needles for humalog pen

[orpy]

I've got a lot of them because I reuse them (no problems of yet with doing this). So, they have an expiration date on them...why? If they are packaged as they came, what could possibly happen to make them expire? It sounds to me like they should really be okay.

[Spock]

I would say oxidation is the culprit.

Never re-use a needle because the previous use will leave a dry residue that blocks future liquid flow.

[Scratch]

I would say oxidation is the culprit.

Never re-use a needle because the previous use will leave a dry residue that blocks future liquid flow.
It's never blocked flow for me. :)

[Spock]

It's never blocked flow for me. :)

But if it does, it might kill you!

[orpy]

But if it does, it might kill you!

Oxidation? Tell me more...I'm not talking about years here...and I am not injecting into veins; this is subcutaneous injecting. How could it kill me? I just wonder about expiration dates in general...but on needles that are perfectly packed in their neat little box? Do they expire on that very date? :)

Many folks here on this forum have actually recommended reusing needles to save money...I use mine over and over again until they get too dull.

Comments?

[Spock]

I think it is more of a legal issue. If someone uses or re-uses past a certain time, an expiration date absolves the company.

I don't think it's worth the risk to re-use. One gummed up needle is too risky to my health.

[Scratch]

But if it does, it might kill you!
You know, I missed a dinner injection last week. My blood sugar went up to 366 mg/dL. I didn't shuffle off the mortal coil.

I realize that missing a dinner injection isn't the same as hypothetically blocked needle from residue, but if the net effect is the same with the result of insulin deprivation, it most certainly failed to be lethal.

[Scratch]

I suppose there's a way to test the gummed up needle hypothesis, although it would require sacrificing some insulin supply.

Use a pen and needle. Don't change it. Every few hours, try using it just by squirting some insulin out. See if blockage ever occurs.

[Spock]

aaaah... but what if it happens again and again? Accumulative effect?

Lantus would be more likely than Humalog to gum up as it crystalizes.

[orpy]

aaaah... but what if it happens again and again? Accumulative effect?

Lantus would be more likely than Humalog to gum up as it crystalizes.

Well, I always test it by squirting out some insulin...some waste IS involved...if it doesn't squirt out...then it's easy to tell that it's gummed up...but this has never happened so far...(or maybe one time).

Anyway, I was just wondering why I should throw out a perfectly good box of needles...that's all...I think it's worth the risk to keep using them.

[Scratch]

aaaah... but what if it happens again and again? Accumulative effect?

Lantus would be more likely than Humalog to gum up as it crystalizes.
I'd probably change needles for Lantus pens if I used them. Lantus is a one time a day deal for me.

But so far as I can tell, the Novolog Flexpen has presented no issues for me with changing once daily in the morning before I leave for work.

I'm cheap too. My stupid insurance company charges me a $35 copay on the flexpen needles, my copays are usually $20 on RX items. I'll gladly cut down on needle usage to save about $300 a year on needle copays if I filled that rx every month.

[Jill-O]

I wonder if the silicon (sp?) coating breaks down over time?

If they were mine, I wouldn't be scared to use them. I have 5 boxes here still unopened (because I am bad and I reuse needles). Never even crossed my mind to check expirations but I don't plan to throw them out if they've expired.

[UpNorth]

Well, i wouldn't worry much if they're just about to expire or expired less than 6 months or so ago. But the companies HAS to write when things expire so there's a time when they are no longer responsible for that specific box of a product. I think it's more of a quality thing really... After something has expired, the quality can no longer be guaranteed...

[sable_032592]

when i first was diagnosed, my endo gave me some needles that were in his office and i was gonna use them, until i opened one of them up and saw that the needle (metal) part was leaving some kind of grey stuff behind, which, i guess, was the metal breaking down, so that would be my only issue with using them after the expiration date...

as for re-using them, a couple of times is ok i guess, but if you use them frequently, like the same tip for a few days to a week, then i would be careful about that...

is it a cost issue that keeps you from getting more tips?

[HuskerMychal]

Oxidation will decrease their sharpness. More time = less sharp. even more time = even less sharp, and so on and so on

[owlyn]

Blockage makes no sense. If you inject 5 units, all 5 units will flow through the needle. If there is a partial blockage, it will flow slower, and you won't be able to inject as quickly. If it is completely blocked, you won't be able to inject at all. Basic laws of physics apply. Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. If you inject 5 units, it's going somewhere.

[sable_032592]

it also depends on the length of the needle tip... a 5 or 8 has less to inject with, while the 12.7 or 12 is longer, but will probably hurt more when it's older and used up...

the "use it once" rule that some companies put on their needle and tip boxes isn't for them to make more money, they make enough money by just making them in the first place, it's not medically safe to re-use needles or tips... and i don't mean sharing them, i mean injecting more than 2 times with the same needle... it will start to hurt more and will lead to infections and possibly breakage of the tip...

Risks of Needle Reuse

The harm you can cause yourself by reusing a needle is much greater than any convenience or cost savings. The tips of needles may become damaged after just one injection. Even though you can't see this damage with the naked eye, it's still there - and it may become worse each time you reuse. There are a lot of good reasons not to reuse syringe or pen needles:

The tip of a reused needle can be weakened to the point where it breaks off and gets stuck under your skin.


A reused needle doesn't inject as easily or as cleanly as a new one and can cause pain, bleeding, and bruising.


Studies have shown that there's a link between needle reuse and the appearance of lumps of fatty tissue that can form at an injection site (lipodystrophy).



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v12/selenalareina/needle.jpg
Used needle magnified 370 times

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v12/selenalareina/used_needle.jpg
Same used needle magnified 2,000 times