I-100 syringes with calibrations farther apart??

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Shirley and Ragnar

Shirley and Ragnar

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Is It possible to find and order I-100 syringes with the calibrations farther apart than the 3/10 cc we are using now? We are increasing Ragnar's Lantus 1/2 unit at a time and giving each increase enough time to take effect before raising it again. (Started low - 1/2 unit - and are going slow. He's up to 1 1/2 just last night, 2 weeks after he went back on insulin.)

It's very hard to measure halfway between these markings and be sure it's accurate because the markings are so close together. Is there a syringe made that hold less than 3/10 (maybe made for infants??) and/or has the markings farther apart, or maybe even shows half-unit markings? It should be made for I-100 insulin, not I-40.

Dr. Jen didn't have any or know of them - she sent me to a pharmacy, and as far as they know, they aren't available. Could be wrong, though, and I'm doing all the digging I can to find them.

Blessings!

Shirley and Mr. Hideaway
 
U-100 syringes with 1/2 unit markings are readily available either at Walmart (Relion brand) or through other manufacturers. I order mine from Hocks. I don't think you can get a syringe with more space between the markings since that would effect the amount of insulin (or it would have to be a very, very thin syringe). Here's what's available in half unit marked syringes from Hocks.

You might want to share the dosing protocol that we use with your vet. Given that the protocol has been well researched and published in the vet journals, it may be of interest to her. It also specifies when to increase dose in 0.5 or 0.25 unit amounts. Since you don't have a spreadsheet, there's no way to know if by increasing in 0.5u amounts will cause you to miss Ragnar's best dose.
 
When I got down to microdoses, I too wished for thinner/longer syringes, or a more dilute insulin, to make measurements easier. I'm sure there are many more sugar cats than those on FDMB - definitely a market for this if someone wanted to pursue it.
 
MJ+Donovan said:
When I got down to microdoses, I too wished for thinner/longer syringes, or a more dilute insulin, to make measurements easier. I'm sure there are many more sugar cats than those on FDMB - definitely a market for this if someone wanted to pursue it.
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I certainly wish someone would! For sugar cats, and I'd think sugar babies too. Of course, a longer (or just as long but holding less insulin), thinner syringe would do it.

Thanks so much for the info - we don't have a Walmart in Valley City, so I'll order some from Hocks. We'd also like to increase in 1/4 units, but it's hard to see even an accurate half on these 3/10 syringes! I give him one unit "and a tiny strip showing above the mark" for a few days before going to 1 1/2.

Blessings!

Shirley and Mr. Where-Is-He? (Ragnar hides at shot time - 1 1/2 hours to go, though, and I hope he'll show up by then.)
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
Since you don't have a spreadsheet, there's no way to know if by increasing in 0.5u amounts will cause you to miss Ragnar's best dose.
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We're not close enough to his best dose yet to risk missing it. He was still over 400 at +4 last night. I simply don't have time to do a spreadsheet now (when I have, I'll use a table in Word and save as pdf), but keep track on a slip of paper and give all his numbers to Dr. Jen. She'll know when we're close to the best dose (so will I, for that matter), and if we have syringes with 1/2 unit calibrations - which I'll order right now! - we might be able to increase it by 1/4 and get that dose right on the nose. ;-)

Blessings!

Shirley and Mr. Hideaway the Impossible
 
MJ+Donovan said:
When I got down to microdoses, I too wished for thinner/longer syringes, or a more dilute insulin, to make measurements easier. I'm sure there are many more sugar cats than those on FDMB - definitely a market for this if someone wanted to pursue it.
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It would be quite easy to manufacture, but the truth is there is no money in it. Although it seems like a lot of cats here, all in all it's not many even world wide. Second once you have developed such a thing you need to get it approved and patented this costs mucho moneys and now you have to market and disribute it, and you probably can't set the price much higher than the prices for the syringes that we are using now, so it's a lose-lose endevor for any potential manufacturer. Besides the fact that these insulins are not even "approved" for use in Felines or even children for that matter. Lantus and Levemir are approved for over age 6 (in some countries age 12).

