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Needle Tip Sizes

Sharrryn

Well-Known Member
Messages
196
Location
Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
For those using insulin pens which size needle do you use ? Do you stick to the one size or change depending on injection site ? I use 4mm for my stomach and arms for novorapid but always use 6mm for my levemir which I give in my legs. I'm getting heaps of bruises and lumps on my legs though. The 4mm seems too tiny for my legs as I feel the skin is tougher but maybe I should try 4mm to stop bruising ?
 
I use the 4mm for my Actrapid and 6mm for my Lantus. Just use arms and legs. Stopped using my stomach as it was building up a bit of fatty tissue and no buttocks. Was just told this year's ago and have carried on.
 
As you have both give the 4mm a try. Are you rotating sites to different places on your legs?
 
I use 4mm all round.

You only have to get the insulin under the skin into the subcutanous tissue which a 4mm needle 'should' be able to reach.

If your getting lumps then you might be going into the same small spot over and over again, I've had that and that could make the skin alittle thicker. Your medical people should be able to advise on the best way to get around this.

Me? I stick needle in aross my stomach area like all over the place, like wise my fat ass is also quite good but the Lantus goes there.
 
4mm all around for me as well. 6mm needles now look way too long
Stomach for my bolus and legs for my basal.
Are you rotating your sites regular?? If you are getting lumps it sounds like you are not rotating too good....just a thought
 
Yes I do rotate but maybe not as well as I think I'll give the 4mm a go
 
porl69 said:
4mm all around for me as well. 6mm needles now look way too long
Stomach for my bolus and legs for my basal.
Are you rotating your sites regular?? If you are getting lumps it sounds like you are not rotating too good....just a thought
Click to expand...
I agree the 6mm do look long when compared to the 4mm.
 
In the dim and distant past when I started injecting, I had 6mm needles and often bruised. When I mentioned this to the nurse I was met with an unsympathetic "oh well, some people are just more prone to bruising".
I pushed the point (no pun in tended) and found out, at that time 6mm was the smallest available.

Fast forward 5 or 6 years when I had given up asking.
A different nurse said to me "why on earth are you using such long needles?" and gave me 4mm.
I still bruised occasionally but not as much as with 6mm.

I believe, the shorter needles have become available in more recent years and, as Knikki mentions, they only need to get under the skin so should be long enough.

I never went back to 6mm.

However, I remember a recent thread about different types (manufacturers?) of needles.
Some appeared to be not as sharp (or smooth) as others.
So, I wondered if you have the inferior needles if you are struggling to get the 4mm in to your legs?
 
Sharrryn said:
I agree the 6mm do look long when compared to the 4mm.
Click to expand...

I 1st started 46 years ago. Needles then were BIG.....the size of darning needles. BUT darning needles were sharper. We had 6 - 8 needles in a plastic box which were to last a month, so they got pretty blunt VERY quick. Oh the joys. So glad things have moved on
 
@helensaramay You have a point there about the various manufactures some are better then others. I tend to stick with the same needle, until the cartridge runs out (yes yes yes I know I shouldn't) and sometime some do go blunter quicker and you can end up bruised.

I remeber the days of using needles that were an 1 inch long (or 25mm in new money)
 
I use the novo nordisk novofine plus 4mm. Also do you "pinch" the skin before injecting. I was taught many years ago to but with the 4mm apparently there is no need to as it is so small it would not hit muscle anyway.
 
Sharrryn said:
I use the novo nordisk novofine plus 4mm. Also do you "pinch" the skin before injecting. I was taught many years ago to but with the 4mm apparently there is no need to as it is so small it would not hit muscle anyway.
Click to expand...

I always pinch the skin. I guess its force of habit (after 46 years)
 
Sometimes I pinch or sometimes I just push it in a little more.

However skin does vary in thickness around the body from 0.5mm, I would think around the facal area to 4mm think in other places, plus in other parts of the body you would also have a fatty layer on top of the muscle as well.

So unless your really muscley then the 4mm needle should not hit a muscle.
 
I definitely used to use screw tip needles that were over 10mm
 
4mm needles in tummy and legs bolus and basal
 

I've just swapped my 12mm needle tip script for a 4mm one after 34 years and find I'm having no problems with Humalog & Lantus in my legs and I've a lot less bruising.
 
Hi @Sharrryn,
When I was taking insulin injections (now on a pump), I was advised to not inject in a part of my body which would be exercised a lot.
So if I was walking a lot one day I avoided any injections in the leg(s).
The reason I was given was that insulin is absorbed more quicker when the blood flow through the injection site was higher than usual.
Best Wishes.
 
Sharrryn said:
I use the novo nordisk novofine plus 4mm. Also do you "pinch" the skin before injecting. I was taught many years ago to but with the 4mm apparently there is no need to as it is so small it would not hit muscle anyway.
Click to expand...

Try the BD needles, I find they insert smoother than the Novofine needles for some reason. I use 8mm needles and I'm pretty lean. I like that I can pinch up and sort of inject on an angle to make sure the insulin gets in. I found the 4mm needles caused a lot of leakage and actually hurt more in some places because I couldn't pinch up.
 
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