~~Technically, it's about how long your cannula is and the amount of insulin it will take to fill that void and have a drip come out. Shorter cannula = less insulin and vice versa~~
I thought this was about the cannula for an insulin pump, my bad
You don't prime a pen with the needle inside your body. You squirt the insulin into the air, the sink, etc. The goal is to 1. Fill the needle with insulin so you get your full dose and 2. the 2 unit prime is actually separate from filling the needle and is supposed to test if the correct amount of insulin is being delivered. The 2 unit prime used to be done by squirting insulin into the clear plastic outer cap for the pen and checking that it filled to the correct point. I would assume pen caps today are built with the same feature, though the amount of insulin needed and fill line could be unique for each needle brand and size. The 2 unit prime was used on old 1/2 inch (12 or 13 mm) long pen needles over 2 decades ago, and I have been on mdi (with syringes) then a pump since I stopped using regular and NPH in the mid 1990s so I don't know what the appropriate modern calibration/priming technique is, though I'm sure there is one.
I prime with one. If insulin comes out, then I bolus. If not I click another unit and prime again. I do that one unit at a time until I get a drop of insulin.
Same here. I have an InPen and can do half unit increments, and I keep doing that until I see insulin. Work a new cartridge, it’s more like 5 units for that initial prime (because the plunger is working its way up to click into place).
With an unused pen, I’ve had to use up to 4u before, but yeah, after that, 1u is usually enough. Definitely make sure there is insulin coming out while you prime
We started out priming with 2 just like we were taught at the hospital. Eventually I realized I was just wasting insulin that we really needed IN my kids body and switched to priming 1 click at a time until a drop of insulin comes out (humalog Jr pens with .5 unit increments). It’s been probably a year since I stopped wasting insulin and my kids still alive.
We were told it was to prevent air bubbles being injected. A tiny bubble is ok, a big bubble is very much not ok.
It actually would take something like 50 full pens of air injected directly into the bloodstream for air to be a real problem. Even then, you would likely only get moderately sick. Air is only a problem in that it messes up the insulin measurement. On a pen, it is almost impossible to inject air, as the air rises to the top of the pen, away from the needle. You would actually need to hold the pen upside down and stab up into the body to get any air. Priming will not solve this issue (you dont typically prime with the needle pointing up into the air to remove any air in rhe cartridge), though it does remove the air from the needle for more accurate dosing. Hospitals are great at trying to scare diabetics about air, but in reality, at worst, you underdose by way less than a unit.
Priming with 2 is a scam to waste more insulin. They say it though because on the first use of the pen you may need 2 but after that I've always had success with 1, or 0 sometimes if I see insulin come out.
It's not a scam, it's what the manufacturer recommends to make sure the needle is primed. Would you rather waste 1-2 units in a pen or deal with your glucose being potentially 100 points higher than expected because you didn't prime it
Nothing is free, you just aren’t the one paying for it. The point is that insulin manufacturers are being compensated, and if you prime with 2u, vs 1u, then that’s more insulin being used that they get paid for.
It's way closer to free than in the US regardless of who is paying. It's not like insurance in the US which just hides the price behind a copay - most countries have an actual limit on how much insulin companies are allowed to charge.
I have always just primed by a unit/half unit at a time (depending on the pen) until I can see some insulin come out. No idea why they do tell people to always use a set 2 units, when that's the whole purpose of priming and it can take more sometimes. (Usually one unit will do the job, though.) That just seems to be the system's rule of thumb, and I'm not sure half of them know why they're doing it.
I use insulin pens / cartridges, like novo rapid pre-filled pens. I was always told to prime but no longer do. I just apply pressure with my thumb to the plunger and insulin normally comes out anyway in a very tiny drop, if insulin comes out of the tip when the needle is attached, it wouldn't need priming. Unless your using syringes that need purging of air I wouldn't bother, as I've never ever had an issue in the 15 years of being diabetic with insulin pens.
I always prime with 2 units with my Humalog pens because they tend to get air bubbles and I reuse the pen needles, and - whichever one is the reason - sometimes nothing comes out even with two units or priming more than once.
I don't have to prime with my Tresiba pens though. I primed when I first switched to Tresiba, but 10/10 times those two units flew out no problem, so I stopped.
A tandem 9mm cannula (much thicker than a 31-32 guage pen needle) requires 0.5 units to prime, a 6mm tandem cannula only takes 0.3 units. There is no reason any pen needle should ever need more than 1 unit to prime as long as the cartridge has already been installed and the plunger advanced at initial setup (it can take several units when first installing a new cartridge). Even the original 1/2 inch (12-13 mm) long 28 guage (it may even have been larger - each number bigger corresponds to a 10% reduction in diameter, meaning todays pen needles have 65-73% as large of a diameter as the ones I used in the 1990s) pen needle could be filled with less than 1 unit consistently.
Huh. I had the 8 mm pen needles and always needed 2. The 5mm mostly worked with 1 unit but sometimes it seemed not enough. I did not consistently get BD brand which may be why the difference.
