You should change them everytime. Do you?
I tell me wife I do. I tell my doctor I do.
I don’t.
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Nor do I; maybe daily/weekly.
Though, now I’ve noticed now after 25yrs, the cumulative effect of using dull lancets has left my finger tips numb.
I assume the sharper the lancet, the less significant the wound, the less damage caused.
So, currently still don’t change each time, I’ve increased to daily change from the past where I continued use till the pain became too significant.
Sidenote: Which causes more damage: the initial puncture, or the sometime squeezing for that drop of blood?
Either way, I’m assuming the sharper the lancet , the less squeezing involved.
Another side, it’s so Ironic that we’re so frugal in changing lancets; they’re the only ‘cheap’ part of the diabetes regimen. I can understand getting the most out of a CGM sensor, getting every drop of insulin out of the vial- they’re expensive. But lancets- they’re pennies.
john
Wait. What? You are supposed to change them???
All kidding aside I change the lancet when it starts to hurt, or at 1-2 months interval. Going strong at approx 45 thousand checks already
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I replace them if and when I think about it, or when they seem particularly dull. I also try to check my BGs whenever I’m bleeding for any other reason (a splinter, tripping over one of my dogs, random gunfire).
I’m not great about changing the needles on my pens either. Just being honest.
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Whether or not it needs changing, I change my lancet, if I remember then, when I change the clocks from daylight time to standard time. Now that Florida had voted to stay on “daylight time”, and hoping the US GovBoys approve, I will never need to change another lancet.
OK, I do change these new fangled “soft” lancets when the point will no longer penetrate my leather-tipped fingers. Does any one else remember the “lance” that acme [one per package] with the original BS strips? The lance was a 2" by 1/4" piece of Sheetmetal with a pointed end.
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Ok, I will be a different voice.
I aim to change mine every single time and here is why.
Last summer, I ended up being sick. I had a virus in my body. At that time I was paying out of pocket for everything and thought, “hey! what a great idea to re-use my lancets”
until, my body couldnt kick out the virus. I ended up in the ER and spent over a week there, not responding to antibiotics, necrotic tissue in my lymph nodes. It was a scary moment, and I really believe that re-using those lancets was part of the issue. Since then, My thought is they cost pennies.
Wanna hear the best part of it all though:
My ex came home to take care of our youngest while I was in the hospital and decided to check his BS, (and did NOT change the lancet)
Best pay back ever 
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HEHEHE! That made me chuckle.
Only when I perceive them as getting Dull. Maybe 1ce a month. Pen Needles or syringes maybe 1ce a week, sooner if I bend the needle.
I try and change at least once a year, but likely change when I lose the device. I doubt that you have a great risk of infection when you don’t go deeper then the first layer of skin, and you don’t expose the lancet. I am careful about hand washing before sticking myself. I also reuse needles for several days until dull.
my lancet has been in my pen for over 2 years no problems, am on pump but when I have to use needles they could be 20+ years old, alway cleaned with a stick into an alcohol pad filled ad emptied multiple times, now maybe 60 years type 1 has made me less sensitive to pain, I don’t know its just the way it is :o)
I have had T1 nearly 50 years, and I only changed lancets when they became dull. I have had only one finger become infected. I don’t sterilize with alcohol or anything. Same with the syringes before I went on a pump. I had two syringes, one for long-acting insulin and one for short-acting insulin, and changed these only when they were dull. I would change lancets every 6 months or so and syringes every week or two. And in both cases, no sterilization with alcohol. In all that time I only had a single infected finger from a lancet and no infections from the syringes. So suite yourself. If the lancet hurts, change it. Or try lessening the depth it goes into your finger. Otherwise, you will be fine.
When we were diagnosed in December, we were told to change it once a day. We start the day fresh and use the same one all day. Now with Dexcom G6, we rarely have to fingerprick ever! We did at first to gain confidence in the device, but now we only prick if we’re in question with her readings.
My 13-year-old daughter uses the FastClix barrels. I encourage her to replace the barrel each time she opens a new container of test strips. I figure the more routine I can encourage while she’s young, the better they might stick when she’s on her own.
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I haven’t changed mine since, probably, last month.
I change mine when I start to realize i have to poke my finger twice to get some blood. So when they dull
Depends how many times a day you test! I definitely don’t change after each usage. I wear a Dex CGM, so I only test every 12 hours unless numbers look funky. Mostly I change lancets approx. every other day. Never had a problem in 40+ years!
I can’t remember the last time I changed my lancet - definitely over 6 months. Might be time for a change…
@dobers 
Honestly with lancets, it’s whenever. They are the cheapest part of our routine, and yet I don’t. Never really dull - always work. I have three sets - so there’s never a reason to not test. With cgm it’s much less often than years ago. Also way back before omnipod when I did MDI - I would hold on to my syringe for about a week - basically until it became dull and injections hurt (6-12/day). Never had an infection as a result of either.
Funny post - thanks for the honesty!
Once a month seems like an awfully long time to go without changing the lancet. I use very fine lancets and even they seem to get dull after about 2 weeks. I used to use an AccuChek Compact Plus meter and the the strips came in drums. Changing the drum (after 17 tests) would remind me to change the lancet.
I agree
I change them when I think of it, When it’s like getting blood out of a stone is my usual reminder. I keep a few extra lancets in my test kits and I have several kits I go between so I’m not running around looking for one when I need to do a BG so it’s easy to forget when I changed them.