Started using Novolog Pen, Jr. Leaking Question

[AJMom]

We just started using the novolog jr pen with the nano needles. We are careful to count to 10 slowly before removing it. Even doing this, insulin 'leaks out' of the injection site. She is quite thin so we are using the short, small needles. This is anywhere - stomach or arms. She is still in a honeymoon that takes her all over the place - or I would think we would see it impacting BG #'s.

Is it normal for insulin to 'leak' with this type of injection? Is it the shorter needles? This didn't happen when we used the syringes!

Thank you for any insight!

[Teacups]

We had a lot of leakback while using the pen. You're not alone! Someone suggested rotating the pen before/while taking it out after the injection is complete. I don't remember if that completely solved the problem, but it may have helped.

We also used the Nano needles, so I don't know if using something different would've made a difference.

HTH!

[lisanc]

We also had a lot of leak back when on shots ... my daughter held it in a little longer than 10 and that helped a little ... but most people I have met also complain about leak back, unforunately.

[Ndiggs]

we had the same problems. We did also find that some of it was insulin on the surface of the needle from the prime shot. We found that if we slowly released as we were counting to ten we had less leakback.

[jessicat]

we did not go to the pens just because so many people we knew had that prob. So We are still using syringes.

[rakgyk]

Are you pinching her arm when you give the injection? We were told not to pinch because the needles are so short, it can leak out.

[mysweetwill]

Yes, there is always a tiny drop on the tip no matter how long we hold it!

[Mommy For Life]

Drip drip here too! we don't use them as much, but i will take them with me when we are out and about. But if I need to do any .5 units I draw out the insulin from the pen with a syringe....my pens don't do half units. Another poster mentioned one time using a different carb ratio because of the leak issue. I forgot to ask endo at our last appt.

[Lee]

We always had the drip as well. Honestly, when we first started we saw a few elevated blood sugars. However, a small tweak to her insulin to carb ratios took care of that 1/10th a unit of leakback.

It is normal. Almost everyone experiences this and it is no reason to loose the convenience of the pen.

[LantusFiend]

Think of it as being the same as the extra bit left in the syringe after an injection. There's a little well in the needle that is accounted for on syringes and I figure that's as big of a difference as the small drop left from the pen.
I have the same extra drop with the Lantus pen that I am using now that I used to have with the NovoPen Junior (stopped using pens for short acting because I switched to Regular and penfills for Regular are not available in the United States).