Different Pen needles - have you changed these at all?

[MisseyLurker]

I think that most pharmacies supply the pens with needles, I know there are a couple who don’t. The ones received are usually 4mm and 31/32g but I was watching a doctor explain about how the medication is absorbed and had mentioned that sometimes 4mm isn’t the right length and maybe 6mm or 8mm would be a better choice. Which got me wondering, has anyone bought additional pen needles at 6/8mm and have you noticed a difference in how effective you are finding your injections at all?

I have used 4, 6 and 8mm needles and not noticed any correlation at all with the effectiveness of the medication. Not a jot of difference. I used 4 or 6mm for the standard pen injections depending on what was supplied with the pen, and 8mm for the extracted 5th dose using separate syringes.

@SilenceInside Thank you for taking the time to respond. I suppose it’s maybe a bit like changing the injection sight, some people find one place better than the other.

I've tried 4,6 & 8 (hoping a longer needle would reduce injection site reaction - it didn't) & I didn't notice any difference either.

I think the issue here is you watching ‘a doctor’ and thinking that their one take on this is valid. Literally millions of injections have been done using 4mm needles. I would take your internet doctors advice with a large pinch of salt.

I use 6mm, simply because that is what my first provider sent.

The standard for subcutaneous injections is now well documented (if you google subcutaneous injections and needle length) as 4mm being the most effective, safe and comfortable for the patient - this includes things like insulin when accurate doses matter more.

There may be occasions when 4mm is not suitable for someone but I would expect that would be the exception - for some people injecting too shallow can cause irritation on the skin, some maybe get less leakage after injecting. Why did the Dr say they were not suitable?

They didn’t say it wasn’t suitable, just that sometime for absorption a different needle is required. Things like irritation and people finding that the medication isn’t effective or as effective could be due to the medication not being injected into the correct place.

The injection site i.e. tummy, arm, thigh and the depth will all be different in different places.

@deblcouen It wasn’t just one ‘doctor’ and it wasn’t someone just saying they were a medical professional, which is what you are inferring by using the quotation marks it was actually someone I know of who is actually registered with the GMC. I also ask a couple of doctors who are neighbours to understand if there was anything in what I was watching and had subsequently read and they agreed that there can be but again it depends on what is being injected and into where and the persons mass. I was also just curious if others had used a different depth and seen any change in how the injections have worked for them.

I wasn’t suggesting they were not a doctor so sorry for that bad use of marks. I was suggesting they were one of these shitty doctors who make ridiculous videos and people believe every word. That’s what it sounded like from your OP.

Apologies, I should have been more clear in the credentials of the person. I know the type of doctors you mean and even some of these people who seem to have become self proclaimed experts in WLI. It can be scary at times when you know there are people out there who actually believe all they say.