shorter needles more discomfort?

[airtas]

I switched over to shorter needles and it seems like it stings alittle more. Shouldn't shorter be less painful?

[mortis505]

What Gauge are they? Are you pinching up any?

[lorilei]

seems like it should but not necessarily...also may very depending on location...must have to do with the nerve endings..deeper equals less?? trying to recall my anatomy on that one

[airtas]

What Gauge are they? Are you pinching up any?

its a thinner gauge 31 compared to 29

[Subby]

I switched over to shorter needles and it seems like it stings alittle more. Shouldn't shorter be less painful?

Do you mean plunging it in, or the delivered insulin? As for the insulin, it can be more painful, depending what layer the insulin is being delivered to. I find deliveries close to the surface can really be painful! Ever gotten a load just under the top skin? Youch!

I'd just stick to what works best for you, don't worry about what should or shouldn't, just be guided by what "is" :).

[sable_032592]

well, i was on 31 gauge at 8mm, there is 5mm as well, but i found that when i injected lantus with the 8mm it hurt too much, so i switched back to 12.7mm @ 29 gauge... it's kinda scary to plung that long needle into yourself, but it doesn't hurt and the insulin doesn't sting when it's injected...

i'd say go with the length you're most comfortable with... also, some experts think that if you have excess weight, using a longer needle is best...

[notme]

Airtas..... shorter needles were a lot more painful to me. I ended up with a lump and stinging injections. I went back to fatter gauged needles that were longer and I did much better. Seems like most of the people on this site had the opposite experience.

[Mich]

When I was on MDI, I used the 31 gauge, 3/8 inch finest, shortest needles I coulld use for both Lantus and Humalog. At least 7 injections a day, usually more. About once a week, one would sting bad enough for me to give it a word or two. About twice a week, it would make me realize I was sticking myself, but was ignorable.

I guess you just get used to it, like finger pokes. I still say RATS! (or something a little stronger that this board will not let me say) at those now and then.

Mich

[AngelKitty]

I switched over to shorter needles and it seems like it stings alittle more. Shouldn't shorter be less painful?

Hi airtas,
I had the same problem using shorter needles, I found that they hurt more and I bruised more as well.
I swapped to longer needles and found that they seldom hurt and haven't bruised since.
I found that the angle you hold the needle in also contributes to pain (if using a syringe). If using syringes a 45 degree angle usually works best for me.
I also found when using pen needles a good pinch of skin combined with a slow plunging of needle combo worked well - I found that using a rapid jabbing motion caused me more bruising (perhaps this causes more trauma to the skin?)
Hope this helps,

[IrishJoe]

I have nice little fatty stretch marks which are very sensitive (think streaky bacon!) to the the needles. Its best if you bunch up but there's only so many places and I've taken to going for the arms a bit more.

[UpNorth]

I don't notice much difference between longer or shorter needles when i'm on MDI :) I do however prefer the 8mm ones either 30 or 31G, but do fine with 12mm ones too.

[DCaplinger]

They should both feel the same on entry, however the longer the needle, the less it should hurt as you push the plunger. The reason, the closer you get to the surface, the more nerve endings you will encounter. Get further away from those pesky nerves, and you won't feel it quite as bad. I am one of those who does *NOT* change needles with every use. I usually go 1 needle per pen for my NovoLog, and 1 needle for every 2 pens on my Levemir, unless it starts to sting on entry (which means you've got a dull needle or some type of contaminate on the needle).

The whole purpose for pinching up (except for skinny people), is to busy the nerve endings with other sensations so that the sensation of the poke is masked. Otherwise, for those of us who aren't skinny, there really is no other reason to pinch up.

Regards,

[airtas]

Do you mean plunging it in, or the delivered insulin? As for the insulin, it can be more painful, depending what layer the insulin is being delivered to. I find deliveries close to the surface can really be painful! Ever gotten a load just under the top skin? Youch!

I'd just stick to what works best for you, don't worry about what should or shouldn't, just be guided by what "is" :).

its actually the delivery I believe

[Delphinus]

I prefer longer needles as well.

I have two boxes of 5mm I doubt I will ever use again, unless I forgot to pick up my others or they are out.

[techgirl12]

I've noticed that shorter needles sting more because they hit the tissue at a different spot than the longer needles. I prefer the longer needles just for that reason...

[airtas]

so whats the purpose of shorter needles?

[DCaplinger]

Because the shots are supposed to be given sub-q (subcutaneous), which means it is to be given into the fat deposits below the skin. On thinner people, they don't have a lot of fat deposits, so if their needle is too long, they risk giving the shot IM (intramuscular) instead of sub-q.

As a fat guy (I am a bit overweight, and I don't mind making light of it), I could probably use a 2 inch needle and still be safe. LOL. Okay, maybe I'm exagerating a bit. ;)

Regards,

[Erin]

I swear by the longer needles. the short ones sting and tend to make me bruise.

[airtas]

I dont get what the needle manufacturers claim shorter is better then

[Subby]

Same reason most products claim to be better than others - to sell them!

[lorilei]

Same reason most products claim to be better than others - to sell them!

LOL...to save all that money on a couple of mm smaller product...

[Subby]

LOL...to save all that money on a couple of mm smaller product...

Yeah I suppose so, it probably does add up. :) To think about it for a moment... I imagine that giving the impression of being up to date, offering new and exciting products, offering choice, offering options that mean you buy one type then switch to another type thus creating more wasted purchases... all these things might be attractive to a company's overall mission and bottom line ;)

Besides, I'm sure the short needles do suit some people very well. It's just usual marketing exaggerations that they somewhat overstate the case sometimes.

[airtas]

its more of a stinging when the insuling is dispersed

[sarahspins]

Because the shots are supposed to be given sub-q (subcutaneous), which means it is to be given into the fat deposits below the skin. On thinner people, they don't have a lot of fat deposits, so if their needle is too long, they risk giving the shot IM

I could easily stand to lose 30lbs, but there are places on my abdomen, where if I don't angle the needle (yes, even the short 8mm ones) I will hit muscle.. not only does it burn like a @#%&* when you do that, but the DIA changes dramatically as well.

5mm needles make it nearly impossible to hit muscle.. I like those better :)

As far as the burning with injecting.. I had that happen even with the 29g 1/2" needles.. granted it wasn't all the time, but enough that I wasn't convinced that the shorter needles themselves were better/worse.

[misha09]

Yes! I've been on the shorter needles for a while and they do hurt more. I have both 5mm and 8mm but I believe the best is even longer.

[MJM]

The medical profession believe that shorter needles are best. Something to do with better absorption or better results I think.

[lorilei]

omg...shorter needles were just passed on from a friend..omg..i wonder, did they even go in...i swear!!! just some sting from the insulin...holy cow!