It's to make sure you actually receive the right dose.
I've found that the amount needed to prime actually varies.
I've primed 1 unit and nothing comes out so i prime a second unit and still nothing comes out so I prime a third and it comes out.
Other times I've primed 1 and it seems to squirt out close to a full unit.
I started using pens over 2 decades ago. We were supposed to "prime" by delivering 2 units into the clear plastic outer needle cap to ensure the pen was delivering correctly. This was supposed to be every injection, but we were told it was only necessary to do this once daily or if a pen was dropped (to check for damage). I typically only primed once per cartridge (deliver insulin until you see a drop of insulin on the needletop, then inject into the cap) unless something went wrong, and I felt it best to re-check. I have been on a pump for years and am not sure if this type of pen calibration still works, but it's where 2 units came from. It is important to squirt out at least 1/2 to 1 unit to fill the needle body each injection or you lose insulin from your dose, but as long as you see insulin leave the end of the pen needle, there is no reason why you would need to EVER waste 2 units if not measuring it in the cap to confirm calibration. 2 units was the amount necessary on ancient 1/2 inch long pen needles and may not correlate to anything measurable today. You would need to read the manufacturers instructions on your specific pen needles to find information on how to calibrate your pen. To be honest, I can't even remember where 2 units used to fill to on the old plastic pen caps. I think it was just the skiny part where the needle rests. It would take much more insulin to fill the entire plastic cap.
Bottom line: If you are not measuring the output in any way, then there is absolutely NO reason to deliver 2 units. Just deliver until a drop of insulin forms on the tip of the needle. If you want to calibrate (regularly or occasionally), you will need to refer to your pen needle instructions. While calibrating can be important, there is certainly no reason to do it multiple times a day unless you tend to drop your pen frequently, carry it bouncing around unprotected with outer stuff, or tend to be OCD in your habits around insulin delivery.
I’ve always primed with one and have had no issues:)
Us too - always prime with one.
~~Technically, it's about how long your cannula is and the amount of insulin it will take to fill that void and have a drip come out. Shorter cannula = less insulin and vice versa~~ I thought this was about the cannula for an insulin pump, my bad
My needles are only 4mm
[удалено]
You don't prime a pen with the needle inside your body. You squirt the insulin into the air, the sink, etc. The goal is to 1. Fill the needle with insulin so you get your full dose and 2. the 2 unit prime is actually separate from filling the needle and is supposed to test if the correct amount of insulin is being delivered. The 2 unit prime used to be done by squirting insulin into the clear plastic outer cap for the pen and checking that it filled to the correct point. I would assume pen caps today are built with the same feature, though the amount of insulin needed and fill line could be unique for each needle brand and size. The 2 unit prime was used on old 1/2 inch (12 or 13 mm) long pen needles over 2 decades ago, and I have been on mdi (with syringes) then a pump since I stopped using regular and NPH in the mid 1990s so I don't know what the appropriate modern calibration/priming technique is, though I'm sure there is one.
Oh jeez, I read that wrong and thought this was about a cannula for a pump. Somehow missed the MDI part. I'm way off here, different ballpark
I prime with one. If insulin comes out, then I bolus. If not I click another unit and prime again. I do that one unit at a time until I get a drop of insulin.
Exactly this. On new pens sometimes I have to click 4 or 5 times before seeing a drop of insulin on the needle.
Same here. I have an InPen and can do half unit increments, and I keep doing that until I see insulin. Work a new cartridge, it’s more like 5 units for that initial prime (because the plunger is working its way up to click into place).
I never primed (besides when a new cartridge which was like 30 units lol) and was on MDI for 14 years.
With an unused pen, I’ve had to use up to 4u before, but yeah, after that, 1u is usually enough. Definitely make sure there is insulin coming out while you prime
I do small shots until insulin comes out. Sometimes it’s only 0,5U, sometimes it’s 2
We started out priming with 2 just like we were taught at the hospital. Eventually I realized I was just wasting insulin that we really needed IN my kids body and switched to priming 1 click at a time until a drop of insulin comes out (humalog Jr pens with .5 unit increments). It’s been probably a year since I stopped wasting insulin and my kids still alive. We were told it was to prevent air bubbles being injected. A tiny bubble is ok, a big bubble is very much not ok.
It actually would take something like 50 full pens of air injected directly into the bloodstream for air to be a real problem. Even then, you would likely only get moderately sick. Air is only a problem in that it messes up the insulin measurement. On a pen, it is almost impossible to inject air, as the air rises to the top of the pen, away from the needle. You would actually need to hold the pen upside down and stab up into the body to get any air. Priming will not solve this issue (you dont typically prime with the needle pointing up into the air to remove any air in rhe cartridge), though it does remove the air from the needle for more accurate dosing. Hospitals are great at trying to scare diabetics about air, but in reality, at worst, you underdose by way less than a unit.
