Audrey's Mom
Member Since 2014
It's soon 2 weeks since my Audrey was diagnosed diabetic and prescribed 1 unit of Levemir every 12 hours. She's a little trooper and still quite ravenous so she doesn't flinch at her shots while she's gorging on her 'new to her' FF Pate and/or Friskies Pate. The vet clinic had recommended and provided some Purina DM Savoury Selects, so that's all used up and we will not continue with that product, thanks to the good info here.
My boneheaded move this morning was injecting a bit of air into her vet supplied 3mL Levemir 100 U/mL 'Penfill' vial before drawing her insulin shot with a syringe. The air going in is apparently supposed to equal the same amount as the drawn insulin. I either hadn't fully awoken, had enough coffee, or had a brunette moment
.
Before I knew it, I literally blew a gasket...the bottom stopper. I watched $43.00 of insulin seep into my palms, through my fingers and on the kitchen counter in what seemed like s-l-o-w-w-w motion. There was no insulin to be safely saved. I didn't think sucking it up with a turkey baster was a brilliant idea ohmygod_smile .
It's Sunday. Vet clinics are closed in our small City. There are emergency numbers, but I liken that to calling a plumber on a Sunday for an exploding hot water tank where they rub their hands together in glee in anticipation of writing up the overtime invoice. I needed to stay calm.
I called a few pharmacies when they opened at noon and most only sold 5 packs to my dismay. I really only needed one vial right now. Lucking out at one major pharmacy, I found they do sell the vials separately and an exact replacement for the one I lost would be $22.00. Jackpot!
Mr. Pharmy looked after me himself. He said the Levemir 'Penfill' vial goes together with a NovoPen 4 just like bread and butter, Sonny and Cher or a horse and carriage. "It's so much easier!", Pharmy assured me. "The pen is free! You just have to purchase the needle inserts", he proudly announced. Just as I have recently been warned about 'Free' glucose meters that use expensive strips or my experiences with $39.99 computer printers using $70.00 ink, I warily asked Pharmy how much a 100 box of needle inserts will run. "Why, they're about the same price as the BD U-100 Insulin syringes your vet gave you a few of", he replied. He then took the time to give me a demo of the NovoPen 4 and I was on board.
The NovoPen 4 comes with some individual starter needles that look like Barbie doll Keurig cups, but Pharmy and I agreed that the very short, 4 mm included needles could be problematic in giving my furry beast her shot. He suggested a longer one and I totally agreed. After rooting through his needle den, he produced a box of BD Ultra-Fine Pen Needles that are 8 mm, 31 Gauge and compatible with the insulin pen. They're not quite as long as my syringe needles, but for the same price, I was willing to give these a shot (no pun intended).
I was quite excited about our new fandangled pen. When home and upon googling and searching, I found very little about this particular pen here or anywhere else for the specific use with felines. Audrey duly missed her morning shot which was a rare occurrence. I was a little nervous to try the pen shot this evening, so out came the syringe - I still have a few left from the vet. Maybe the pen isn't that common with pets, as it only dispenses 1 unit increments - no half increments. This works for Audrey right now, but maybe not in the future for any .5's.
If anyone uses these pens, does the Levemir vial still have to be rolled in the hands before administering? This would mean removing the cartridge from the pen before each shot. The vet clinician insisted the vial be rolled in the hands with the syringe method. According to Levemir Penfill facts, "it is not necessary to shake or rotate the vial before use". The vet office also insisted on refrigeration at all times, whereas the Levemir penfill fact sheet says it's can be kept for up to 42 days at room temperature. Perhaps it can be used that much longer with refrigeration? The vet office told me to use it for about 3 months before replacing it with a new vial whether there's any left or not.
I came home and being curious, I tried 1 unit test shots on a piece of paper with the regular syringe as well as the new pen, as I was nervous the dispensed amount would be different or inaccurate. I'm such an overthinker...sheesh. The amounts looked the same on paper. Lol. We are heading out of the country in a few days for a week and family/friend cat sitters will be using the 'much easier' pen as beginners (like myself) to the world of insulin for pets. I'm a stickler for detailed direction when it comes to my lovey and part of the attractive feature of the pen is the ease for my sitters to just dial it to 1 and administer the dose while Audrey pigs out.
I'd sure like to know more about insulin pens, recommended needle lengths/gauges and their reliability in general. And the discrepancy between 'rolling in the hands' and refrigeration advice.
