If you happen to stay with insulin-dependent diabetes and handle your blood sugars with an insulin pen or syringe, you’re almost definitely taking 2 or extra insulin photographs a day.
That’s a minimal of 730 instances a 12 months 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 individuals dwelling with diabetes. That’s 2,555 injections a 12 months!
I don’t thoughts and it doesn’t damage. However one of many most important causes it doesn’t damage is that I exploit the precise needle, the precise injection method, and I alter my needles often.
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 be 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 so to inject the medicine.
Frequent forms of pen needles embrace commonplace pen needles and security pen needles, with most individuals utilizing a normal pen needle.
You possibly can watch this 1-minute video to see precisely what a pen needle is:
A regular pen needle has an outer cowl and a detachable inside needle cowl. Each should be eliminated earlier than insulin flows.
Sadly, on account of poor coaching, not everybody has been taught that you should take away each covers. In line with the FDA, this has led to individuals ending up with severely elevated blood sugars and even hospitalizations. So bear in mind to take away each covers and visually be sure that insulin is flowing.
The protection needle is just a little completely different. It has an outer cowl that’s eliminated earlier than injections, however the inside cowl isn’t eliminated. Once you push the protection needle into your pores and skin, the inside cowl slides again to disclose the needle.
As a result of the inside cowl isn’t eliminated, it protects you towards by accident poking your self with the needle.
This sort of needle is right when you’re terrified of needles (as you’ll by no means see the precise needle) or if there’s a concern that you simply’ll by accident poke your self with the needle.
Pen needle sizes
Insulin pen needles can be found in numerous sizes from 4 mm to 12.7 mm in size (5/32 inch to ½ inch).
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Usually, the medical neighborhood leans in direction of the usage of shorter needles, however you in the end must 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 affect your want to take your injections as prescribed.
If that’s the case, please attain out to your physician and request a unique needle, or when 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 have you learnt what dimension insulin needle to make use of?
Insulin and GLP-1s should be injected subcutaneously (into the fats between your pores and skin and your muscle) so it’s best to select a needle that permits you to do 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 sorts.
The Worldwide Scientific Advisory Board states that there is no such thing as a medical motive 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 a substitute of the fatty tissue, absorption might be too speedy which may result in low blood sugars.
Though shorter needles are usually beneficial, there are particular circumstances the place an extended needle could also be a greater possibility.
For instance, it’s possible you’ll profit from utilizing an extended needle If in case you have coordination challenges from circumstances comparable to 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 29 G to 32 G, and the upper the gauge, the thinner the needle.
The pen needle thickness is especially related when you inject a considerable amount of insulin at a time, as you may want a needle with a decrease gauge that can permit extra insulin to stream by quicker.
When to pinch the pores and skin
There are other ways of efficiently doing a subcutaneous injection and the precise method 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. Meaning you don’t must pinch the pores and skin, and you are able to do the injection one-handed when you like. This may be sensible when you’re injecting into the arm, decrease again, or glutes.
Youngsters from 2 to six years outdated or extraordinarily lean adults might have to make use of a pinch-up method 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 considerations associated to shorter needles?
Some individuals have raised the priority that quick needles will result in leakage (insulin not being absolutely injected) or that they aren’t appropriate for individuals with bigger our bodies.
That concern has been debunked and analysis has proven that shorter needles work for many physique sorts, with no further leakage.
However when you really feel extra snug utilizing an extended needle, then it’s best to completely do this.
How you can get your pen needles or syringes
You would possibly surprise if you should purchase pen needles over-the-counter, and the quick reply is that it relies upon.
In the USA, prescription guidelines differ from state to state and in some states, you don’t want a prescription to purchase pen needles.
Nevertheless, when you use your insurance coverage to pay on your needles, they may require a prescription. Attain out to your insurance coverage firm to study when you want a prescription and in that case, how a lot your co-pay is.
There are additionally choices to purchase pen needles on-line with out 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 a prescription:
How to decide on the precise insulin syringe?
Utilizing a syringe on your insulin injections continues to be probably the most extensively used manner of delivering insulin in the USA.
A syringe is a hole plastic tube with a plunger inside and a brief skinny needle connected. It’s important to use the syringe to attract the insulin out of a vial after which inject it.
You wish to select the precise syringe for the kind of insulin that you simply use, and the very first thing to examine 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 Models/mL and indicated as U-100, U-200, or U-500.
Be sure that your syringe matches your insulin focus otherwise you would possibly find yourself injecting the unsuitable quantity of insulin.
Secondly, you wish to select the syringe dimension that’s acceptable for you. If you happen to use giant quantities of insulin at a time, you’ll wish 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 beneath 30 models of insulin and are numbered at 1-unit intervals.
- 0.5 mL syringes are for doses of 30 to 50 models of insulin and are numbered at 1-unit intervals.
- 1.0 mL syringes are for doses of greater than 50 models of insulin and are numbered at 2-units intervals.
Lastly, you wish to take into account which dimension needle is acceptable for you. Simply as with pen needles, shorter needles sizes are usually beneficial.
You will 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 essential, however injections will probably be extra snug with much less threat of ache or leakage when you additionally bear in mind to:
- Change needle each time.
- Select the precise injection web site and rotate your websites.
- Don’t jab the needle in
- Maintain it in for five to 10 seconds to scale back the danger of leakage.
If you happen to select the precise needle dimension and observe good injection practices, injecting insulin ought to hardly ever be painful. When you find yourself carried out together with your pen needle or syringe, please bear in mind to eliminate them safely.
