Does anyone know if the Humalog KwikPen or Apidra can only be drawn in FULL doses? My son (age 6) often only gets a .5 unit. Can that NOT be done with these pens? (They are both samples from the Dr. We have currently been using the Humalog Luxera, which CAN be done in half doses)
I have called his endo., but I'm sure I can get an answer much quicker from here, than from the DR.
Thanks!
For Humalog, you need to have the special pediatric ones for 1/2 unit doses. (I don't know if Apidra has pediatric ones out.) Is there a reason the endo switched you from the pen w/ 1/2 units? Maybe it was just an oversight...
I have been using a homalog pen for years and I just found out from a younger diabetic friend that pens can even do half units. Some pens do half, some one, and some even do two unit increments. I am pretty sure the half unit ones are really aimed for children becuase they tend to use less insulin. Also I am pretty sure kwikpen does not do half units. I have the original lispro injection and it does not either. I know novopen has one that does.
We used to use a Humalog pen for my son. It's a reusable one that you replace insulin cartridges in. It has 1/2 unit increments, BUT you can't give just 1/2 unit, the smallest amount you can deliver is 1 unit. That is one major reason we stopped using it. I was tired of taking the pen and syringes everywhere we went and having to pull 1/2 unit out of the pen. :(
We used to try to give half units by pumping out a few drops of insulin before injecting. Our endo said it was okay to try. Maybe not too accurate
but pens aren't so accurate anyway. There was always one drop on the skin after an injection no matter how long we left the needle.