Waht is the Correct way to fill syringe with insulin?

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Debra and Yoyo

Debra and Yoyo

Member Since 2018
I have read numerous ways to fill the syringe and I am confused. Some say to never push back excess insulin into the vial because it causes contamination to the insulin in the vial and others say it is fine to push excess insulin back into the vial.
Also, some say before filling syringe to pull back plunger to number of units to be used and then to push that air into the vial. And then pull back on plunger to fill the correct amount of units to be used. Really confused!
What is the correct way to fill a syringe with insulin?
 
What I've discovered over the last year and a bit (working in a veterinary clinic for much of that) is that, although we're often told that there is "syringe lubricant" that might contaminate the insulin if you push any back from the syringe into the vial, that's actually not true. The only part of a syringe that is lubricated (in some cases) is the needle, which goes in the vial regardless. So, pushing insulin back into the vial (provided you haven't already stuck the needle in the cat or contaminated it some other way) is actually fine to do. Many human diabetics will deliberately over-draw insulin and then push the excess back into the vial to help with removing air bubbles, especially in larger doses. There is no contraindication, and no contamination risk to the insulin, from doing so. When it comes to whether or not to push air into the vial, that really depends on the manufacturer instructions for the particular insulin you're using. For instance, with Lantus if you use a vial, then yes you should push air into the vial before drawing the insulin. If you use a pen, then you shouldn't add air at all.
 
Thank you for responding. This morning was my first tiime giving Yoyo his insuln shot. I did not put air into the vial. I pushed the needle into the vial with the black line at ZERO and then I drew back on the syringe to get 1 unit. Is this O.K.? Or is it a MUST to put air into the vial?
 
Debra and Yoyo said:
Thank you for responding. This morning was my first tiime giving Yoyo his insuln shot. I did not put air into the vial. I pushed the needle into the vial with the black line at ZERO and then I drew back on the syringe to get 1 unit. Is this O.K.? Or is it a MUST to put air into the vial?
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Pushing a bit of air into the vial is to overcome the slight vacuum that's created as you draw out insulin. At the tiny dose you're drawing it won't make much difference but there could be quite a bit of "suction effect" if the volume was larger. The Lantus cartridges are made in such a way that an internal plunger moves gradually toward the rubber seal end with each dose drawn so that solves the suction problem.
 
Thank you! This morning was the first time giving Yoyo his insulin shot. I did not put air into the vial. I put the syringe into the vial with the black line at ZERO. Once the needle was in the vial, I withdrew 1 unit. Hope I did it right! It is scary doing this at home by yourself with no Vet or Technicians around. And now I am concerned that his blood glucose levels do not drop to low. I will monitor him every 2 hours. Can you tell me a number where it is getting too low and that I should pay even closer attention to him? What scares me is that I don't know a pattern for him yet when giving him his insulin. I don't know where the numbers are going to go.
 
Debra and Yoyo said:
Thank you! This morning was the first time giving Yoyo his insulin shot. I did not put air into the vial. I put the syringe into the vial with the black line at ZERO. Once the needle was in the vial, I withdrew 1 unit. Hope I did it right! It is scary doing this at home by yourself with no Vet or Technicians around. And now I am concerned that his blood glucose levels do not drop to low. I will monitor him every 2 hours. Can you tell me a number where it is getting too low and that I should pay even closer attention to him? What scares me is that I don't know a pattern for him yet when giving him his insulin. I don't know where the numbers are going to go.
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I see that you have his AMPS on your spreadsheet. I think I assumed you were using Lantus, perhaps incorrectly. What insulin are you using? If you could put that into your grey signature text it would help us a lot because our advice is based on what insulin you use.

It takes time - a lot of time - to learn a kitty's patterns and be able to make assumptions about what *might* happen. Your goal right now is to get the whole testing and injecting thing under your belt so it becomes routine. Starting at a sensible insulin dose, testing at key times and logging your data will be your go to reference. Ask for help here often.

General guide: do a +2 BG test and if it's more than 100 points lower than the PS number, test again at +3. If BG starts approaching 68 (the "take action" number with an AT meter - NOT a hypo, just a take action warning!) give a small snack of low carb wet food. Post here for help. I don't want to overwhelm you with details right now. I recommend that you do to the forum for you type of insulin and post there for guidance. :)
 
I just tested Yoyo's BG and it dropped 112 points. I'll recheck in an hour like you suggested. And I'll keep rechecking and give him snacks.
Please tell me if I should be looking for anything else. He seems fine and alert at this time.
 
You can always put 2 units of air into the vial tonight and draw out just one to equalize things from this morning. I've heard from a number of people who work in hospital settings who say that they always push a full syringe-full of air into the vial when drawing insulin because they know a lot of people forget so they do it to equalize. It doesn't appear to make a whole lot of difference in reality, although it's recommended to do it each time.

AT is the AlphaTrak, but the numbers for the AlphaTrak actually apply to any brand that's specifically for pets. Human meters run a different range of 50-120, which is why we specify the type of meter when talking about lower numbers.
 
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