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Byetta Pen Contamination

peecee

peecee

Well-Known Member
Messages
125
Location
South Wales, UK
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hi all, i was just wondering amongst those that use Byetta if anyone else has suffered a "contaminated pen" and how often it has happened to you. I've been on Byetta for only 2 months and have had 2 pens showing contamination inside the phial, both pens showed this after 2 weeks use! The first pen showed a milky white substance which the pharmacist couldn't identify and i noticed this morning 2 tiny pieces floating around of what looks like bits of the rubber seal which the needle goes through . I can't work out if i've been doing something wrong or if i've just been unlucky :(

Hands up all those that have just checked their pens!! :wink:
 
Hi peecee.

Never had contamination in my Byetta pen. The liquid should be clear and colourless. If it is cloudy, coloured or has particles in the solution it should not be used. It should be replaced.

How do you store your pen ?
 
Unused pens are kept in the fridge and the pen i'm using is kept at room temp out of direct sunlight, not sure if its something i'm doing wrong or just bad luck!
 
Hi peecee.

Not sure either, I know from personal experience that my room temperature can soar above 25 deg C because it is South facing and has a lot of glass. It has got as high as 28 deg before I have noticed, fortunately I tend to put the pen in the cooler section of the fridge during the day then take it out about an hour before use. That way it stays cool at all times, bit like sticking it in a Frio bag. Anything above the 25 deg and it is deadly to the Byetta.

When I finish my next pen shortly I will leave it out and see what happens to it after being exposed to higher temperatures. I will let you know.
 
It appears the contamination is blood, when giving myself last nights injection i nicked a blood vessel then as i was removing the needle from the pen i actually saw blood being drawn into the pen as i removed the needle. This now makes 3 pens that have been contaminated in 2 months, i went to doctors this morning to get a new prescription and my diabetic nurse confirmed that nobody else has suffered contamination, she also ran through the injecting procedure with me and couldn't spot what, if anything i am doing wrong. Next step is to take the pens to the diabetic clinic at my hospital for them to see if the pens are faulty. Lets hope this pen lasts longer than the others!
 
Hi Peecee.

This has been reported here before. What it transpired to be in that instance is that the person injecting wasn't keeping the plunger button depressed until the needle was completely free of the injection site. So a small amount of blood was sometimes drawn in to the pen. Hope that helps ?
 
Hi Peecee,

As Ken has said, if it's blood contamination then you aren't keeping the pen plunger full pressed in until the needle is fully withdrawn. I can sympathise as I've done the same thing twice before! When you release the pressure on the pen plunger it creates a partial vacuum and will suck into the pen anything small enough to pass through the needle. Keeping the plunger pressed stops the vacuum from forming.
 
I've been keeping the plunger depressed as long as the needle is under my skin and so far i've not had any more "accidents" so thanks guys looks like my problem has been sorted :)
 
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