Pre-filled syringes?

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Moosmommy

Moosmommy

Member Since 2012
I am leaving for my vacation in less then 2 weeks. I will be gone May 31- June 5.
My roommate/ex boyfriend is going to be taking care of Moo since Moo will not have to be relocated or stressed.
However, he has never done this before.
I am going to decide the day before what to dose him, depending what he is on at the time and reduce that dose (suggestions?) because
the ex will not be doing BG testing
Im trying to make this as easy and simple as possible for him because he's not very happy about having to do it; though he does love Moo.
I thought it might make it easier on everyone (moo just to keep the dosing consistant) if we could find/get 5 days worth of prefilled syringes so all the ex has to do is feed/shoot Moo when it's time daily. Although with Moo back and forth and up and down... I'm even worried about the reduced dose. Ugh.

Where can I get these if they are available?
OR can I prefill MY syringes and just put them in a cup in the fridge or something needle side up so they dont leak?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
 
It is recommended and stressed quite strenuously that Lantus syringes cannot be pre-filled. At the most, perhaps 1 or 2 syringes but not more. I can't remember why but pre-filling is a no-no. That caused me problems, too.

I understand wanting to make it as easy as possible, but your roommate should learn to fill the syringes. Is there a reason why he won't test? It's important to get those pre-shot numbers, and you can see some instances when you decided NOT to shoot based on pre-shot tests.

It seems a lot of (SORRY) men are very resistant to learning to test. It's not rocket science. My DH was so afraid he was hurting Leo and I think he was bothered by it more than Leo was. Can you encourage him to do so, because if he loves Moo, then he would want Moo to be safe ... and that means shooting insulin so the BGs aren't too high AND testing so the values don't go too low. You still have over a week before you leave to teach him and let him practice.
 
Unfortunately, the answer is no to prefilled syringes. Sienne had a great explanation a couple of days ago.

If you have someone who absolutely won't test, then usually people will select a dose a little bit below Moo's current dose before you leave. You might want to post a day or two before you leave for opinions on the "pet sitter" dose. I also second Lisa on some people being reluctant to testing. And once they do test, start commenting on the way you test. :roll:
 
Ok, here is a study I read a while back. I don't know if this is too technical, but it has the reasons why based on a study done pre-filling syringes. They pre-filled syringes and then tested several parameters of the insulin during each day, and the Lantus was not able to meet its specifications by longer than a 1 day in some syringes. This means that the insulin won't behave as expected and won't have the intended effect. Here are the details.

Prefilled syringe stability
The stability of Lantus when it is prefilled into syringes and stored up to 7 days was evaluated using four different types of syringes (Aventis, data on file). The following syringes were tested (200 syringes of each type): 1) BD Ultra-fine, U-100, 0.5 ml, 30 G ×½ inch (Becton Dickinson [BD]); 2) BD Ultra-fine II (short needle), U-100, 0.5 ml, 30 G × 5/16 inch (BD); 3) Walgreens super thin syringes, U-100, 0.5 ml, 29 G × ½ inch (Walgreens); and 4) Reli-On insulin syringes, U-100, 0.5 ml, 30 G × 5/16 inch (Wal-Mart).

The syringes were stored either at 41°F (5°C) or 77°F (25°C) for up to 7 days, after which the Lantus solution was tested for filtration time, byproducts, insulin glargine content, and m-cresol (preservative) content. The Lantus solution was visually inspected and pH measured every day (except days 4 and 5). Microbial contamination was not evaluated in this study.

Results Visual appearance at 41°F (5°C).
The Lantus solution became turbid more quickly in the Walgreens syringes compared with those of BD and Reli-On. By day 3, the Lantus solution was turbid in all four syringe types. After 2 days of storage in the Walgreens syringes, the Lantus solution did not meet specification.

Visual appearance at 77°F (25°C).
The Lantus solution became turbid in the Reli-On syringes by day 2, and turbidity occurred in the Walgreens and BD Ultra-fine II syringes by day 3. After 6 days of storage in the Walgreens syringes, the Lantus solution did not meet specification. A placebo solution stored in the Walgreens syringes at each temperature did not become turbid over 7 days.

Insulin glargine content, byproducts, filtration, and pH.For each syringe type, the Lantus solution complied with specifications.

m-Crescol content.
For each syringe type, the Lantus solution complied with specifications.

Summary
Aventis Pharmaceuticals does not recommend prefilling syringes with Lantus and storing for any period longer than needed for application. In addition BD states the following (9): “BD does not recommend that any of our syringes be prefilled more than a few minutes in advance of the injection. There are no conclusive studies to determine the safety or risks associated with this practice.”
Click to expand...
 
Ok, I just put up (cross-posted) the same study reference that Wendy relayed, so this is the same information, not two different papers. Just so you know!
 
Thanks!
Got it. Didn't think it would work, just thought it may make it easier if Moo is on a goofy dose like .75 or something for him to not have to try and fill that.

The reason he's not going to test BG is because, although he has agreed to shoot Moo... it will be difficult.
He works 2 jobs and is NOT an easy person to get up to an alarm (so doing AM shot may be hard. I may be making early AM vacation phone calls to wake him)
Between his jobs and sleeping and what not, I'll be lucky to get the shots out of him.
And he may have to miss a shot or two depending on his work schedule.
Plus I'm asking him to feed both cats separately in separate rooms. which is a pain for me to do let alone someone else.
My civi won't eat Moo's food cept for a nibble and I cant put hers out anywhere near Moo or he will scarf it down.

Moo does allow me to test easily and the ex has seen it... It's just, he and I are not on the best of terms so him agreeing to do the shots was a miracle and I think it is the best thing for Moo to stay here vs. going somewhere else.
Plus I have no $ for a sitter/vet/ anything of the sort like that.

So I think reducing the dose at time of vaca will be best. I will post a few days before and have people weigh in on amounts and such.
I am leaving Fri May 31, but can give the morning dose that day.
So he will have to give Fri PM, Sat AM PM, Sun AM PM, Mon AM PM, Tues AM PM and I will be home late tues night or early Wed morning (he may have to give Wed AM)
I wasnt going to go on the vaca, but its a family trip via car to visit my 93 yr old grandparents who arent in the best health.
And we're staying in a 'room' AT the retirement home, so obviously I cannot take Moo with either plus the 10 hr car ride would really stress him.
I will bring up the bg testing w/ him again just to test the waters, but at this point I will take what I can get as long as Moo is getting some juice.
 
Hhmm. I see. That's a challenging situation, and you would certainly know how far you can push. I agree with Wendy ... ask about a sitter dose before you go, and hopefully you can get a squirt of something in Moo while you are gone. As you said, it will be a challenge for him to measure a dose less than 1 unit, so you will have to show him how to measure a small dose. Are you using calipers? That is one way to make sure you are giving the same small dose, although it can be hard for some people (read: us with terrible eyesight) to see the dose. There are also pictures you may have seen for measuring smaller doses. You can ask that at the same time.

Good luck with that - I feel your pain. I managed to get DH to test while I visited family, but he was MARRIED to me and his non-compliance would have greater repercussions. ohmygod_smile
 
FWIW, Ms. Gabby is a diva. She barely permits my petsitter, who's a very experienced vet tech who's worked solely with cats for years, give her a shot. Testing is out of the question. I lower Gabby's dose. If you go through Gabby's SS, you'll see when I'm travelling how much I lower. I've dropped her dose anywhere from 25 - 50%.
 
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