At our last appointment the nurse said we could reuse needles a couple of times before disposing of them. She said only a couple of times because they get dull. We have always thrown ours out after one use. Does anyone use their needles more than once? Any reasons not to?
-Meg (mom to Emmie, diagnosed 10/29/09 at age 4)
I've reused insulin pen caps when I was starting to run low on them. My endo has said it okay to do so, but not necessarily recommended.
i've never re-used a disposable needle. My mom was told when I was diagnosed 16years ago to never re-use a needle unless we have no choice, eg: there's an disasters and i've run out of needles or it's 3am and the pharmacy is closed but i need to take a shot to treat a high blood sugar.
otherwise, we've always been told to use them once and dispose, because it can lead to infection to re0use a needle, even if it's being used by the same person. unless it's a pen or one of the oooold needles where the needle part comes off and you can boil it before using it again.
i don't know if things have changed around that, but that's what i've always been told.
I do sometimes. I usually don't but occasionally I have one in my pocket I've used and don't want to go upstairs to get a new one and wake up the wifey or something. This an example of when I'll re use one. But it's not my standard operating procedure. If I lost my insurance and was on a tight budget I for sure would.
When I was on MDI, I did that ALL the time. I probably used them 4-5 times... it hurts a lot more when they've been used that many times, but I never had any problems with infection or irritation. But, everyone's different. The only way to know for certain is to try it, I guess.
We had our endo appointment today and she addressed this very issue. She showed us a picture of a used needle; it looks awful. She also commented on how it will hurt more if you reuse them. I would suggest not to do that.
KIm
i never reuse injection needles. the only ones i reuse the ones in my poker
I re-use all the time... pretty much till they are dull.. ive seen the pic many times of the dull needle it is horrible looking but i guess im just lazy
When I was on the needle, and young and broke, I would re-use them for a very very very long time. I have heard stories of people picking up bad infections from the same ....so now that I am older, I would definitely rethink that.
You do what you have to when your'e young and starving...lol
Oh, I've reused my needles sometimes only because I might have forgotten to bring extra, or I ran out and havnt go to the pharmacy yet. But I havnt had any problems with it, but I have never reused the same needle more then once, I would get a different needle to reuse. Seems gross, but It hasnt gotten me sick, or any infections yet, so I sappose it works!
i reuse my pen needles sometimes too, but only for my pen needles, and only if i haven't taken the needle off the pen. Sometimes you're stuck and hey, insulin with your reused needle is better than no insulin at all! You can definitely tell the difference between a new one and one that you've reused though, so i try not to do it unless i have to.
I got an abscess / infection in high school from a needle -- it had fallen on the floor and was also re-used, so who knows what caused it. So I never reuse my needles because I don't want to have that fun experience again if I can help it. But, I've never had a problem reusing lancets.
I reuse them until they hurt or I just think I should. My doc said that as long as I keep it clean, nothing should happen. I'm very careful about it though!
I do when/if I have to. Like if I forget to grab a clean needle but have a used one in my purse. During insurance coverage lapse (in between jobs) I've also had to do this. I was always taught not to reuse syringes but sometimes you may not have a choice. I have never had any problems (knock on wood) to date.
when i was first diagnosed, they told me to throw them away after one use. don't reuse them because of risk of infection. when i worked at a d-clinic over the summer, they told their patients they could reuse them up to 4 times, but it might hurt more. i would say as long as you are safe, you're fine to reuse them.
Before getting the pump, I would reuse my pen needles and syringes when I was running low on them. I guess my mentality was that if my sugar is high, it's better to get some insulin in me and would swipe it with alcohol before inserting it. I guess it's up to you and the circumstances. I still reuse my lancets--usually one for a whole day.
We just reused for the first time. Reason was that we were at a friend's house and had run out of needles. I would say it's better than not getting the insulin. I cleaned it with an alcohol swab. I'd day that I wouldn't reuse if for no other reason to avoid infection. But sometimes you're in a pinch...