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used needles

M

Mark Rawlinson

Well-Known Member
Messages
575
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Never had to do this before but due to Christmas and New year (Dr/s closed) I have left myself short of needles or soon will be. I am re using them now to stop myself running short, will this cause any harm ?
 
Mark Rawlinson said:
Never had to do this before but due to Christmas and New year (Dr/s closed) I have left myself short of needles or soon will be. I am re using them now to stop myself running short, will this cause any harm ?
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Opinions vary on this, as you are not supposed to.

Personally I used to make a pen needle last for several days when I was on MDI.
 
Hi,

I quite often reuse needles. (Keep the same one on the pen.)
I carry spares, but if I’m out all day working I want to minimise the faff. Especially if it’s one of those correction days for some reason when my basal is on “sick leave..”
 
I'me with the rest of them on this one , I know we shouldn't but I change the needle when I change the pen cartridge which is usually every five days so anything between 20 - 40 jabs on one needle , been doing it for years without a problem .
 
jaywak said:
I'me with the rest of them on this one , I know we shouldn't but I change the needle when I change the pen cartridge which is usually every five days so anything between 20 - 40 jabs on one needle , been doing it for years without a problem .
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If I’ve knowingly dinged the needle replacing the pen cap I will change it.
Actually I’ve been known to ding the needle on the underside of a table or my van steering wheel.
Then it’s a write off..
But this is coming from banging “tent pegs” on glass syringes into the leg 5 decades ago..
 
I'm certainly not going to reuse a needle, have you ever seen an infection caused by a dirty needle? Once you inject yourself that needle is not sterile any more and will grow bacteria which can cause you all sorts of problems, it's bad enough having to inject but using the same needle over and over no thanks, each to their own
 
I reuse needles from time to time never had a problem
 
Have you thought about asking at your pharmacy? I've done this when I ran short.
 
I have occasionally reused a needle but only one more time but usually when I know that something like Christmas is coming up I count all the needles I have and work out when I will run out so order them in plenty of time, athough the surgery does usually make me wait until a specific date before I can order some more. They have only recently prescribed two boxes at a time after I asked them to because I inject four times a day so one box only lasts me 25 days and yet tablets that I take only once a day they give me two months supply!
 
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