? I need a math lesson

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apple

Member Since 2017
Ok, I think I goofed. I may have given too much, so I wigged-out, called vet, she said I underdosed. I'm not so sure and don't want to give more until I'm sure. And until I have the flaw in my math corrected.

I read this:
@Noah & me

And now I'm back to ......[saying words of your choice, since the board is g rated].

Noah & me said:
In a U100 syringe 1 unit=2.5 lines on the barrel of the syringe.
Click to expand...

Aaaaah....zipity do dah......duh.....

I need a math lesson please. Anyone, everyone. ....

I'm wanting to know about volume, cubic units, quantity if liquid in totality.

I had been given dex in prefilled syringes. Now I pull from a vial. I thought with a 1cc syringe (generic, non-insulin 1cc syringe with needle/ .50x16mm u.t.w) each line on the syringe body was 1mL.

So......when his dex dose went from .03mL to .015mL I thought it would be easier to use the insulin syringe to read the "half" .

I did 1.5 u of liquid dex on a
u-100
3/10cc
31g
8mm
and thought that meant I gave .015mL of liquid dex

What quantity did I really give?

The body of the insulin syringe says 30 units the box says volume 0.3mL so, I thought 1 unit on the insulin syringe was equal to 1 mL. And .015cc on the regular syringe equals 1.5u on the insulin syringe. I do math with graphic organizers and graphs, so writing language and verbal directions have my brain hurting .....

Help please....

and of course Thank you!
 
Squalliesmom said:
Lol, you have me totally confused! But I can tell you that 1 mL = 1 cc. Does that help?
Click to expand...

Thank you. I need to take it a step further.

1mL = 1cc = x units.

What number does the x in x units stand for?

Units being a unit on a U100 syringe


So what does [one unit] equal in liquid volume metric measurement?

Yep, I'm good with confusing others/ sometimes myself......after I talked with the vet, I have no idea what does he is really getting.
 
I'm not sure I understand your questions, either - I think you are overcomplicating this and that's why your head hurts :)
But I'll give it a shot (pun intended).

Units depends what your insulin is.

If you are using U-100 insulin, there are 100 units per milliliter.
If you are using U-40 insulin, there are 40 units per milliliter.
As a general equation, if you are using U-X insulin, there are X units per milliliter.

But really you should be using a syringe which matches your insulin, so no conversion should be necessary. Some people convert between different unit syringes, but you shouldn't be using a milliliter/cc syringe at all - the amounts are much too tiny to get an accurate measurement.
 
The confusion arises because of the word "unit" as used in reference to insulin and in the marks on insulin syringes. A unit as used for insulin is as follows (from Wikipedia):

One international unit of insulin (1 IU) is defined as the "biological equivalent" of 34.7 μg pure crystalline insulin. This corresponds to the old USP insulin unit, where one unit (U) of insulin was set equal to the amount required to reduce the concentration of blood glucose in a fasting rabbit to 45 mg/dl (2.5 mmol/L).

The unit of measurement used in insulin therapy is not part of the International System of Units (abbreviated SI) which is the modern form of the metric system. Instead the pharmacological international unit (IU) is defined by the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization.[24]

A U100 insulin has 100 units of insulin in 1 mL of liquid solution. A U40 insulin has 40 units of insulin in 1 mL of liquid solution.
 
apple said:
Ok, I think I goofed. I may have given too much, so I wigged-out, called vet, she said I underdosed. I'm not so sure and don't want to give more until I'm sure. And until I have the flaw in my math corrected.

I read this:
@Noah & me

And now I'm back to ......[saying words of your choice, since the board is g rated].



Aaaaah....zipity do dah......duh.....

I need a math lesson please. Anyone, everyone. ....

I'm wanting to know about volume, cubic units, quantity if liquid in totality.

I had been given dex in prefilled syringes. Now I pull from a vial. I thought with a 1cc syringe (generic, non-insulin 1cc syringe with needle/ .50x16mm u.t.w) each line on the syringe body was 1mL.

So......when his dex dose went from .03mL to .015mL I thought it would be easier to use the insulin syringe to read the "half" .

I did 1.5 u of liquid dex on a
u-100
3/10cc
31g
8mm
and thought that meant I gave .015mL of liquid dex

What quantity did I really give?

The body of the insulin syringe says 30 units the box says volume 0.3mL so, I thought 1 unit on the insulin syringe was equal to 1 mL. And .015cc on the regular syringe equals 1.5u on the insulin syringe. I do math with graphic organizers and graphs, so writing language and verbal directions have my brain hurting .....

Help please....

and of course Thank you!
Click to expand...
Insulin syringes are calibrated to measure out units of insulin as you follow the marks on the barrel. You need different syringes for dexamethazone because that solution is made to give a certain concentration of the drug measured in mg per mL. Units of insulin are NOT the same as mg of dex in a certain number of mL of dex solution.
 
