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Air bubbles and levamir

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ciara26

Active Member
Messages
27
Hey,

Im on levamir twice a day. Ive notived ive loads of little air bubbles in it and i cant get the out. I havent noticed this with novaprapid at all.

Any tips please?
 
Hi Ciara

I am also on levemir twice a day (morning & night) and i was told by my diabetic nurse before you draw the amount of units you need first draw up 2 units and let them out, don't know if this will help to tell you the truth i haven't noticed air bubbles in mine but now you have said im gonna double check. Is it in every cartridge or just the one you are using now? As if its the batch you are using at the moment it could just be a bad batch where more air got in.

Tracey167
 
Hue , i was told the same, i do 3 units before i actually take it but it doesnt seem to help at all. Ive tried flicking it aswell, nothing!! Its my first insulin pen im using of levamir, i was only diagnosed with T1 three weeks ago!
 
I get little air bubbles in my Levemir pen sometimes. I can usually just flick it and dial up a few units to expel the air (You have to hold it upright). If I really can't get them out I use a syringe and suck them out. Little bubbles don't seem to make any difference but I believe large ones can change the dosage.
 
There only tiny bubbles. Im new at this so just wondering would it make a difference! I hardly ever see bubbles in my Novarapid!
 
Bubbles in your insulin syringe or pen won't harm you if they're injected into your body, because you inject into subcutaneous fat, but because they're taking up space in the syringe, they'll keep you from getting your entire insulin dose, and that can make it more difficult for you to stay in your target blood sugar range.

There are different ways to avoid bubbles, so ask your GP/DSN to recommend one.

Ken
 
Hi ya, if they are 'champagne' bubbles then prob won't have much affect to your dosage but you should still be able to get rid of them with some tapping and releasing etc - think someone has already said hold the pen vertically when doing this, makes the bubbles rise to the top and then you can push them out :)
 
ciara26 said:
Hey,

Im on levamir twice a day. Ive notived ive loads of little air bubbles in it and i cant get the out. I havent noticed this with novaprapid at all.

Any tips please?
Click to expand...
Hi. I have the same issue but only with the levemir. The bubbles tend to stick to the sides and cannot be removed by using the two unit trick as they don't move. I would be interested to hear from the manufacturer as it doesn't happen with the novorapid.
 
I used to worry about little air bubbles when first injecting. I don’t even look these days I just do a unit flow check and dial in the amount. But I remember in the first few weeks getting very uptight about it. 10 years in, with pretty good control they obviously don’t matter. Relax about them.
 
I might be wrong, but I thought the air bubbles in the pen are deliberate. Do they not help to slow down and smooth the flow, compressing as the plunger is pressed and pushing out the last of the insulin as the bubble expands back to normal size.

Besides, the needle penetrates the membrane by a couple of mms so even if you coax the bubbles to the end of the pen the end of the needle will be past them and into the liquid.
 
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