• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Insulin smell strong or not ?

anna29

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
4,789
Location
Preston Lancashire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Cruelty to Animals/Children
Liars/Manipulators/Bullying
Hi All .

How do you find the smell of your insulin ?

Levemir insulin was much stronger a smell to me .
Made me feel 'queasy' actually .
Used to hold my breath when doing my injections .

Animal porcine insulin isnt as strong a smell yet I expected to be the other way round .
As in animal pig smell 'more' I would have thought :think:

Anna .
 
I'm very sensitive to smells so both my Novorapid and levimer smell string to me!
 
I don't go out of my way to smell it, but if I accidentally spray a bit on my clothes when testing the needle I can smell it for ages afterwards!
 
Very much so. I usually spray my 2 units of novo rapid used for priming the pen into a wee box before lunch. One time I forgot to out the lid on and my colleague across from me. He thought it was petrol . To me it smells really medicinal, a bit like jays fluid.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Insulin has a distinctive smell about it although I don't find it particularly unpleasant.

I can't comment if the newer analogue insulin's smell stronger than pork/beef insulin's as the smell (animal insulin) was masked by the strong smell of...... was it surgical spirit that glass syringes were kept in?.....just forget what the solution was but it was very strong, what made it worse was the advice then was to clean the injection site with said solution
 
I remember having to clean before injecting yes it did smell , man at my work recognised the insulin smell right away when I was priming my pen as he has a diabetic dad , wife says it smells like a hospital


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I'm on Lantus and Novorapid. They have a smell but I don't find it particularly strong and don't mind it. Maybe I've just grown accustomed to it

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I find that novorapid has a strong smell similar to surgical spirit. I guess that i'm so used to it now that it doesn't really bother me.
 
Levemir always has a musty smell to me - a bit like old bookshops ! :crazy:
 
Fetchmeacoffee said:
Novorapid always reminds me of hositals lol
Click to expand...

Me too!
Cal me weird, but I love the smell of my insulin; and the smell of hospitals. I can only put it down to having too much fun messing about in the children's wards when I was younger. :wink:
 
All of the human based insulin I have ever taken has a very distinct smell. One I have never come across anywhere. It is like a face to me, there is no other exactly like it. Extremely unique.
 
Humulim m3 is hardly febreeze! When I do my "two to test" my friends run a mile :')
 

Hi, I find both of my Insulins very strong smelling and very clinical too ( NovoRapid and Levemir), it's not nice at all. Someone once said it reminded an aquaintance of their's of Whisky ?

RRB
 
Insulin smells of hospital to me. Or hospitals smell of insulin. Not sure which! X
 
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.…