less threat of ache or leakage in case you additionally keep in mind to:

1. Change needle each time.
2. Select the proper injection web site and rotate your websites.
3. Don’t jab the needle in
4. Maintain it in for 5-8 sec to scale back the danger of leakage. 

If you happen to select the proper needle dimension and observe good injection practices, injecting insulin ought to hardly ever be painful. When you’re achieved along with your pen needle or syringe, please keep in mind to eliminate them safely.