I feel like loosing it. My son was having abnormal highs and I always prime his insulin pen, but I noticed it doesn’t want to do 1/2 units so I tried the pen his school nurse previously had and that too will show a drop after I prime it with one unit them NOTHING at a 1/2 unit. Anyone else ever had this issue. I am back to syringes again!
@staceybartleyandrade hi Stacey, The FDA takes dosing accuracy very seriously. You must report this finding to the manufacturer.
a 1/2 unit dose should produce a 3mm diameter droplet at the top of the needle.
thanks Joe we noticed that we used some different needles and got it to work, but not sure if it was a clog or the needles on top after 4 needles I wasn’t sure why it did not work. I am getting new pens from our endocrinologist.
It has been many years since I’ve had an insulin pen in my hands, and I’ve only used the type that utilized cartridges and not the popular prefilled.
As I recall, the needle guards had markings on them for testing accuracy of insulin and it was advised [in small print] that from time-to-time that the user verify accuracy of delivery.
I have the cartridges and make sure to prime them and I see the insulin but it has decided to work when it wants to. Frustrating, but we can go back to syringes and be sure
The Echo pen will accurately does half units.
I was told when I was in the Novopen Jr (only novolog pen to use 1/2 unit dosing) to never prime less than 1 unit. The needles will still have air within them with only using that small of a dose. I’m now in nursing school and we are taught to prime all needles and syringes (with very very specific exceptions) to prime a full unit of insulin.
Thank you. My son does 1/2 units frequently so I was never told not to prime. I appreciate the feedback and will check with his endocrinologist and the nurse at his school as she in the past trained staff on the use of the pen.
By not priming I meant we were told every time prime with a minimum of 1 unit…sorry I just read how that might have come across
We were told to first prime the pen by setting it to 2 units. Then set the 1/2 unit that you want to dose.