Dear all
I am injecting hefty doses today, and noticing abnormal BG reaction to very usual breakfast and lunch. I became suspicious and looked closely at my pen, and see a crack in the vial.
Should wildly high BG be expected? I am far from a spare vial, unfortunately, but i suspect it needs replacing.
Could members kindly opine?
Many thanks.
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Do not use this pen. Return it to your pharmacy for a replacement - which they should do at no cost. They will send it back to the manufacturer. Also, you can contact Novo Nordisc and share your pictures - it may help them identify an issue in manufacturing.
Mike
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There is a glass sleeve inside the plastic sleeve. So it’s possible only the outer plastic is cracked.
You can check to see if the crack is just surface or if the crack has gone all the way through the entire casing to the insulin.
Remove the needle and do an “injection”. Without a needle, does the pressure of the “injection” cause insulin to leak out?
But replacing it is certainly a reasonable thing and smart thing to do. I would just want to test it first, to see if it is indeed a leak.
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Hard to tell from the pictures, but I concur with others here that it isn’t worth the risk. If you can return it and request a replacement…I’d think any reputable pharmacy would take it. Of course, if its mail order type, you may want to just with pens in the meantime if you have them to spare…
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With being far from a replacement. I think @Eric suggestion to check & see if there is truly a crack is best one to start with. If necessary injecting diminished strength insulin is better than having none. If the vial is cracked & you do happen to have a syringe I would use that to inject. After you are at a place where you can replace. I would then like others have suggested take the vial back & get a replacement.
Here’s 
ing for your safety.
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Must be a shocker to find that in your morning routine, I’m just glad that you noticed it first.
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This happened to me once while rehearsing a choral piece at St. Vincent D’indie music school run by a convent of nuns in Montreal. Insulin leaked on my fingers when I gave a bolus for the pizza I had just eaten. A scary old nun bouncer at the front desk begrudgingly gave me a small strip of scotch tape which I wrapped tightly around the cartridge, covering the crack. Worked just fine. Of course I replaced it when I got home.
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