Dosages..units/ml/cc

[garyb]

I just started insulin and the doctor said to do 10 units so I a have been for the last 3 weeks. The vial says it holds 100 units...I should be out of insulin by now but the vial is only 1/3 used up.

Something is wrong with the math here :)

10 units in the needle does not equal 10 units in the vial. I need to go back to school because I can not figure out how much to put in the needle :)

I use Lantus U-100.

What is the conversion I am looking for? The needle says it holds 100 units and has 1.cc on the side of it.

[Who?]

The vial is labeled either units, cc or both and should be labeled U-100 somewhere.

The vial and the syringe cannot possibly both hold 1 cc. Are you sure the vial doesn't say 100 units per cc.?

Ten units is 0.1 cc. Three weeks is 21 days, so you should have injected 2.1 cc

Other than that, I am confused by what you say.

[lgvincent]

The vial should hold 10 mL and U-100 has 100 units per mL.

[garyb]

The vial is labeled either units, cc or both and should be labeled U-100 somewhere.

The vial and the syringe cannot possibly both hold 1 cc. Are you sure the vial doesn't say 100 units per cc.?

Ten units is 0.1 cc. Three weeks is 21 days, so you should have injected 2.1 cc

Other than that, I am confused by what you say.

I am confused so you have to be confused :)

[garyb]

Yes the vial has 10/ml of U-100
It says 100units/mL

The needle says 1 CC on the site with a scale from 10 to 100 units.

So how much do I put in the needle if the doc says 10 units per day?

If the vial says 100 units and I put in 10 units in the needle, the vial should be empty in 10 days?

I am so confused.., I did well in math..but it was 35 years ago :)

[Who?]

The vial says it holds 100 units....

That statement is why I am confused.

[garyb]

Oh I think I got it...the vial holds 10/mL and there are 100 unitsd per mL so if the doc said take 10 units...the vial should last a month, not 10 days....?

[Who?]

Bingo!

Cheers

[ladytaz]

I'm sorry, I hadda giggle at all that!! But I totally understand where you're comin from!! They've got too many different calculations/measurements on ONE vial of insulin! LOL I REALLY should state how many UNITS are in a vial!! It would be SO much more helpful to those of us who use the stuff!

Anyhow, since you are only taking 10u at a time, I would suggest that you get syringes that are either 0.30cc [30u] or 0.50cc [50u] rather than the 1cc ones. No use wasting all that plastic, as well as it's MUCH easier to see where to fill up to! :wink: Even with the 30u ones, I have difficulty seeing the line sometimes!

[sweetstick80]

Standard vial of 10ml is equal to 1000 units. 10 units X 30 days = ? Correct 300! You should have a whole lot to discard after 30 days.

[sweetstick80]

Hey Taz, how come you jumped off the 70/30 roller coaster? It gets lonley when everyone`s leaving the ride. I have two friends that have moved away from 70/30 in the last few months. Hmmmmmmm, something I should know? Jack

[BlueSky]

Oh I think I got it...the vial holds 10/mL and there are 100 unitsd per mL so if the doc said take 10 units...the vial should last a month, not 10 days....?
A 10ml vial, at 10 units a day, will last 100 days. Which is more than 3 months. According to the manufacturers, insulin can start losing potency 28 after opening the the vial or cartridge. I am not sure where they get the 28 from. I have got up to 6 weeks of good use out of a vial. But you may want to get your insulin in 3 ml pen cartridges instead of the 10 ml vials. At 10 units a day, you will use them up in 30 days. Injecting with a pen is also a lot more convenient :)

[ladytaz]

Hey Taz, how come you jumped off the 70/30 roller coaster? It gets lonley when everyone`s leaving the ride. I have two friends that have moved away from 70/30 in the last few months. Hmmmmmmm, something I should know? Jack

ONLY reason is: Early afternoon lows, because I am NOT a "breakfast eater". Pretty much never have been.

I normally rise around 9am, get up, check my blood, take my meds and insulin, if I'm not hungry, I go on about my day! So, I litterally forget to eat! Not hungry, don't think about it! *shrugs*

I'm not normally hungry until around 1-3 pm. This didn't happen every day [going low], but enough to bug the **** outta me! So, I decided on my own, [although did ask my docs about it - no objections] to go to the NPH and R seperately. Solves the early afternoon low problem, and so far, working very well for me. :wink: Otherwise, I've NO problems with the 70/30 what so ever!

[ladytaz]

A 10ml vial, at 10 units a day, will last 100 days. Which is more than 3 months. According to the manufacturers, insulin can start losing potency 28 after opening the the vial or cartridge. I am not sure where they get the 28 from. I have got up to 6 weeks of good use out of a vial. But you may want to get your insulin in 3 ml pen cartridges instead of the 10 ml vials. At 10 units a day, you will use them up in 30 days. Injecting with a pen is also a lot more convenient :)

I'm STILL using a vial of Novolin R that I bought and opened back in mid FEB of this year (thrid week of June now)! So far, it still works perfectly!! Although, I DO keep it refridgerated!

[sweetstick80]

My sister keeps her regular forever and it doesn`t seem to lack any effectiveness. 4-6 months in the fridge. My uncle kept his for 30 days, then pitched it. Marked the date on the bottle. Hard to say, overkill for uncle or just thrifty for sis.
I wish I could not be hungry for breakfast! I have trouble getting interested in lunch. Lost 10lbs. since starting insulin and getting off the glipizide over 2 months ago. Jack

[ladytaz]

My sister keeps her regular forever and it doesn`t seem to lack any effectiveness. 4-6 months in the fridge. My uncle kept his for 30 days, then pitched it. Marked the date on the bottle. Hard to say, overkill for uncle or just thrifty for sis.
I wish I could not be hungry for breakfast! I have trouble getting interested in lunch. Lost 10lbs. since starting insulin and getting off the glipizide over 2 months ago. Jack

I think keeping it refridgerated might be the key? As long as it keeps working, I'm gonna keep on using it! LOL

Hey, I'll trade ya the not hungry mornings for the 10lbs Jack! LOL