Pen with a memory

[russ621]

I came across this new pen from Lilly
HumaPen MEMOIR (http://www.humalog.com/patient/humapen_memoir.jsp)
its only available in the states at the moment, according to Lilly its up for approval in the uk in May.
Have any of you folks over there tried it ? There is a link on that page that gives you a voucher to get a free one. Anyone able to get one from the free voucher and able to post one over to me, which I'd pay for, I be extremely greatful ( patience not one of my strong points !)
Any comments on this new pen, much appreciated :D

Russell

[Stuboy]

what insulin are you using? I beleive it can only be used with Humalog insulins as i looked into this pen a while ago.

A few have also said to stear clear of it because it doesn't handle temperature changes very well due to moisture and condensation getting on the circuit boards...

It's a great idea for a pen though, i still think it looks awesome and would love to try it.

Btw, with the voucher, i think they still need to have a prescription to get the pen, just means they dont have to pay for it, but it still needs to be prescribed by a doctor.

[UpNorth]

It's a known fact you can't bring it anywhere because it can't handle temperature changes or changes in humidity... Go for the Humapen Luxura instead, or the Ergo... But personally i stick to Novopens :T

[BriOnH]

Humalog seems to have the best pen out there. I wish I could use it with novolog (yeah I could technically but what a PITA).

I like the novopen 4 a lot. Wish it did half units though. I tried the novo 3 demi with half units but it uses the clunky novopen 3 technology. :( Hopefully Novo/Nordisk will come out with a better pen like Humalog did.

[russ621]

I'm on Humalog, I was on it with Humalin I till 2001 when Lantus was launched then been on them since. The Ergo is the pen I use at present, the luxura looks interesting with half units. Why can't the Humapen be used with a 3 ml novolog cartridge ? Surely 1 unit of insulin is the same which ever is delivering it. I have used my Lantus pen before to take humalog, only once due to a mishap with my humapen.

[BriOnH]

Speaking of Lantus..... that pen is hard to use!! You have to have some serious strength in the fingers to use that thing. I used to only be able to use it with my thumb, but can now do it with index fingers. Luckily it's only once a day! If it was more I think I would be tearing skin a lot trying to hold it still to push that darn plunger down!

[shiftzor]

Speaking of Lantus..... that pen is hard to use!! You have to have some serious strength in the fingers to use that thing. I used to only be able to use it with my thumb, but can now do it with index fingers. Luckily it's only once a day! If it was more I think I would be tearing skin a lot trying to hold it still to push that darn plunger down!

Which Lantus pen are you using? I have tried both the Autopen 24 and the SoloStar, I personally prefer the SoloStar, although I don’t think the plunger on either is that hard to press.

The concept of that HumaPen MEMOIR pen is pretty cool, shame it has problems with temperature though. I think reliability should be above all else for a pen, since you never know what situation you might find yourself.

[BriOnH]

Which Lantus pen are you using? I have tried both the Autopen 24 and the SoloStar, I personally prefer the SoloStar, although I don’t think the plunger on either is that hard to press.

I am using the opticlick. I didn't know other Lantus pens existed!! See what happens when you don't come on here! lol. Thanks for the info Shift, I am going to try to get a SoloStar!

[shiftzor]

Solostar is disposable which is kinda wasteful however in a way it adds extra security as in if you loose it its simple to replace.

One of my old posts:
http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/type-1-diabetes/25720-lantus-solostar.html


There is a digital Lantus pen OptiClik (http://www.opticlik.com/) doesn’t have a memory though and is only available in the states. I am not sure if it is any good either. ;)

[Stuboy]

The AutoPen24 for lantus comes in 2unit doses or 1unit doses... personally i hate it because it feels cheap and tacky, and the numbers wear off on the dial after a while... but it does do the job...

Im currently using 2 novopen's. The novopen demi for novorapid (half unit doses) and the red (and yellow) novopen 3 for my levemir. I used the autopen24 (1 unit dose) for my lantus when i was using lantus.

[Stuboy]

Surely 1 unit of insulin is the same which ever is delivering it.

not neccesserilly(sp)...

The thickness of the wall of the cartridge can vary slightly between insulins. If you're not extremely sensitive to insulin you might not notice a difference, but some people are, and would notice the difference.

[russ621]

Thank you Stuboy for clearing that up for me, I've always wondered why they will only give me certain pens with certain Insulins. I use a Autopen 24 with my lantus, my numbers are fading on the pen (it is 4 years old) whats the expected life span of a pen ? Is there a way of checking to ensure its giving the dose dialed ? The Autopen is one of the easiest I've used, delivery is spring loaded requiring little effort to deliver the insulin, might be worth checking out Brian.

[Stuboy]

when you put a new needle on the pen, the plastic cover it comes in has a line on the tip, if you inject 20units into it, the insulin should come to the line.

That's the only way i know how to check if a pen is delivering the right amount.

[jimgolliher]

I use the memoir pen and refill the cartridges with novolog. I carry it in my pocket when I am away from home and so far have been able to keep it working. I also have an opticlix for lantus and don't find it any better than the old syringe and needle. Keep up the good work I am learning a lot by reading this forum.

[owlyn]

Yes, switch to the SoloStar ASAP! The Opticlick is wretched. I've been on SoloStar since it became available in the U.S. early last year. The SoloStar is great. It injects more slowly than other disposables (like the Humalog Pen), but it's still excellent. I even have cartridges left over from the Opticlick, and I hate it so much, I'd rather waste the cartridges.

[owlyn]

I was the one with the Memoir Pen. Tried two of them. They are essentially useless as pens. Don't bother. I wound up exchanging it for a Luxura HD, but I have since switched back to the Humalog disposable pens. The Luxura is good in that you can do half-unit doses, but there is no backup if you lose it or it gets broken.

[BriOnH]

I was the one with the Memoir Pen. Tried two of them. They are essentially useless as pens. Don't bother.

Man that's a drag!! It's such a cool looking pen and memory would be very, very cool.

[owlyn]

Man that's a drag!! It's such a cool looking pen and memory would be very, very cool.

The memory was great- until you took the pen outside and back in again a few times. Then all you see is 888888.

Lilly actually specifically told me that it should be kept constantly at room temperature. They were serious. I calmly explained that this defeated the pupose of having a pen. They said, well, it has electronics and it's sensitive. I said pumps have electronics and they can be used almost anywhere (not to mention, ummm, ipods, cell phones, CARS!). It can be done- they just messed up in a big way.