Has anyone been using the “Memoir” pen by Lilly? The info. on the pens is out
-dated - even on Lilly’s ‘Humalog’ site. Although it’s not available here in Canada it seems a neat idea - but cons. appear to be 1) Cost 2) Having to use Humalog and Lilly’s needles
I currently using Novorapid and Novolin ge NPH but my memory isn’t what it used to be and any kind of ‘reminder’ is welcome.
I’m interested in them as well. Never used them & I’m currently using novolog but when I go back to MDI next month I was considering switching because I’m worried I’ll forget my last dose. I’d love to hear if anyone’s using it or if a switch would even be worth it…
I used the Memoir for awhile pre-pump… I loved it… you no longer had to go… Did I take a dose, and you could use the history, to fill in the gaps in your logbook at night… Seemed to help me make sure i took all the insulin i needed. Pen was one of those free with prescription deals, Plus the 3ml cartridges are convieient. I use BD needles… one of the nicer ones… Got the pen for nothing with an online coupon and prescription…
It’s now kind-of/sort-of available in Canada. The company has put out brochures in several drug stores (including the Shoppers chain), but none of the drug stores have them. They are available through diabetes education centres that are connected to hospitals, but the ones in my area have more hoops to jump through than a three-ring circus.
The pens come in the same style case as the Luxura, except black in color, and the pen itself appears to only be available in burgundy. Build quality seems variable. I’ve handled two of them, and on one, the knob that you use to dial the dose seems to stick a bit. The batteries appear to not be replaceable, at least not through company-authorized procedures. The pen caps and cartridge holders are interchangeable with the Luxura pens, and different than the Ergo and Novo pens, with a threaded instead of a bayonet style fastener.
Like their other pens, you can use whatever needles you choose. BD and Novo pen needles will work without problems. Also like their other pens, you can dial a dose that’s larger than what you have left in the cartridge, something that is quite strange to users of the Novo pens, which stop when you get to the end of the cartridge.
Operation is straight-forward, dial a dose then push the plunger. You can ignore the advanced features if you don’t want to be bothered with them, but it keeps the log onboard, where a caregiver/diabetes educator/nurse can review it. It records all uses, including priming, but can get confused if you leave the plunger out for too long (the pen will automatically turn off if left alone for several minutes.) The display is reasonably easy to see, although it’s a LCD display, so you might not be able to see it in the light from your computer’s display unless you rotate it a bit (the standard problem with polarized light). The plunger has a switch built-in, and it activates when you push the plunger with the dose at 0. There’s also a switch to the left of the display, which turns the pen on, and is used for setting the time/date/mode of the pen.
The memory function is an “It’s about bloody time!” feature. They say it’s the first with a memory, but it seems they can’t remember about 10 years ago, when Novo had the InNovo/InDuo, which showed the last dose, and that it was up to 12 hours ago, enough of a memory to cover my biggest need – “Did I take it, or didn’t I?”
There are three metal contact on the back of the pen, that the documentation completely ignores. I suspect they are either a TTL-level serial port, or an abbreviated USB port, but would like to hear if anyone else has connected anything to them yet.
If there are any other questions I can answer about them, please let me know.