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How many needles do you use?

PaulinaB

Well-Known Member
Messages
594
Location
London, UK
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all people on MDI,
I'm curious - how many injections per day are you doing? (Assuming we follow the guidelines and don't reuse needles - this should equal the amount of needles used).

I'm asking because I was just rejected a repeat prescription for new needles and I'm wondering if I'm using "too much". I order prescriptions online so I don't know the reason for them being denied, so before I go to my GP and start making fuss, I'd like to know how others are doing
 
Usually 3-4. My GP said there was no restriction, I shouldn't reuse them and I need as many as it takes.
 
3 to 4 injections per day but only use one neede. I have found no problem with re-use within the day and it saves the NHS money.
 
I tend to use one per pen per day. Having to carry about one per injection and manage the used sharps is even more of a pain the bum than only using the one needle.
 
Same as the others, 4 normally or if there are corrections ( over Christmas period) then a little more. I haven't had any problems over the years. Maybe it's a glich on the site ?

Good luck RRB
 
it takes me about 2 months to get through a box of 100 needles so i would estimate 1 needle per pen each day for novorapid and 1 needle every 2-3 days with lantus
I do know i should do it after every injection but usually life gets in the way
 
Hiya Paulina
There is no such thing as " too many" needles on a repeat prescription for insulin users, and along with test strips they should not be refused. I recently had to " train" a new practice into the esoteric ways of being a Type 1 after they refused mine and limited strips to 50 per month .

I made an appointment with the practice manager to explain exactly why I needed consumables like needles, lancets and strips. It turns out its a preset automated system, and it's possible to override the limits manually where needed, so it was so However, I did have to educate them as to why - the manager being an administrator ( not medically trained ) who was also responsible for prescriptions thought I would only need to inject twice a day, and test 1-2 times a day . A reasonable discussion remedied that ! However she muttered a bit when amending my strips to 200 on the system, so I told her about the NICE guidelines for diabetic prescribing, and later took a copy in for her.

Signy
 
I can imagine that you kept the discussion with the practise manger nice and friendly by wearing your viking helmet
 
Hey,

Thanks everyone! I'm hoping this may be related to the fact that I'm due a review, but still it's a bit annoying. I made my review appointment with my doc and I'll ask him for the reason. Until then I guess I have to watch my needles ;]
 
PaulinaB said:
Hey,

Thanks everyone! I'm hoping this may be related to the fact that I'm due a review, but still it's a bit annoying. I made my review appointment with my doc and I'll ask him for the reason. Until then I guess I have to watch my needles ;]
Click to expand...
The box is clearly labeled 'For single use'. Ask the surgery what you are supposed to do when they run out. They can't withhold vital supplies.
 
I'm curious - if most of you use 3-4 needles daily on MDI, then you literally each 2-3 meals a day, with no snacks and no corrections in between? I noticed that I'm using about 7 (6 bolus, 1 basal) needles each day, including snacks, corrections, etc. Which means that a box of 100 lasts for about 2 weeks... Am I doing something wrong?
 
I use one for basal and then 2 or 3 for meals. I don't usually need to inject for lunch as I low-carb. Otherwise I think your usage is reasonable for your needs.
 
PaulinaB said:
Hey,

Thanks everyone! I'm hoping this may be related to the fact that I'm due a review, but still it's a bit annoying. I made my review appointment with my doc and I'll ask him for the reason. Until then I guess I have to watch my needles ;]
Click to expand...

Any problems Paulina ask your DSN/Consultant (if your under the care of a hospital clinic) to write to your gp and say that you need the required insulin needles to manage your diabetes, as a rule this generally works, but as Robert says they are for single use only.

I use 4 needles a day, sometimes 5 if I'm slit-dosing.
 
Hi Pauline. Each person has different injection needs. I'm slightly surprised by 6 bolus needs but thats your choice. I couldn't be bothered with that number and don't need them anyway. I have Bolus for lunch and dinner and normally none for breakfast as the carbs are too low and the Basal is peaking. I have been having a Bolus with each mince pie I've been using up (!) as they are 40gm carbs. I think most of the posters have said that they have MDI but only use one needle per pen or for both pens per day
 
robert72 said:
The box is clearly labeled 'For single use'. Ask the surgery what you are supposed to do when they run out. They can't withhold vital supplies.
Click to expand...
Hi. If I were a manufacturer and made shed loads of money out of the NHS for needle sales I might be tempted to write 'single use only' on the pack. I've never seen a post from anyone having infection issues from multiple use over a sensible span of time. My own limit is one day and I don't leave the needle on the pen. My needles remain painless over several injections but I know others may have more pain.
 
Hey everyone,

This wasn't really a question of needles, more how many injections do you do daily (which, for my GP, should equal the amount of needles used).

I prefer to eat smaller meals but more of them rather than only 3 big meals a day. My control is very good (hba1c last week was 38mmol/mol) and my DSN is very happy with it. I put down my good control (and maybe increased needle use) to the CGM - since I know what is happening all the time I can take action sooner. I'm also trying to lose a bit of weight, and I noticed that eating smaller thing more often means that I avoid stretching my stomach (and being very hungry which means I can easily over-eat during the meal) and simply eat less in total than I would otherwise.

I don't reuse the needles, because I tend to get bruises if I do. I reuse them only if I have to split the dose into 2 immediate injections (because the dose is too big for one go) - I just can't be bothered to put a new needle on.

I'm curious - if you don't leave the needle on the pen, where do you put it? The ones I have do not have a cover on the bottom that you can put back on it, so the tip that goes into the pen is left exposed, so potentially anything can get on it.
 
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