Please help with needles ASAP!

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Karla and Sassy

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The vet wrote a rx for insulin syringes 3/10 CC 29 gauge. The pharmacy (the only one in this small town) would not fill it because they said that I had to get them at the vet. Seems strange that the vet would write me a prescription if she could sell them to me at her office, but anyway. Of course, I need to give her a shot right now and I have no needles. Sassy is on Humulin-N. I have U-100 syringes made by UltiCare. However, they are 1/2 CC 30 gauge. Can I use these? She is supposed to have 1.5 units. Thank you for your quick responses. I have to give her a dose in about 30 minutes.
 
3/10 cc is for smaller dosages, like you need. I use the 3/10cc 29 gauge with 1/2 unit markings from Good Neighbor. You can use the ones you have if you can see the one unit markings clearly. I'd call your vet, tho. Donna
 
I'm surprised that your pharmacy told you that. Since they are U100 syringes, they should have filled the prescription. If you were getting U40 syringes, I could see where they would refer you back to your vet. I think that they are not used to getting prescriptions from vet offices, but unless there is any state law that prevents them from doing so, they have to fill your order.

Do you have a Walmart, Target or Kmart nearby. Or any grocery stores with a pharmacy? They should be able to fill the prescription for you.
 
I don't have any of those close by--about 40 minutes away and I need to go ahead and give her the shot. I made a mistake because I was going to get it filled at Wal-Mart on my lunch break from work today but it was going to take longer than I had so I left and thought I would be able to get it near home. I will be going to Wal-Mart tomorrow to get the proper needles. I just wanted to make sure that the ones that I have would be ok for tonight and the morning.
 
AFAIK, if you have a legitimate prescription, the pharmacy has to fill it. Well, unless it's one of those controversial religious/'ethical' things like the morning after pill, but this doesn't fall anywhere in that spectrum. I'd suggest speaking to the chief pharmacist. If s/he won't help, I'd try the store manager or, if it's a chain store, escalating up the chain of command. I've had pet prescriptions filled at probably 40+ pharmacies, and not one has ever blinked at filling anything I brought to them. That includes syringes, needles, narcotics, steroids and barbituates; it also includes several medications that are very heavily regulated by the FDA and are of extreme interest to the DEA.

Do you happen to have a WalMart anywhere near you? I've used them in four different states and never had a problem getting syringes from them. Sometimes I have to let them record my driver's license number or sign a registry or answer some questions from the pharmacist (what type of insulin, how much and how often), but they've never hassled me about them. They also have the 3/10cc syringes, and they come in a lovely 31 gauge size -- the thinnest insulin syringe they make, so it's less painful. IF you have a WalMart, you might want to call to see if they have them in stock, as not all stores carry them. However, when they haven't had them in stock, I just ask them to special-order them for me and they're almost always in the following afternoon.


The syringes you have on hand use the same-size unit as the ones the vet wanted you to get. so 1.5 units is the exact same amount on either syringe.

The differences between the syringes are:
* the diameter of the needle (29 vs 30 gauge);
* the total amount of insulin the syringe can hold (1/2cc vs 1/3cc);
* the amount of space a unit takes up in the syringe (it's often easier to accurately measure out smaller doses in smaller syringes);
* and some brands of 1/3cc syringes have half-unit markings, whick make it easier to measure half-unit doses.

Just do the best you can in measuring the dose until you can get the syringe situation sorted out, and remember that if you have any doubts as to the accuract of the dose, it's better to give too little than too much.
 
Thank you so much for those responses. I was in the midst of a panic attack thinking that I had really screwed things up! I was so angry at that darn pharmacist. The Wal-Mart that I was at today was going to fill it with no problem, other than the fact that it was going to take over an hour and I didn't have that much time. It just really annoys me that he had such an attitude about it. I had to have the insulin--I had no other choice or I would have told him to keep that as well!
 
You can use the syringes you have on hand. The concern comes with small doses and making sure you understand what the notches on the syringes mean, so you don't overdose.

The 29 is the size of the needle and honestly not a big deal.

I used Walmarts relion 30 gauge syringes with 1/2 unit markings - when you get the script filled tomorrow - be sure to ask or even write on the script 1/2 unit markings! trust me, you will need them and be glad you have them.

and the 3/10 cc is the size you want, again to keep you from making mistakes.

It's possible he gave you a hard time, because he didn't have any syringes in stock and instead of telling you or offering you a different style, size, gauge whatever, he gave you a hard time.
 
Sorry, this is the first chance I have had to get on the computer.

Sassy is doing really well today. Last night she just decided that she was hungry. I was worrying to death about her not eating and she just wanted to eat last night. I don't know if it was the smell of the pork loin cooking in the crockpot that stimulated her appetite but I'm all for it! She hasn't ate quite as much today but her BG was actually pretty good when I checked it around 7:00 p.m.

I went to Wal-Mart today and got the needles with no problems whatsoever. Not to mention a box of 100 was $12.88 there vs. the $29 that CVS was going to charge for 100.
 
I'm glad you got it sorted out. I'd still think about calling CVS corporate and reporting the incident; if you give them the date and rough time you were in, they'd have to be able to find out who was on duty. Folks who have a beloved yet ill pet certainly don't need to be dealing with that sort of crap. And what's going to happen to the next person, especially if the medicine is needed right *now* and they don't have time to get to the next pharmacy before it closes? Or what if you *hadn't* had those spare syringes, and Sassy had gone into diabeteic ketoacidosis because of that so-called pharmacist?

Anyway, I'm glad you got your syringes, and I hope that Sassy gets better soon --

Jean and her Gwyn
 
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