Insulin Pens 2012 - Diabetes Forecast Magazine
Insulin Pens 2012 - Diabetes Forecast Magazine
Insulin Pens 2012 - Diabetes Forecast Magazine
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<strong>2012</strong><br />
Consumer<br />
guıde<br />
With insulin delivery, it’s nice to have<br />
options. <strong>Insulin</strong> pens combine an insulin vial<br />
and syringe into one portable device that many<br />
people find convenient. They’re fairly simple to use: Just<br />
screw on a pen needle every time you inject (box, below),<br />
dial in a dose, insert the needle under the skin, and press<br />
the injection button to deliver the insulin. Not all pens<br />
are the same, though, and a savvy pen shopper will want<br />
to consider these questions:<br />
Get<br />
MORe!<br />
online<br />
Humalog<br />
KwiKPen<br />
Eli Lilly<br />
Disposable<br />
insulin used<br />
Humalog<br />
Humalog Mix 75/25<br />
Humalog Mix 50/50<br />
insulin delivery<br />
One-unit increments,<br />
up to 60 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Pen is blue, with labels<br />
of different colors for<br />
various types of insulin.<br />
<strong>Diabetes</strong> <strong>Forecast</strong> | january <strong>2012</strong><br />
insulin <strong>Pens</strong><br />
By Erika Gebel, PhD<br />
A list of insulins is available at<br />
forecast.diabetes.org/insulin-chart.<br />
HumaPen<br />
luxura HD<br />
Eli Lilly<br />
Reusable<br />
insulin used<br />
Humalog<br />
insulin delivery<br />
Half-unit increments,<br />
up to 30 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Can dispense half units of<br />
insulin (suitable for children).<br />
Pen is green and made<br />
out of metal.<br />
Does the pen contain the type of insulin I use?<br />
Different pens are compatible with different types of insulin.<br />
So if you’re already taking insulin, you’ll need to pick a pen<br />
that works with the type you use. If you’re taking more than<br />
one type of insulin, make sure the pens for each can be easily<br />
distinguished, so there is no mistaking one insulin for another.<br />
Should I go with a reusable or disposable pen?<br />
For some types of insulin, you’ll have a choice between disposable<br />
or reusable. Disposable pens come prefilled with a cartridge of<br />
insulin and are stored in the refrigerator until use, then kept at<br />
room temperature after opening. When the insulin runs out,<br />
original<br />
PreFilleD Pen<br />
Eli Lilly<br />
Disposable<br />
insulin used<br />
Humulin N<br />
Humulin 70/30<br />
insulin delivery<br />
One-unit increments,<br />
up to 60 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Pen is white, with labels<br />
of different colors for<br />
various types of insulin.<br />
(This pen is no longer sold<br />
for use with Humalog,<br />
Humalog Mix 75/25, and<br />
Humalog Mix 50/50.)<br />
FlexPen<br />
Novo Nordisk<br />
Disposable<br />
insulin used<br />
Levemir<br />
NovoLog<br />
NovoLog Mix 70/30<br />
insulin delivery<br />
One-unit increments,<br />
up to 60 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Pen is blue, with labels<br />
of different colors for<br />
various types of insulin.<br />
Pen needles A new pen needle should be used for each injection. These disposable nubs screw onto the end of an insulin pen.<br />
They come in a variety of lengths (between about 4 mm and 12 mm) and gauges (the higher the gauge, the thinner the needle).<br />
Generally, heavier people should use longer needles than thin people. If a lean person uses a longer needle, there’s a risk of<br />
hitting muscle tissue. Conversely, if a heavy person uses a short needle, insulin may tend to leak around the site of injection,<br />
leading to incorrect dosing. Pinching up the skin before injecting insulin helps avoid these problems and is a good idea for anyone.<br />
As for pain, a thicker needle may be more painful than a more slender one, but people’s perception of pain varies widely.<br />
If you need high doses of insulin, a thicker needle is better. Pen needles should not be reused.
these pens can be discarded. Reusable pens, which should never<br />
be stored in the refrigerator, are loaded by the user with insulin<br />
cartridges that are purchased separately. The cartridges are kept<br />
refrigerated until they are loaded into the pen.<br />
Does the pen allow me to fine-tune insulin doses?<br />
<strong>Pens</strong> differ in both their dosing increments and the maximum<br />
amount of insulin that can be dispensed at a single time.<br />
People who are very sensitive to the effects of insulin,<br />
such as children, may want insulin doses in half-unit<br />
increments. <strong>Insulin</strong>-resistant people may benefit from pens<br />
that can dose in 2-unit increments or are able to dose more<br />
insulin at one time. ▲<br />
novoPen 3<br />
Novo Nordisk<br />
Reusable<br />
insulin used<br />
NovoLog<br />
insulin delivery<br />
One-unit increments,<br />
from 2 to 70 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Available in silver, green, or<br />
blue. Pen is made out of metal.<br />
novoPen<br />
Junior<br />
Novo Nordisk<br />
Reusable<br />
insulin used<br />
NovoLog<br />
insulin delivery<br />
Half-unit increments,<br />
up to 35 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Can dispense half units of<br />
insulin (suitable for children).<br />
Pen is blue with colorful<br />
detailing.<br />
safety nOte<br />
<strong>Insulin</strong> pens should not be shared with anyone,<br />
even if the needle is changed, because there is a risk<br />
of transmitting serious diseases such as hepatitis B.<br />
autoPen<br />
ClassiC<br />
Owen Mumford<br />
Reusable<br />
insulin used<br />
Humalog<br />
insulin delivery<br />
Comes in a 1-unit increment<br />
version, which can dispense<br />
up to 21 units at a time, and<br />
a 2-unit increment version,<br />
which can dispense up to<br />
42 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Delivery button is on the side<br />
rather than on the end. <strong>Insulin</strong><br />
is delivered with a spring<br />
mechanism, so the pressure<br />
required to push the button is<br />
the same regardless of dose<br />
size or needle gauge. Pen is<br />
available in blue and green.<br />
solostar<br />
Sanofi-Aventis<br />
Disposable<br />
insulin used<br />
Apidra or Lantus<br />
insulin delivery<br />
One-unit increments,<br />
up to 80 units at a time<br />
details<br />
Apidra and Lantus versions<br />
of this pen have different<br />
colors (blue for Apidra, gray<br />
for Lantus) and feel different<br />
to the touch to help users<br />
distinguish between the types<br />
of insulin.<br />
Note: Supplies of SoloStar Apidra<br />
prefilled pens may be limited<br />
through March <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
january <strong>2012</strong> | <strong>Diabetes</strong> <strong>Forecast</strong>