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Do anybody know where to get it in texas or online.
tuberculin syringe
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I tried everywhere nobody carrys them.I just found out they dont sell them in the us.
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I dont really understand this....they make them in 1/2 and 1ml sizes. I have three extra ones I carry in my little kit all the time in case something happens and I cant use my pump for some reason. I got them at CVS pharmacy.
I had to google this, and just in case it saves anyone else the time, the tuberculin syringes measure in milliliters instead of units. I expect there wouldn't be much difference, but the op is probably aware of this.
Sorry I had never even heard of them before. It's just curiosity, but you are using them for something else than insulin? Do you have a different idea that might be handy for the rest of us?
Sorry I had never even heard of them before. It's just curiosity, but you are using them for something else than insulin? Do you have a different idea that might be handy for the rest of us?
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these syringes are not regular measurements.they dont measure reg units.
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really i ll try there.thanks
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Its not a reg syringe so walgreens and cvs dont carry them
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Hmm I am not really sure exactly what the difference is. Whether it measures in mls or units you should be able to use it. Maybe ask at your doctors office. I know there are other diabetics that are using u500 insulin and they must be using something that they can purchase here. Do you know what kind of measurement it uses or the capacity of the syringe?
It seems like you would have to do the same math either way. Personally I think I'd sooner use insulin syringes, and multiply by 5. (Or divide, depending which way you are going.)
I used to sew Roman shades, (at a sweat shop ) and as much as possible it was always nice to AVOID MATH. It certainly is one more place to mess up and one more thing that can go wrong. Sometimes you just can't avoid it.
Fortunately that part of my head is still working well. In my system of preloading syringes I have to do simple basic math. It might be a good idea to write down the position of the syringe at the start of the shot but so far haven't had to do that.
It is probably just a question of time before I do start screwing that up though.
But at least the insulin syringes are calibrated in units, so if you do multiply by 5 you are getting a precise measure. The tuberculin syringes are in ml and that's probably less than a percent different from the measure you would get by units, but still less accurate.
(don't take my word for it. I don't actually know. I'm just assuming that the filler for the different strengths of insulin is distilled water, and that the specific gravity for insulin is close to that of water, so it should still come out really close.)
But when I googled the difference, there were a couple of pages about the .9 on the tuberculin syringes being mistaken for 9 units when it was actually (approximately) equal to 90 units. I read about a second similar mistake made by nurses using them for insulin.
Probably just one more thing that can (and once in awhile might) go wrong.
I used to sew Roman shades, (at a sweat shop
) and as much as possible it was always nice to AVOID MATH. It certainly is one more place to mess up and one more thing that can go wrong. Sometimes you just can't avoid it.Fortunately that part of my head is still working well. In my system of preloading syringes I have to do simple basic math. It might be a good idea to write down the position of the syringe at the start of the shot but so far haven't had to do that.
It is probably just a question of time before I do start screwing that up though.
But at least the insulin syringes are calibrated in units, so if you do multiply by 5 you are getting a precise measure. The tuberculin syringes are in ml and that's probably less than a percent different from the measure you would get by units, but still less accurate.
(don't take my word for it. I don't actually know. I'm just assuming that the filler for the different strengths of insulin is distilled water, and that the specific gravity for insulin is close to that of water, so it should still come out really close.)
But when I googled the difference, there were a couple of pages about the .9 on the tuberculin syringes being mistaken for 9 units when it was actually (approximately) equal to 90 units. I read about a second similar mistake made by nurses using them for insulin.
Probably just one more thing that can (and once in awhile might) go wrong.
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Can your pharmacy order them for you? Certainly, one can't just walk in off the street and ask for needles and get them, but your regular pharmacy should be familiar with your disease state and order them as a customer courtesy.
I would, if I were your pharmacist.
You might also try a medical supply store on-line or in person. Tuberculin syringes are used by MD offices and hospitals. They have to get them somewhere.
It was a surprise to me and to my doc, but you can get both insulin and syringes without a prescription. I only found out while chatting with a pharmacist. I certainly appreciate that.
I ran short of insulin in another country and had to do that one time. I really appreciate that a little common sense trumped all the bureaucracy. (maybe just this once)
Or who knows, maybe I owe my thanks to the drug addict's lobby.
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Regular and NPH are available without Rxs. The short-acting and long-acting newer agents require an Rx in most states.
Syringes are available, but here in the US, RPh's can be stingy with them. I never sold them to anyone who wasn't a regular diabetic patient of mine, a patient who bought or had an rx for insulin, or a patient I knew had other injectable therapies.
But as I said before, I would think your regular pharmacy would be willing to order them for you.
You are right. Tuberculin syringes measure in Ml and the fact that you are using U500 insulin they are a good idea to use for that. I would think you would have to have the pharmacy special order them as they would not be normally carried by the pharmacy.
Here is a link that might help. How to Switch to U-500 Insulin | eHow.com
While normally insulin is 100 units per ML, U-500 is 500 units per ML. You can use regular insulin syringes but you must know how to do the math to dose correctly. Since Turberculin syringes measure by volume it is easier to use them to measure out U-500 insulin.
That was an interesting link. They (indirectly) suggested using insulin syringes instead of tuberculin. Here are the quotes.
"Ask your doctor to write the prescription in units and in volume, and to tell you what that looks like on your U-100 syringe."
"On your U-100 syringe, you will need to draw up what looks like 30 units, but it will really be 150 units because U-500 insulin is five times as strong as U-100 insulin."
And I just read another article about a mix up between tuberculin and insulin syringes. Thought I'd make a quick trip over here, look up this thread and post it.
Diabetes Disaster Averted #10: Look-Alike Syringe Problem
And sure enough, it was a health professional who did it.
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