I would also like to give a high five for anyone who is still reading my novella. I'm usually just a mild head-case, but still not quite over the nerves of this whole new world. nailbite_smile
Cheers!
Diane
My boneheaded move this morning was injecting a bit of air into her vet supplied 3mL Levemir 100 U/mL 'Penfill' vial before drawing her insulin shot with a syringe. The air going in is apparently supposed to equal the same amount as the drawn insulin. I either hadn't fully awoken, had enough coffee, or had a brunette moment
. Before I knew it, I literally blew a gasket...the bottom stopper. I watched $43.00 of insulin seep into my palms, through my fingers and on the kitchen counter in what seemed like s-l-o-w-w-w motion. There was no insulin to be safely saved. I didn't think sucking it up with a turkey baster was a brilliant idea ohmygod_smile .
It's Sunday. Vet clinics are closed in our small City. There are emergency numbers, but I liken that to calling a plumber on a Sunday for an exploding hot water tank where they rub their hands together in glee in anticipation of writing up the overtime invoice. I needed to stay calm.
I called a few pharmacies when they opened at noon and most only sold 5 packs to my dismay. I really only needed one vial right now. Lucking out at one major pharmacy, I found they do sell the vials separately and an exact replacement for the one I lost would be $22.00. Jackpot!
Mr. Pharmy looked after me himself. He said the Levemir 'Penfill' vial goes together with a NovoPen 4 just like bread and butter, Sonny and Cher or a horse and carriage. "It's so much easier!", Pharmy assured me. "The pen is free! You just have to purchase the needle inserts", he proudly announced. Just as I have recently been warned about 'Free' glucose meters that use expensive strips or my experiences with $39.99 computer printers using $70.00 ink, I warily asked Pharmy how much a 100 box of needle inserts will run. "Why, they're about the same price as the BD U-100 Insulin syringes your vet gave you a few of", he replied. He then took the time to give me a demo of the NovoPen 4 and I was on board.
The NovoPen 4 comes with some individual starter needles that look like Barbie doll Keurig cups, but Pharmy and I agreed that the very short, 4 mm included needles could be problematic in giving my furry beast her shot. He suggested a longer one and I totally agreed. After rooting through his needle den, he produced a box of BD Ultra-Fine Pen Needles that are 8 mm, 31 Gauge and compatible with the insulin pen. They're not quite as long as my syringe needles, but for the same price, I was willing to give these a shot (no pun intended).
I was quite excited about our new fandangled pen. When home and upon googling and searching, I found very little about this particular pen here or anywhere else for the specific use with felines. Audrey duly missed her morning shot which was a rare occurrence. I was a little nervous to try the pen shot this evening, so out came the syringe - I still have a few left from the vet. Maybe the pen isn't that common with pets, as it only dispenses 1 unit increments - no half increments. This works for Audrey right now, but maybe not in the future for any .5's.
If anyone uses these pens, does the Levemir vial still have to be rolled in the hands before administering? This would mean removing the cartridge from the pen before each shot. The vet clinician insisted the vial be rolled in the hands with the syringe method. According to Levemir Penfill facts, "it is not necessary to shake or rotate the vial before use". The vet office also insisted on refrigeration at all times, whereas the Levemir penfill fact sheet says it's can be kept for up to 42 days at room temperature. Perhaps it can be used that much longer with refrigeration? The vet office told me to use it for about 3 months before replacing it with a new vial whether there's any left or not.
I came home and being curious, I tried 1 unit test shots on a piece of paper with the regular syringe as well as the new pen, as I was nervous the dispensed amount would be different or inaccurate. I'm such an overthinker...sheesh. The amounts looked the same on paper. Lol. We are heading out of the country in a few days for a week and family/friend cat sitters will be using the 'much easier' pen as beginners (like myself) to the world of insulin for pets. I'm a stickler for detailed direction when it comes to my lovey and part of the attractive feature of the pen is the ease for my sitters to just dial it to 1 and administer the dose while Audrey pigs out.
I'd sure like to know more about insulin pens, recommended needle lengths/gauges and their reliability in general. And the discrepancy between 'rolling in the hands' and refrigeration advice.
I would also like to give a high five for anyone who is still reading my novella. I'm usually just a mild head-case, but still not quite over the nerves of this whole new world. nailbite_smile
Cheers!
Diane
We have a post on handling and storage of Levemir (and Lantus) 
