Insulin pens, have you picked up the wrong one?

[Itisnoteasybeingdifferent]

DW has just taken the wrong insulin..
Injected a nighttime dose of daytime insulin because the pens look and feel like each other. Has anyone else made the same mistake?

Two days of see saw bloods to get back under control so not happy.,

Yes, I've done that before now. Like you say, a couple of days all over the place before getting back to normal - mind you, I took good advantage of the excuse to have a chocolate digestive or two to get out of the lows!

Hope your DW feels back to normal soon, though, it's such an easy thing to do and such a pain when you realise what you've done. Has she got enough blood-testing strips so she can do the extra testing she'll have to do to keep an eye on it?

Thank you.Yes all supplies in order. lots of strips and packets of glucose. Just spent an hour with a wet fish in bed trying to get her round from a super hypo.

This could be avoided if it was possible to get different shaped pens for nighttime and fast acting insulin. But they are all the same shape and there is only a slight difference between them.

You can get different colour pens - might be worth your DW having a discussion with her diabetes clinic team and seeing what they can suggest. They normally get a bit nervous if they hear of someone using the wrong pen by accident and try to help.

I've done it before....it sucks big time...hope everything gets back to normal soon for you both.

Levermir and novorapid by any chance?? I've recently started levermir and the pens are very similar, I thought at some point I'm bound to make a mistake. My previous basal insulin was a completely different colour, so I never got them mixed up. Make sure she eats a banana or sandwich to keep rebounding hypos at bay. I hope she feels better soon.

The ones she uses have the same colour body with a different coloured band, light blue and white. The problem being that when you hold the pen to take an injection,your hand covers the coloured identity band...

So she couldn't see the identity band when she took the shot. Now up to 20.

Could you do something like put an elastic band around one type? Just until she can see her diabetes nurse? Hope you get it settled, must be scary for you both.

DH uses different coloured pens to stop this. He's about to order new pens that have something in the lid telling you how much and when you injected

I've just put a big blob of nail varnish on my night time insulin pen lid to identify it from my rapid insulin. Can she ring her DSN for advice? I suspect she needs to test very frequently and bring the hypers down with her rapid insulin. I understand how frustrating it can be. Have you tried the DUK website? They have really good advice on all things diabetes related and an excellent forum where you can seek advice/support and ask questions such as this. Good luck.

The pens with the timers/insulin taken readings in the end of them are brilliant. I have one for my novorapid and it helps me hugely to ensure I haven't taken more insulin when I still have the previous dose onboard.

I didn't know pens like that existed. I'm going to ask when I see my consultant.

What she wants is a pen that feels different in her hand. Something like having an octagonal straignt body that instantly feels different to the smooth contoured act rapid pen.

The idea of a pen that has a timer and log to tell you what you have taken is pretty good, but it only serves to remind her that she has made a mistake. The prefered objective would be to not make the mistake.

Before I got a pump I had two different coloured insulin pens, my mum does also. Easily done though hope her levels stabilise soon.

My lantus pen is slightly bulbous and plastic (and bright red), my novorapid pen is smooth and shiny, metal (and bright blue) - both chosen specifically to be v different in appearance! Good luck!!

I only did this the other day. About to take my Levemir, looked round and my 18m old is running round with my meter. I say back down after retrieving my meter, unscrewed the needle off my Levemir and put it on my Novorapid and gave my basal dose! The worry of collapsing and leaving a little one alone with partner at work!
When I used to be on humalin throwaway pens they were more like pentagon shaped, not quite square but more bulbous. Hard to describe. But like others have mentioned, I have the Novo 5 insulin pens where it has the units/time administered counter in the end but they are both cylinder pens so doesnt help you. But I have one which is Silver and my Rapid is Blue.

I might be too old school (been pumping since 2004), but I always took my basal with a syringe, and only used the pen for bolus insulin. It did mean I never got them mixed up...but appreciate it might not be for everyone!

Usually work with children but they often stick those jewel stickers on one pen as both looks and feels different. Get loads in the pound shop. Easy fix. But yes agree it is daft that they are so similar...

Usually work with children but they often stick those jewel stickers on one pen as both looks and feels different. Get loads in the pound shop. Easy fix. But yes agree it is daft that they are so similar...

I keep both pens in completely different places so I can't make the mistake again.

Yeah I’ve done it!
I have a red novo pen for tresiba and a green huma pen for hunalog. They do feel different