It seems to me like I am the only T1 still using MDI on this board, in my case for 50 years. I know I’m not, just that pumps in all their flavors seems to dominate the discussions here.
Anyway, I reuse syringes and pen needles so that I VERY rarely have to buy them, and it is easier to buy retail than bother getting a prescription. A box of 100 pen needles lasts me four years, so between that and using up all the 50 or so samples I had been given over the years, yes it has been quite a while.
But when I went to Amazon to order another box of 100, I was denied with an error that they couldn’t ship to my address in NH. OK, that was surprising in the “live free or die” state, but kind of made sense since I had lived in a different state the last time I had ordered six years ago. So I used my previous address, in MA. When that was denied for the same reason, I used my daughters address in CA. And AGAIN it was denied.
So I looked it up and confirmed that all of these states allow needle purchase without prescription. So it was Amazon that changed their policy, not the states. Amazon does still allow purchase of tons of different needles, from generic to name brand, but only if you send them a prescription. This leads me to believe they are using this change to try to motivate customers to start sending their prescriptions and get locked into using their pharmacy.
I actually did find and order a box of needles that had been hidden in Amazon by putting them in the incorrect category. But there were only a few of these, and I suspect Amazon will weed these out of their database soon. So if you want to order from them without prescription, you might want to do it soon. And plan on ordering from a different online diabetic supply retailer in the future.
TLDNR: Amazon seems to be taking away the ability to order insulin needles unless you send them a prescription.
That proves it’s been a while since my last order, I assumed it was a relatively recent change on Amazons part, and agree that is the likely reason. Now, how am I going to remember the name of adw diabetes for when I need it four years from now…
There’s still more than a couple of us doing MDI. I poked around, looks like Amazon wants you to have a prescription if you want the seller to be Amazon. Looking at it another way it seems Amazon has banned everyone else from selling certain medical products so Amazon can charge more for those products.
This is a good reminder that Amazon isn’t the best place to get everything. I once bought two toilets from Amazon and learned not to do that again.
I just placed an order for needles at diathrive.com, they are $12 per box. I don’t use a prescription to shop for needles because I think that would jack up the price. I reuse my needles too. You have to save money anyway you can.
I just checked, as an irregular purchaser of both pen needles and insulin syringes on Amazon; I used a couple of my previous orders one for pen needles, which I could still click on and order again. One for BD insulin syringes which was no longer available (I got the dog) but a direct search for BD insulin syringes gave me something I could order.
Like I said, I did finally find and order pen needles on Amazon, but almost all of the ones I saw would not be mailed to me without a prescription. The ones I did find available to ship were all hidden in the Amazon database to get around their shipping rule. I ended up buying insulin pen needles listed as “Domestic Sewing Needles”. A little creepy at first (I had never thought of my skin as a cotton, linen, silk mix before), but you do what you need to do:
6mm 31G Pen Needles
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Brand
Novofine
Item Length
6 Millimeters
Compatible Devices
Domestic Sewing Machine
Compatible Material
Common sewing materials such as cotton, linen, silk, wool, polyester, nylon, and synthetic leather
I found your message so refreshing! I’m also a T1 doing MDI for nearly 45 years. I’ve bought needles at Walmart without a prescription in MA. I haven’t done it NH as of yet.
Having an Rx doesn’t lock you into using a particular pharmacy. Rx’s can be easily transferred. Rx vs. OTC – if you have medical ins. the Rx route may be the less expensive route.
There is a risk with reusing needles and syringes – infection, exposure to contaminants that build up (unless you clean and resterilize).
Fair point. I suspect the reason has to do with the fact that pumps are complex systems with a LOT more failure points that people need help with. Something very much on the favorable side of the ledger for MDI.
Once a decade I get a prescription from doc for syringes or pen needles. Inevitably they prescribe 4 a day.
I fill the prescription and rack up gobs of boxes of needles for the year.
Then because I’m not exactly using a new needle every single time I have many years worth of supplies taking up space on shelves. And I’ll go several years before asking my doc for a prescription again.
At this point my newest syringes date from 2015 and newest pens date from 2021 and I’m not gonna have to get a new prescription anytime soon.
I just checked my boxes of pen needles and the last time I got them the prescripton on the box shows 2012. I am MDI on Humalog, average 6.25 injections per day according to my digital pen, and if I am sloppy only get about 30 days out of a needle, but if I am careful I can get a couple of months out of each needle. This was not possible with Lantus/Levemir, when I took those insulins because the pens would plug up every 2-3 days and would need to be flushed out with Humalog to keep using the pens longer.
Necessity is the mother of invention. When I was doing business in some very remote parts of the world for weeks on end it was not possible to have more then 2-3 pen needles with me, so that is where I learned to use pen needles for weeks and once in the habit, never looked back. I started this practice about 35 years ago and have never had an infection or other issue with this process.
I do put the little inner cap back on the needle after each use, That allows me to make sure that the needle is not bent.
I had the same issue with Amazon as Jag1. Even with a script they would not ship to Connecticut. So I had them shipped to my sister in Fla. and she reshipped them to me. But with Diathrive I had no issues no script.
I use a new pen needle for every injection. I have health insurance that covers syringes and pen needles. Using the pharmacy benefit i I pay $120/year for 2400. If I buy them from an in network DME company they’re cheaper. Worth every penny.
I am in south Florida, and I purchased (and received) pen needles from Amazon on three weeks ago. After seeing this post I went to check on my previous purchase, and sure enough it shows up as undeliverable to my address.
Zero warning or explanation. I have no idea if this is a Florida thing- which I find unlikely considering my recent orders, or an Amazon thing. Luckily, I was able to get my new boxes sent to my house other house in North Carolina, but this issue is really frustrating.
I believing at this time. That another poster hit the head on the nail on the head. Amazon is trying to force us into their pharmacy group. But I do have to admit my shipment was three years ago. Fortunately for me I order 12, 100 count boxes.
What’s making me scratch my head, is that Amazon “is” my pharmacy. They know I have T1D, they’re the ones that supply my CGM and insulin pens.
When I look on their pharmacy page, I can see several needle options, but they are still showing up as being unable to ship to my location - no explanation as to what “location” that are referring.
I did check out the Pip store, and while they do not have the exact gauge needles I use (32g/5mm) they are close enough, and a decent price. So, at least I know where to get my next batch in a year, lol!
