Insulin Pens 2012 - Diabetes Forecast Magazine

2012
Consumer
guıde
With insulin delivery, it’s nice to have
options. Insulin pens combine an insulin vial
and syringe into one portable device that many
people find convenient. They’re fairly simple to use: Just
screw on a pen needle every time you inject (box, below),
dial in a dose, insert the needle under the skin, and press
the injection button to deliver the insulin. Not all pens
are the same, though, and a savvy pen shopper will want
to consider these questions:
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Humalog
KwiKPen
Eli Lilly
Disposable
insulin used
Humalog
Humalog Mix 75/25
Humalog Mix 50/50
insulin delivery
One-unit increments,
up to 60 units at a time
details
Pen is blue, with labels
of different colors for
various types of insulin.
Diabetes Forecast | january 2012
insulin Pens
By Erika Gebel, PhD
A list of insulins is available at
forecast.diabetes.org/insulin-chart.
HumaPen
luxura HD
Eli Lilly
Reusable
insulin used
Humalog
insulin delivery
Half-unit increments,
up to 30 units at a time
details
Can dispense half units of
insulin (suitable for children).
Pen is green and made
out of metal.
Does the pen contain the type of insulin I use?
Different pens are compatible with different types of insulin.
So if you’re already taking insulin, you’ll need to pick a pen
that works with the type you use. If you’re taking more than
one type of insulin, make sure the pens for each can be easily
distinguished, so there is no mistaking one insulin for another.
Should I go with a reusable or disposable pen?
For some types of insulin, you’ll have a choice between disposable
or reusable. Disposable pens come prefilled with a cartridge of
insulin and are stored in the refrigerator until use, then kept at
room temperature after opening. When the insulin runs out,
original
PreFilleD Pen
Eli Lilly
Disposable
insulin used
Humulin N
Humulin 70/30
insulin delivery
One-unit increments,
up to 60 units at a time
details
Pen is white, with labels
of different colors for
various types of insulin.
(This pen is no longer sold
for use with Humalog,
Humalog Mix 75/25, and
Humalog Mix 50/50.)
FlexPen
Novo Nordisk
Disposable
insulin used
Levemir
NovoLog
NovoLog Mix 70/30
insulin delivery
One-unit increments,
up to 60 units at a time
details
Pen is blue, with labels
of different colors for
various types of insulin.
Pen needles A new pen needle should be used for each injection. These disposable nubs screw onto the end of an insulin pen.
They come in a variety of lengths (between about 4 mm and 12 mm) and gauges (the higher the gauge, the thinner the needle).
Generally, heavier people should use longer needles than thin people. If a lean person uses a longer needle, there’s a risk of
hitting muscle tissue. Conversely, if a heavy person uses a short needle, insulin may tend to leak around the site of injection,
leading to incorrect dosing. Pinching up the skin before injecting insulin helps avoid these problems and is a good idea for anyone.
As for pain, a thicker needle may be more painful than a more slender one, but people’s perception of pain varies widely.
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
be stored in the refrigerator, are loaded by the user with insulin
cartridges that are purchased separately. The cartridges are kept
refrigerated until they are loaded into the pen.
Does the pen allow me to fine-tune insulin doses?
Pens differ in both their dosing increments and the maximum
amount of insulin that can be dispensed at a single time.
People who are very sensitive to the effects of insulin,
such as children, may want insulin doses in half-unit
increments. Insulin-resistant people may benefit from pens
that can dose in 2-unit increments or are able to dose more
insulin at one time. ▲
novoPen 3
Novo Nordisk
Reusable
insulin used
NovoLog
insulin delivery
One-unit increments,
from 2 to 70 units at a time
details
Available in silver, green, or
blue. Pen is made out of metal.
novoPen
Junior
Novo Nordisk
Reusable
insulin used
NovoLog
insulin delivery
Half-unit increments,
up to 35 units at a time
details
Can dispense half units of
insulin (suitable for children).
Pen is blue with colorful
detailing.
safety nOte
Insulin pens should not be shared with anyone,
even if the needle is changed, because there is a risk
of transmitting serious diseases such as hepatitis B.
autoPen
ClassiC
Owen Mumford
Reusable
insulin used
Humalog
insulin delivery
Comes in a 1-unit increment
version, which can dispense
up to 21 units at a time, and
a 2-unit increment version,
which can dispense up to
42 units at a time
details
Delivery button is on the side
rather than on the end. Insulin
is delivered with a spring
mechanism, so the pressure
required to push the button is
the same regardless of dose
size or needle gauge. Pen is
available in blue and green.
solostar
Sanofi-Aventis
Disposable
insulin used
Apidra or Lantus
insulin delivery
One-unit increments,
up to 80 units at a time
details
Apidra and Lantus versions
of this pen have different
colors (blue for Apidra, gray
for Lantus) and feel different
to the touch to help users
distinguish between the types
of insulin.
Note: Supplies of SoloStar Apidra
prefilled pens may be limited
through March 2012.
january 2012 | Diabetes Forecast