If it’s anything like an epipen, I think the only way to access it would be to fire the injection into some sort of container and then draw up the liquid into a syringe and put it wherever you want. The epipen fires an incredibly forceful injection (designed to go through jeans) and is very hard to aim when firing into the air as opposed to a solid surface (I have only fired expired epipens into pieces of fruit and into the sink, haven’t tried firing into any sort of container).
According to the Wikipedia article on autoinjectors someone has already taken one type (for a medication I’m not familiar with) apart. So I’m sure our community may figure out a way. Just not sure it will be as easy as drawing liquid out of it.
I use an autoinjector with cosentyx. I never looked at how to take it apart, but after my next dose, I’ll see if there is a way to do it. Still, I think the better option is to wait for the mini dose pen/kit, if it doesn’t become available at the same time as the Glucagon Rescue Pen currently going through the NDA process.
I have had to deal with ignorance with lows. Like the time a neighbor tried to give me a Diet Coke. Or the time my cousin was shouting, “He’s low! He’s low! He needs his insulin!” And I just staggered to the fridge by myself.
Something that is more distinguishable would be nice. For example, something like this Neosporin spray thingy at least would look different.
I think that’s going to be a problem with almost any autoinjector. They are almost all long and skinny like most injection devices. (One exception is the Allerject/Auvi-Q, but that got pulled offthemarket for years due to not delivering the epinephrine properly…)
Maybe it will be plastered with instructions like the epipen. But even then, it’s probably not going to help if someone doesn’t understand the basics of when to use it… And if someone doesn’t know that, even if they do get the devices mixed up, it’s likely they wouldn’t know how to screw a needle onto an insulin pen or dial up a dose. So at most, even if they accidentally tried to use an insulin pen, they would probably just pull off the cap and jab it at you thinking it was doing something.
I think the real solution, though, is to carry something like this in a highly visible location and tell people about where it is. I already do this with my epipen, it’s in a bright red case in a specific pocket of my backpack. My insulin pens are buried in with my backup pump supplies. I tell people about the red case and what’s in it, but not the other case.
Same. We have them in a number of locations. It is the only item we carry which is entirely red and as such, clearly stands out even at the bottom of a bag.
My trust in the general public may be [much] lower than average. If my T1 has a critical problem, my best expectation is for somebody to call 911. The thought of a typical person attempting to perform any sort of emergency treatment is actually a horrifying thought.
Everybody is different but I do expect my T1 can wait a few minutes for trained paramedics to arrive.
An epi-pen is a different situation where a few minutes may be a lifetime.
I agree. Complete stranger, the best I expect is them to notice I have a medical ID and call 911.
But friends, colleagues, family, or others I’ve told about my emergency supplies and where to find them, that is where something like this is useful. As well as the possibility of maybe being able to self-administer during a severe low. Much better than my current situation of not carrying glucagon around at all.
Nice! I’ve never had to have glucagon administered. After 30 plus years of type 1 and some complications, let’s hope it stays that way.
This sounds like a great improvement for sure. I’ve always wondered how things would go down if I actually needed it. Like would the people around me have a clue? It’s pretty simple; but how well would they be able to follow instructions and administer it? If they couldn’t, how quickly would they call 911 and how fast would 911 arrive?
Anyway, I’m all for science, so, yeah! Thanks for this update.
