Started using the Apidra Solostar pen about a month back +/- Found a small problem. Wondered if anybody else had encountered it… hopefully solved it too?!
Lilly’s Humalog pen had a slightly flared mid section which helpd keep the external grey cap on the thing almost always. The Apidra pen does not. In short the large external cornflower blue top-cap comes off the pen very, very easily.
Then getting the needle (even though it is covered too) is silly easy. In short once the external top is off the needle beneath gets bent like a blessed pretzel 9 time out of 10. Had to replace more of the screw on tips on the new pens in the last month than I’ve used in the last 5 years combined I think!
Anybody else had this poroblem with their pen whether Apidra’s Solostar or not??? How did you solve it?
I never thought to search for a drawing… perfect link, thanks. I feel guilty/lazy somehow now… (::: (
The pen cap is always coming off 24-7, 365, in short all the blessed time. !
I know full well if I didn;t reuse the needle it wouldn’t be an issue, but I do and prefer to. It was rarely an issue with the humalog pens they had different problems. But I was curious if you or anyone else was also having this pen cap coming off too easily issue?
Once its off the needle cover is even easier to come off than the cap does, but it wasn’t designed to protect against anything beyond accidental stabbage. …
I use the lantus solstar pen as well as the novo Nordisk novolog pen and I was always told that leaving the needles on, can not only cause the needle to bend. In some cases this can cause the full dose not to be delivered. Also leaving the needle on causes an open path whereby you could actually waste more insulin. I may be off but, aren’t needles cheaper than insulin? Not to mention the additional increased risk for scar tissue forming by reusing needles? IMHO don’t reuse needles lancet may be one thing but, needles are a whole other ball of wax.
Lets talk about this some more. A sealed vaccum, eg a needle top that is screwed onto the vial of insulin beneath it… how can that prevent the appropriate dosage??? The dial turns normally, how would less be dispensed exactly? THe plunger is not impeded by the needle tip used once or 100 times.
How would that work exactly… ?
Why would the amount of minimal lubricant on the needle itself increase our scar tissue? Its the needle that causes the skin damage not the lubricated insertion thereof, isn’t it? Skin does not like foreign objects embedded/inserted sub-q regardless of its lubrication or lack!.
Same issue lancet or syringe, merely a longer .30/.50 gague w/ the needle tips IMV.
Same-same it seems to me, but glad to re-examine the idea some more.
The terminolgy here is tricky. Pen cap is the blue exterior casing, the top piece that keeps coming loose from the body of the pen, against my best efforts to prevent.
If the exterior, the top casing will stay in place there is zero problem. The purpose of a pen is to be usable defacto instantly. They serve no purpose if they must be re-assembled any/every time we use them. Thats dozens of totally wasted units… a minimum of 2units/injection in order to prime the pen to be used. Silly waste…
The inner cap is basicly irrelevent to the conversation, as is the outer cap (clear plastic missle top under the carry case they are accidental stab prevention 101, but no other purpose to them.
Why do you feel they the needle tips should not be reused?
I’ve never had a needle bend on my yet and I use lantus solostar pen. I’ve never had a problem with the cap comming off either. But I wait until I’m ready to use the pen before I put the needle on and I change needles with each and every use because there single use needles. However if insurance didn’t cover my needles that would be a different story. Maybe you should wait until your ready to inject before putting the needle on the pen. Maybe this will help keep the needle from getting bent???
I recognize the “protocol” but propose that doing so (IMHO) is contraindicated… Meaning removing the tip, then fishing out a new one, then reattaching each and evey time is the opposite of the sole purpose of a pen. The SOLO star… not called dual or tri…
The purpose of pens is one step… obscene convenience. If we wanted multi steps, we’d just stick with the old vials.
Hi. I’m a little confused. I still find the solo star extremly convient even though I replace my needle every time. Its still way more convient than drawing up from a vial in my opnion. Each and every time I follow “protocol” before injecting and its not any big process. I simply replace my needle do a prime or a test and inject. Like I mentioned in my earlier post I would possiably reuse the needle if I wasn’t covered by insurance. Times are definatly tight now and that’s toatlly understandable! Is the needle bending on you because your reusing and capping with the needle on? That’s what I understood from the post. Forgive me if I misunderstood.
To answer your question about reusing needle tips. The reason that I feel they must not be reused is likely due to my background in healthcare for twenty years. I know micro particles stay on the needle and this can cause infection under certain conditions, yes even if it is our own bodly fluid on the tips. Also the needles of this day are not made like the needles of the past these needles now are unfortunately truely made for one use. They bend, get dull, contain microscopic pieces on them its just not a good pratice. But like I said I too would be forced to reuse if I wasn’t covered by insurance. I .know cost can be a factor. The quaility of the needle now just isn’t what it should be for reuse. That’s why I believe if possiable to use a new needle each time. If its not possiable, I understand that completely. I just wish they made them a bit better so they could perform well under multi use.