Shenandoah said:
I'm not sure I understand your questions, either - I think you are overcomplicating this and that's why your head hurts :)
But I'll give it a shot (pun intended).

Units depends what your insulin is.

If you are using U-100 insulin, there are 100 units per milliliter.
If you are using U-40 insulin, there are 40 units per milliliter.
As a general equation, if you are using U-X insulin, there are X units per milliliter.

But really you should be using a syringe which matches your insulin, so no conversion should be necessary. Some people convert between different unit syringes, but you shouldn't be using a milliliter/cc syringe at all - the amounts are much too tiny to get an accurate measurement.
Click to expand...

NOT insulin- please take insulin out of the equation. I'm looking at the capacity of the syringe- what is the total volume of liquid with 1 unit on the syringe I used/listed above.

I'm using an insulin needle to give a dose of dexamethasone because it was easier to see the 'half' mark since the insulin syringes are marked with a half unit line.

I am NOT giving insulin in anything other than and insulin syringe.

I went from using a regular 1 cc syringe to give the dex
to an insulin syringe to give the dex
because it was easier for my eyes to see.

Trying to find .015mL on a 1mL syringe is a daunting task.

I tried to make it easier and
now I don't know if I translated the dose (total volume of liquid dex) correctly
from one style syringe to another.

The question still is:
in total volume of liquid measured

what is the answer to 1mL = 1cc= Xunits

what number goes in the place of X
it's like an old school algebra problem

welcome everyone to my confusion- after I got done talking with the vet.....
I thought 1mL= 1cc= u unit on the following syringe.....
u-100
3/10cc
31g
8mm
 
Kris & Teasel said:
BTW - one unit of insulin would correspond to 2.5 on the barrel of a U100 ONLY IF you're using a U100 syringe to draw up a U40 insulin.

I have to say that I'm getting very nervous reading about these misunderstandings! :nailbiting:
Click to expand...

Yep.....I'm nervous too.....I can't figure out what dose I gave him and I have been working very hard to dose him off the dex and get ready for his next round of treatments/ university appts/ change of insulin and most of it hinges on dosing down the dex and I've spent a months dosing down. Now, I'm worried I screwed up.
 
Edit question:

what is the answer to 1mL = 1cc= Xunits on a u100 insulin syringe

would the answer be
1mL= 1cc = 1 unit on a u-100 insulin syringe?
 
Can you take a syringe to the vet and have them put a black mark on the syringes for you so you know where to dose at? It's probably what I would do.
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
Can you take a syringe to the vet and have them put a black mark on the syringes for you so you know where to dose at? It's probably what I would do.
Click to expand...
I have to figure out what dose I gave him and what to give him tonight. I can get more of the regular syringes this week, but that doesn't solve the mystery of what dose I actually gave him and what to do tonight.

I still think if:
The body of the insulin syringe says 30 units the box says volume 0.3mL than from one whole line to another whole line (1 unit) it is 1 mL based on the box.

The capacity (volume) of one unit on a u-100 insulin syringe is 1mL?

Does not matter the type of liquid in the syringe- does not matter the strength/dose of any liquid- I'm wanting to know what is the quantity of liquid in one unit on a u-100 syringe?
 
I'm not 100% sure, but if I follow your question, if you're trying to give .15mL, you'd give 15 units since 30 units is the equivalent of .3mL

a 3/10 insulin syringe holds .3mL.....so a full U100 insulin syringe would be 30 units....halve that and you have 15 units = .15mL

Does this make sense?
 
apple said:
Edit question:

what is the answer to 1mL = 1cc= Xunits on a u100 insulin syringe

would the answer be
1mL= 1cc = 1 unit on a u-100 insulin syringe?
Click to expand...
No, that's not correct. It's true that 1 mL = 1 cc but the unit marks on a U100 syringe stand for units of insulin, not mL or cc. U100 insulin syringes are usually 0.3 mL in capacity and the marks go up to 30 units. That means that each unit mark corresponds to 0.3 mL / 30 units = 0.01 mL.
 
apple said:
Ok, I think I goofed. I may have given too much, so I wigged-out, called vet, she said I underdosed. I'm not so sure and don't want to give more until I'm sure. And until I have the flaw in my math corrected.

I read this:
@Noah & me

And now I'm back to ......[saying words of your choice, since the board is g rated].




So......when his dex dose went from .03mL to .015mL I thought it would be easier to use the insulin syringe to read the "half" .

I did 1.5 u of liquid dex on a
u-100
3/10cc
31g
8mm
and thought that meant I gave .015mL of liquid dex

What quantity did I really give?

The body of the insulin syringe says 30 units the box says volume 0.3mL so, I thought 1 unit on the insulin syringe was equal to 1 mL. And .015cc on the regular syringe equals 1.5u on the insulin syringe. I do math with graphic organizers and graphs, so writing language and verbal directions have my brain hurting .....

Help please....

and of course Thank you!
Click to expand...


