We are considering a needle-less injection system (air) for our four year old daughter, who has two basal injections (Levemir) and three rapid (Humalog) injections per day. Our diabetic team is very good here in Madrid, but does not have any experience with this type of injection system. Do they work well? Are they okay for children?

Please see our web page on Jet Injectors.

While needle-free devices have been used sporadically for a number of years, they have not “caught on” and I don’t exactly know why. Relative to injections, they are more cumbersome to use. Older versions are not so small and discreet.

Newer needle-free devices are commercially available for other types of injectable medications (such as Growth Hormone). They are more compact and often attractive to use, especially to teenagers. But, at least in the U.S., they are not marketed and approved for use for insulin, even though they were tested in children with diabetes.

But, the real reality is that insulin needles are the smallest and some of the sharpest needles around. Although perhaps counter-intuitive, sharper means LESS painful. They are quick, easy to get, and relatively cheap.

DS