Lantus Pen question

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Joe and Jinx

Joe and Jinx

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone,

I thought the pen would ensure very precise dose measurements but from what I've read, you draw the insulin out of the pen and still use the markings on the syringe to measure. Is that right? For some reason, I was under the impression that you could select 1.5u on the pen and ensure that was only what went into the syringe. If my understanding of how this works is wrong, please let me know.



Joe
 
Yes you want to draw into a syringe. Using the pen will give you much less precise dosing and one of the reasons a lot of vets believe pens shouldn't be used (they don't think to use them as vials). People typically use the insulin in much higher doses so the pens being off less than a unit aren't a big deal, but for us dosing in the low doses, their margin of error is to great.
 
Hi Joe,

You use the pen just as if it was a small vial. Use the syringe to measure and draw out what you need. The reason the pens are preferred over the vial is because you have a smaller amount that is open and less waste if you decide the insulin is losing strength after 30 days or so. If you had to throw away a vial after 30 days you would be wasting so much insulin. But definitely use the syringe to draw your dose.

Dialing a dose such as 1.5u on the pen won't affect how much you draw out with a syringe. As far as I was concerned, I ignored the dial and the button. I think someone (Cathy/CiniMini) mentioned earlier to push the button every so often to release the pressure? I never did it consistently and didn't have any issues - but that is just me. :mrgreen:

Edit to give credit to Cathy & CiniMini :lol:
 
The pen, for humans, can be dialed to a certain dose. The needles that you would use with the pen are too short for cats.
We use an insulin syringe and draw the insulin out of the pen and inject like you would normally do.

The advantage of the Lantus pen is that you are spending less money on a smaller amount of insulin and therefore use it in a timely manner and have a fresher supply, versus getting a 10ml vial and possibly use stale insulin several months from now.

ETA: I'm the one who mentioned clicking the button on the pen to release the pressure. Maybe it's me? But I find it makes getting the insulin out easier if I click it.
 
The pen can only dose in whole unit increments so not ideal for a diabetic cat. Just use an insulin syringe to draw out the insulin.

Angela & Blackie & 8 Others said:
I've never pushed any button on the pens. Never knew that it needed to be done, and wouldn't know which button to push if it was needed.
Click to expand...

There's only one button on the pen, at the bottom kind of like on a retractable ball point pen. I've never pused the button but I thought I saw somewhere here on FDMB that if you push the button it limits the formation of air bubbles or something in the syringe.

General picture of a SoloStar pen:
solostarpen.gif


How to use it for a diabetic cat:
How%20to%20use%20an%20%20insulin%20pen%20for%20cats.jpg
 
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