• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Blood in Lantus pen

C

coco44

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone. I wonder if this has happened to anyone and if so what might have caused it. I injected my Lantus as usual this evening. I expelled the air as always by shooting 2 units into the air. As the level of insulin was going down I noticed blood had gotten inside the transparent part of the pen. This has never happened before and I cannot work out why. It was not a new pen so it must be my blood and it had just happened else I would have spotted it before. Good weekend to everyone, thanks, Carole
 
Hi, this has happened to me a few times recently with my lantus pen, so bloody strange! It's when I'm injecting in my butt so I don't know if it is the angle I'm holding my pen or what! I've thrown the pens away but it's such a waste. Could it be a manufacturing fault of some sort? It made me feel disgusted.
 
Never had that happen before and struggling to work out how it would be possible.

Either way @coco44 I would change the cartridge/pen now that the insulin is contaminated.
 
noblehead said:
Never had that happen before and struggling to work out how it would be possible.

Either way @coco44 I would change the cartridge/pen now that the insulin is contaminated.
Click to expand...
Thanks both for your replies. I threw the pen away as I thought the insulin would most definitely be contaminated. I felt it was a waste, but no way could I have used the rest of the insulin. I felt disgusted too, partly because it looked horrible mingling with the insulin and I kept imagining it wasn't my blood, but I'm sure it had to be. I still can't work out how it happened in all my years of injecting, I just hope it doesn't happen again. My 2nd immediate thought after the shock was what if some of my Lantus dose had gone back into the pen, but readings have been fine today so dose appears not to have been affected.
 
I wonder if it's worth reporting it to your doctor or pharmacist @coco44 ?

I can't imagine how that could have happened. I would think it's something the manufacturers would like to know about.
 
azure said:
I wonder if it's worth reporting it to your doctor or pharmacist @coco44 ?

I can't imagine how that could have happened. I would think it's something the manufacturers would like to know about.
Click to expand...
Thanks Azure yes I agree I think I'll see if I can speak with Dr or DSN on Monday. Still making me squirm thinking about it even though over the years I've learned not to be squeamish where the sight of blood is concerned
 
Yes, it doesn't sound very nice at all. It would definitely have made me squirm too.
I've never used Lantus, but I've used insulin pens and I've never ever had that happen. Mind you, all my pens were the re-usable kind where you just insert a new cartridge. I have read those pens are made to a higher quality than the disposable ones. I don't know if that's something you might want to look into, but thought I'd mention if.
 
I use my butt for pen injections most of the time. I use Lantus and Novo Rapd cartridges in reusable pens for both. It is quite common for ther to be a small leak of blood as I remove the pen needle after a short delay after injecting the insulin. This happens randomly but is just down to luck of where the needle goes in.
If somehow your pen also managed to "suck in" (having previously pushed out) at the same time as you removed from your butt then this would happpen as you describe. I have neven noticed it with my injections but wonder if the disposable pens have some way of trigering a small amount of "suck"??
 
I use both insulins the same as you PaulXC and I've always injected into my stomach. Occasionally blood appears from the puncture site when I remove the pen but I have never known the blood to manage to get inside the pen. It is as you say like there has been a sucking reaction, but as you know the pens can only operate one way it's not like a syringe movement when samples of blood are being taken. It would appear this action has defied gravity.
 
Hi,

I'm not sure about the disposable pens. I've only ever used the reusable.
However the "bung" in the insulin cartridge would need to be attached/stuck to the "ram" in the pen to cause this "sucking phenominom" to happen as the pen mechanism "slacks off" after full depression administering the dialed dose...?
But, the disposable pen would need taking apart to investigate if this is a cause..??

Another theory. (To which I've noticed recently with a couple of the 4mm BD micofine.) is the disposable needle slides (is not held well) in the plastic screw cap? (A production issue.) Though the needle punctures the membrane on the cartridge it also moves out with the resistance, making it a little longer.. If this was not noticed & used? The needle could possibly push back in with the skin resistance, "concaving" the cartridge membrane. Thus on withdrawal of the needle after the dose causing a small amount of suction due to the change in pressure within the cartridge....?

Just ideas.. Without looking at your set up. Hard to tell.!
 
you need to report it to the manufacturer. it could possibly be a faulty batch. the pens should not be sucking in blood as designed to just expel.
or it could be an issue the manufacturer has had reports of before and they could just reassure you.
 
365 said:
you need to report it to the manufacturer. it could possibly be a faulty batch. the pens should not be sucking in blood as designed to just expel.
or it could be an issue the manufacturer has had reports of before and they could just reassure you.
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks 365, yes I agree. I'm speaking to the manufacturers today will report what they have to say
 
noblehead said:
@coco44 , don't forget you can also report problems with drugs/medical equipment using the Yellow Card Scheme:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
Click to expand...
Hi what is the yellow card scheme? I have been in contact with Sonofi and their medical and research department have taken all my details including batch number and expiry date of pen. I got the impression that the problem I encountered is either not common or has not been widely reported. One unofficial cause given is that I may have hit a vein rather heavily and this somehow caused a vacuum which allowed some seepage of blood to be sucked up into the pen. I will wait and see what their research team report back.
 
Thought I'd share a similar experience.. There was a period of time where i'd see white stuff that looked like fluffy bread crumbs floating around in the insulin cartridge. Called my nurse and she said it's probably body fat that was withdrawn from my body. What probably happened was this: I was still new to injections at that time. After I injected every time, I pulled the insulin pen out without pressing down on the plunger (the 'button' thing you press). This would have caused some kind of suction force that might cause body fat or perhaps in your case, blood, to be withdrawn from the body into the insulin cartridge instead. It's just like squeezing a bottle, when you immerse it in a pail of water and stop squeezing it, some water will probably enter the bottle. Possible reason for your incident? Do you remember whether you pressed the plunger as you were pulling the pen out after your injections recently?
 
This happened with me also while I injected lantus I kept the pen to see what happens the next day I saw strings kind of a mesh in the pen. That were same as we did a practical model of biology in school about DNA. That happened with lantus only never happened with other pens that I have used. Probably there would be a problem in the plunger thats under the cartridge of pen the white spiral part under the black one maybe some space would be left there and there be a suction force(I might seem stupid
but that's what I assumed at that time) sometimes my button also gets struck someone else might have been through this also.
 
Hi
That does make sense Fern000 only the blood started to appear half way through injecting. I'd injected about 8 units and still had 9 to go. I do, however keep my thumb on the plunger when pulling out the pen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…