9/5 Chase AMPS:160,+1/172,+4/56,+4.5/99,PMPS:124,+1/160,+2/112,+4/107

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Sandi & Chase in AZ

Sandi & Chase in AZ

Member Since 2017
This is not a health emergency, but I need eyes on this question pretty quick, please.

Hello Fellow LL Peeps,

I haven't posted in about a week, but I've kept Chase's SS up to date. I have a really important question.

Chase's vial of Lantus expires at the end of this month. I used it way longer than I should have, but finances wouldn't allow me to purchase new insulin. Well yesterday I finally got a Lantus pen. My question is... since the insulin in the vial was probably not as potent as it once was, and since Chase sometimes does nose dives, should I watch him extremely close? His dose time is in about an hour and I have to read the instructions since I've never used a pen before. I mean... the pens don't go any less than his 0.1 dose, so I can't give him less to start. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there anything special I need to know before using the pen to give him his insulin?

Also, I got 3 pens. Should I put the ones I don't use in the refrigerator or is it just recommended to put used open ones in? If he starts going into remission again, I won't be able to do that drop dose anymore, since the pen doesn't dial anything less than the 1 unit. Oh... and 1 unit on the pen is the same as 0.1 u on the syringe, right? It looks the same. If it's not, I'm in big trouble. :(
 
We use regular insulin syringes and pull the insulin out of the pens....we don't use the special needles they make for them.....that's the only way you can make the fine adjustments to dose that we do

You just pull the cap off the pen and there's a rubber stopper just like a vial .....the only difference is you don't inject air into the syringe because it has a vacuum

Put the extra syringes in the fridge to keep them good as long as possible
 
Sandi & Chase in AZ said:
This is not a health emergency, but I need eyes on this question pretty quick, please.

Hello Fellow LL Peeps,

I haven't posted in about a week, but I've kept Chase's SS up to date. I have a really important question.

Chase's vial of Lantus expires at the end of this month. I used it way longer than I should have, but finances wouldn't allow me to purchase new insulin. Well yesterday I finally got a Lantus pen. My question is... since the insulin in the vial was probably not as potent as it once was, and since Chase sometimes does nose dives, should I watch him extremely close? His dose time is in about an hour and I have to read the instructions since I've never used a pen before. I mean... the pens don't go any less than his 0.1 dose, so I can't give him less to start. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there anything special I need to know before using the pen to give him his insulin?

Also, I got 3 pens. Should I put the ones I don't use in the refrigerator or is it just recommended to put used open ones in? If he starts going into remission again, I won't be able to do that drop dose anymore, since the pen doesn't dial anything less than the 1 unit. Oh... and 1 unit on the pen is the same as 0.1 u on the syringe, right? It looks the same. If it's not, I'm in big trouble. :(
Click to expand...
Store all the pens in the fridge, open or not. You should be able to remove part of the pen housing to expose the cartridge inside. The end of that cartridge has a purple ring around it with a small pale grey rubber seal in the middle. Just insert the syringe needle into the seal to draw up insulin in the same way as you drew it up from the vial.
 
A ha. OK. Well I'm so glad I asked. But people here have told me that I'd love the pens because they were so much more precise, since you dial it in. Are they not safe to use with the special needles?
 
Chris & China said:
We use regular insulin syringes and pull the insulin out of the pens....we don't use the special needles they make for them.....that's the only way you can make the fine adjustments to dose that we do

You just pull the cap off the pen and there's a rubber stopper just like a vial .....the only difference is you don't inject air into the syringe because it has a vacuum

Put the extra syringes in the fridge to keep them good as long as possible
Click to expand...
Thanks, so much. :)
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Store all the pens in the fridge, open or not. You should be able to remove part of the pen housing to expose the cartridge inside. The end of that cartridge has a purple ring around it with a small pale grey rubber seal in the middle. Just insert the syringe needle into the seal to draw up insulin in the same way as you drew it up from the vial.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much. :)
 
Sandi & Chase in AZ said:
A ha. OK. Well I'm so glad I asked. But people here have told me that I'd love the pens because they were so much more precise, since you dial it in. Are they not safe to use with the special needles?
Click to expand...
As Kris said, you want to use the pen like a mini-vial. When you "dial" a dose with the pen needles, you can only dose in 1 unit increments, and obviously with our kitties, we work in fractions of units.
 
I use the pen just like I used the vial. You need to draw the insulin with syringes in order to fine tune the dose. As Amy mentioned, you can't go below 1 unit with the needles that come with the pen. Once you get used to the pens, you'll like using them.
 
As long as you can monitor, I'd shoot the same dose. The insulin may or may not be less potent. If you can't monitor, you can reduce and always go back up if his numbers go up.
 
carfurby said:
As long as you can monitor, I'd shoot the same dose. The insulin may or may not be less potent. If you can't monitor, you can reduce and always go back up if his numbers go up.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Carla. No... I'm home to monitor. There have been 2 times in the last week (Saturday and today - in the morning) where he did a big time nose dive. I have no idea why. Oh wait... he's a cat. LOL. I'll give him the same dose. I have Karo. LOL
 
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