February 11, 2002
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from Plano, Texas, USA:
My seven year old son, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about seven months ago, just did his first shot in the arm today! We want to get one of those insulin injection pens, and I’ve heard I heard some even dose in half-unit increments. We think it will be helpful for grandparents and at school, where he may need a lunchtime shot, but I have also heard that these pens don’t accurately dispense. Is there a way to ensure the accuracy of the dose, using a pen, at this half-unit level?
Answer:
There is only one pen device that delivers insulin in 0.5 unit increments, the B-D Pen Mini.
Please also note that children with diabetes often mix a short-acting (e.g., Regular, Humalog, or Novolog) and long-acting (e.g., NPH, Lente or Ultralente) insulin in the same injection. This is not possible with the pen injectors. Kids who decide to use the pen for all their injections should get two pens, using one for their short acting insulin and one for their long acting (or use the pen for the short-acting and a standard syringe for the long-acting insulin.
SS