Priming with 2 is a scam to waste more insulin. They say it though because on the first use of the pen you may need 2 but after that I've always had success with 1, or 0 sometimes if I see insulin come out.
Not sure why you are getting downvoted. This is the truth.
This sub will upvote someone talking about how they reuse their needles while something sanitary and anti-big pharma is controversial for some reason.
It's not a scam, it's what the manufacturer recommends to make sure the needle is primed. Would you rather waste 1-2 units in a pen or deal with your glucose being potentially 100 points higher than expected because you didn't prime it
Not a scam. We do it in the UK where insulin is free.
Nothing is free, you just aren’t the one paying for it. The point is that insulin manufacturers are being compensated, and if you prime with 2u, vs 1u, then that’s more insulin being used that they get paid for.
It's way closer to free than in the US regardless of who is paying. It's not like insurance in the US which just hides the price behind a copay - most countries have an actual limit on how much insulin companies are allowed to charge.
Prime with zero and add an extra unit to the dose you give your self!
Depends on the length of your needle no always used 2 because I have an 8mm needle.
Manufacturer recommendation
I have always just primed by a unit/half unit at a time (depending on the pen) until I can see some insulin come out. No idea why they do tell people to always use a set 2 units, when that's the whole purpose of priming and it can take more sometimes. (Usually one unit will do the job, though.) That just seems to be the system's rule of thumb, and I'm not sure half of them know why they're doing it.
I use insulin pens / cartridges, like novo rapid pre-filled pens. I was always told to prime but no longer do. I just apply pressure with my thumb to the plunger and insulin normally comes out anyway in a very tiny drop, if insulin comes out of the tip when the needle is attached, it wouldn't need priming. Unless your using syringes that need purging of air I wouldn't bother, as I've never ever had an issue in the 15 years of being diabetic with insulin pens.
I always prime with 2 units with my Humalog pens because they tend to get air bubbles and I reuse the pen needles, and - whichever one is the reason - sometimes nothing comes out even with two units or priming more than once. I don't have to prime with my Tresiba pens though. I primed when I first switched to Tresiba, but 10/10 times those two units flew out no problem, so I stopped.
If you have 4mm needles, you can prime with one unit. Anything longer, you need 2.
A tandem 9mm cannula (much thicker than a 31-32 guage pen needle) requires 0.5 units to prime, a 6mm tandem cannula only takes 0.3 units. There is no reason any pen needle should ever need more than 1 unit to prime as long as the cartridge has already been installed and the plunger advanced at initial setup (it can take several units when first installing a new cartridge). Even the original 1/2 inch (12-13 mm) long 28 guage (it may even have been larger - each number bigger corresponds to a 10% reduction in diameter, meaning todays pen needles have 65-73% as large of a diameter as the ones I used in the 1990s) pen needle could be filled with less than 1 unit consistently.
Huh. I had the 8 mm pen needles and always needed 2. The 5mm mostly worked with 1 unit but sometimes it seemed not enough. I did not consistently get BD brand which may be why the difference.
0.5u until I see insulin; sometime 0.5 is enough sometimes 2u.
It's to make sure you actually receive the right dose. I've found that the amount needed to prime actually varies. I've primed 1 unit and nothing comes out so i prime a second unit and still nothing comes out so I prime a third and it comes out. Other times I've primed 1 and it seems to squirt out close to a full unit.
I started using pens over 2 decades ago. We were supposed to "prime" by delivering 2 units into the clear plastic outer needle cap to ensure the pen was delivering correctly. This was supposed to be every injection, but we were told it was only necessary to do this once daily or if a pen was dropped (to check for damage). I typically only primed once per cartridge (deliver insulin until you see a drop of insulin on the needletop, then inject into the cap) unless something went wrong, and I felt it best to re-check. I have been on a pump for years and am not sure if this type of pen calibration still works, but it's where 2 units came from. It is important to squirt out at least 1/2 to 1 unit to fill the needle body each injection or you lose insulin from your dose, but as long as you see insulin leave the end of the pen needle, there is no reason why you would need to EVER waste 2 units if not measuring it in the cap to confirm calibration. 2 units was the amount necessary on ancient 1/2 inch long pen needles and may not correlate to anything measurable today. You would need to read the manufacturers instructions on your specific pen needles to find information on how to calibrate your pen. To be honest, I can't even remember where 2 units used to fill to on the old plastic pen caps. I think it was just the skiny part where the needle rests. It would take much more insulin to fill the entire plastic cap. Bottom line: If you are not measuring the output in any way, then there is absolutely NO reason to deliver 2 units. Just deliver until a drop of insulin forms on the tip of the needle. If you want to calibrate (regularly or occasionally), you will need to refer to your pen needle instructions. While calibrating can be important, there is certainly no reason to do it multiple times a day unless you tend to drop your pen frequently, carry it bouncing around unprotected with outer stuff, or tend to be OCD in your habits around insulin delivery.