A more dilute insulin would be a better solution, and MAYBE a possibility with Levemir, Lantus would need to be specifically by the manufacturer batched in other concerntrations due to the fact it is pH sensitive a simple dilution with NaCl won't do. Again there is no money or initative for the companies to experiment with this or put it on the market. For Aventis to licence Lantus as a veternary insulin would cost as much as what they could expect to generate in vet sales in probably 5 years, by then the patent on Lantus has run out and every Rite-Aid or Walmart can start making a generic insulin Glargine and sell it for 1/2 the price.

Yes the 1/2 unit markings do help also a magnifying glass can make thing easier.
 
Until a Feline Diabetes Corporation manufactures the many things we need... someone told me that there is a clip-on magnifier you can attach to the barrel of the syringe. It makes the lines that are there larger and therefore more visible. I would have to dig for the name -- maybe someone else remembers? Barbara and Tuffy?, was it you who recommended it?

As I recall, it is available at places like Walgreens. You could ask.

If you're interested and can't find it, let me know. I'll dig around through my files to find the name.
 
Oh, I wasn't trying to suggest a get-rich-quick scheme. But my own research deals with plant tissues and algae - green stuff :mrgreen: .... animals and human biology is not my thing. Don't know what kind of diluent would be appropriate for Lantus or Levemir to maintain their activity. Using 2 drops a day takes *forever* to empty a cartridge or vial, and theoretically it should be chucked after a month or two anyway.

Regarding magnifiers and such - they certainly help, but there's also the issue of manual dexterity to adjust the dose to the hair's width differences we're talking about. I sometimes wondered whether even if I could manage to dial exactly the correct dose on the syringe every time, the syringes themselves are a source of error anyway.

Sucks for the few kitties who appear to be overly sensitive to microdosage-scale errors, where Fat is too much and Skinny is not enough.
 
Syringe irregularities are definitely an issue. Once DH and I started really looking the syringes, we were appalled -- we'd spend 15 minutes agonizing over getting the right twist, and then see that the plunger on one syringe was past zero, while another barely touched it.
 
Someone on the old board was using insulin syringes for Human babies. I think it was 25 unit (1/4 cc) insulin syringes or something like that. The person said she had gotten them from a doctor (?) and would get the manufacturer info so others could get these smaller insulin syringes. She never posted that info.

According to this http://www.diabetesexplained.com/insulin-syringe.html, 1/4 cc insulin syrings are made but are rare.
 
It was me that had the magnifier that clipped onto the barrel of the syringe, I have seen them at pharmacies here, it does help.
 
I also have the magnifier that clips on. Mine is by BD, its called "Magni-Guide". Because I use the pens I can't actually clip it on. I just place it on top of the syringe and hold it in place with one hand. Than my right hand is free to tweek the dose. I find it very useful. It was around 6-7$.

Shirley if you want to try one just call around to a few pharmacy's and see if they have it or they can order it. If you are having trouble just let me know. I could get one for you. With this and the syringes with the 1/2 unit markings, you'll be stylin! Here's a link so you can see what it looks like.

http://www.activeforever.com/p-2475-bec ... QodU3TTIw&

jan and sara
 
Jason & Belle said:
The Relion syringes from Walmart have 1/2U increments as well.

Jason
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Hi - I checked the Walmart website, and the syringes no longer seem to be listed there as available either in stores or online. I thought you should know - they MAY have been discontinued, and if that's the case and your local Walmart has them, you might want to stock up! Hocks does have them, though, and I am ordering them from Hocks.

Blessings,

Shirley
 
squeem3 said:
Someone on the old board was using insulin syringes for Human babies. I think it was 25 unit (1/4 cc) insulin syringes or something like that. The person said she had gotten them from a doctor (?) and would get the manufacturer info so others could get these smaller insulin syringes. She never posted that info.

According to this http://www.diabetesexplained.com/insulin-syringe.html, 1/4 cc insulin syrings are made but are rare.
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Yes, I was hoping they were made for human babies. Some human adults might need to measure to half-unit precision, too.
 
The Precision Sure-Dose 3/10 cc syringes for U-100 insulin are thinner with the markings further apart. But they do not have 1/2 unit markings. They are quite easy to see and measure, however.

Ella
 
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