I think you gave the right amount. You wanted to give .015 units right? We already know that a ml is the same as a cc.
1mL = 1cc = .01 units. Not 1 unit.
Explanation:
An insulin syringe is .3 ml. A syringe has 30 units, so 30 units is .3ml.
That would make 10 units .1 ml.
9 units .09 ml, 8 units .08 ml, and so on.
So each unit on the insulin syringe is .01 ml (cc).
.015 ml (cc) is 1.5 units. Which is what you gave and were trying to achieve, right?
 
Last edited:
15 units on a U-100 syringe is 0.15 ml. 100 units = 1 ml. It is fine to use insulin syringes to dose non-insulin meds, but you need to figure out (or be given by your vet) the dose in ml before attempting to convert to units. I have regularly given both B12 shots and Adequan shots using an insulin syringe because the smaller needle is much more comfortable for our cats.
 
Chris & China said:
I'm not 100% sure, but if I follow your question, if you're trying to give .15mL, you'd give 15 units since 30 units is the equivalent of .3mL

a 3/10 insulin syringe holds .3mL.....so a full U100 insulin syringe would be 30 units....halve that and you have 15 units = .15mL

Does this make sense?
Click to expand...

In theory and

I'm supposed to be giving .015mL

He was on .03mL and the dose was cut in half to .015mL so I gave him 1.5 units (of dex) in an insulin syringe

So, you are saying that in this instance, I did it right?

Chris & China said:
halve that and you have 15 units = .15mL
Click to expand...

Based on your math, I move the decimal point one place to the left (divide by 10 since it's the metric system) and 1.5 units = .015mL

one unit on an insulin syringe equals .01mL
 
Kris & Teasel said:
No, that's not correct. It's true that 1 mL = 1 cc but the unit marks on a U100 syringe stand for units of insulin, not mL or cc. U100 insulin syringes are usually 0.3 mL in capacity and the marks go up to 30 units. That means that each unit mark corresponds to 0.3 mL / 30 units = 0.01 mL.
Click to expand...


Ok-
It's true that 1 mL (the WHOLE SYRINGE)= 1 cc (the WHOLE SYRINGE) but the unit marks (PART OF THE SYRINGE)

Got it- I understand the flaw in my thinking!
My brain wasn't processing I was taking the whole syringe (mL/cc) and equating it to part (unit markings) of the other syringe. I needed to compare part markings to part markings.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to explain this to me until I understood!

What we are saying is I got lucky and did it right:
.015mL was to be the dose and I did 1.5u on a u-100 3/10 syringe- he did in fact get the right dose

(Yes, I discovered how to use color and I found the emojis........:woot: ......okay, I'll stop:stop:)

Thank you to all.
 
katiesmom said:
I think you gave the right amount. You wanted to give .015 units right? We already know that a ml is the same as a cc.
1mL = 1cc = .01 units. Not 1 unit.
Explanation:
An insulin syringe is .3 ml. A syringe has 30 units, so 30 units is .3ml.
That would make 10 units .1 ml.
9 units .09 ml, 8 units .08 ml, and so on.
So each unit on the insulin syringe is .01 ml (cc).
.015 ml (cc) is 1.5 units. Which is what you gave and were trying to achieve, right?
Click to expand...


.015 ml (cc) is 1.5 units. Which is what you gave and were trying to achieve, right?- yes, it was.
 
I think you are right. I give Jones .25ml of B12 and that is 25 on the U100 syringe. I had to ask the vet after I ran of the other syringes. So, .015 would be 1.5 units
 
manxcat419 said:
15 units on a U-100 syringe is 0.15 ml. 100 units = 1 ml. It is fine to use insulin syringes to dose non-insulin meds, but you need to figure out (or be given by your vet) the dose in ml before attempting to convert to units. I have regularly given both B12 shots and Adequan shots using an insulin syringe because the smaller needle is much more comfortable for our cats.
Click to expand...

I wanted to used the shorter needle for the same reason, cat comfort.

The vet gave me the vial and the dose in mL.

So, math lesson for me today- .01 mL = 1 u when using u-100 needles

My dad called and I had to tell him, "I can't talk now, I'm doing math". He just started laughing.
 
apple said:
Ok-
It's true that 1 mL (the WHOLE SYRINGE)= 1 cc (the WHOLE SYRINGE) but the unit marks (PART OF THE SYRINGE)

Got it- I understand the flaw in my thinking!
My brain wasn't processing I was taking the whole syringe (mL/cc) and equating it to part (unit markings) of the other syringe. I needed to compare part markings to part markings.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to explain this to me until I understood!

What we are saying is I got lucky and did it right:
.015mL was to be the dose and I did 1.5u on a u-100 3/10 syringe- he did in fact get the right dose

(Yes, I discovered how to use color and I found the emojis........:woot: ......okay, I'll stop:stop:)

Thank you to all.
Click to expand...
Lol! Glad you got it figured out and had given the correct dose after all!:)
 
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