@illmatched says: After almost 20 years of using Novopen(s), I thought I’d see what other fellow pancreatically-challenged peeps feel about this icon of our condition…..
I’d like to have your thoughts and feelings about this wonderful (?) piece of kit. Any anecdotes and tips would be really interesting and muchly appreciated.
I’ll start by sharing some of my recent experiences…..
All I can say is that I wish you could get one for Lantus cartridges! The difference in design quality, and build quality is HUGE between the Autopen 24 and Novopen 3… I don’t think I’ve ever been annoyed by the Novopen, it’s just done it’s job, right down to saving insulin when I screw up and over a click (I hate that waste spurt when you over do the does on the Autopen – I’ve watched 30-odd units vanish into the air before after forgetting it’s a two unit click…)
Is there an alternative to the autopen? I never even considered there could be before, but just realised there may be, and if there is, surely the lovely shootup peeps will know?!
I had the lovely metal Novopen, and was lucky enough to be moved onto a pump before I had to change it for a ghastly plastic version. I started using it when it first came out in the early 1980s. Along with one of the first blood testing machines.
@neobrainless: Apparently the NHS is phasing out their use of both Opti- and Autopens; they’re switching over to the ClikStar…unfortunately not available in this colony yet
I have a Novopen 3 for my NovoRapid and an OptiClik for the Lantus. The Novopen is quick, simple, easy to use, robust, and has, as @lizz says, a good feel to its metal body, it’s a great piece of kit. The OptiClik is cheap plastic, and although it has a digital display, the mechanism is ‘fuzzy’ rather than the positive dial up of the analogue Novopen. It’s not nice to actually get the needle in and find out you can’t press the button as it’s a micro-metre out of place!
The Novopen is so good, I’m seriously considering changing my Lantus for the Novo Nordsk equivalent (Levemir I believe). As my hands become increasingly arthritic, I may well find it difficult to apply the much higher pressure required to use the OptiClik, whose only redeeming feature is that you can dial up 80 units, rather than the Novopen’s 60. On the other hand, the Novopen is so easy, you can dial up an additional dose without removing the needle from your body. Now that’s got to be good!
@Lizz Ah, those were the days. The original, beautiful, slimline, brushed metal Novopen was a work of art. I was most displeased when they practically doubled it’s girth and replaced it with the chunky, plastic things they call Novopens now.
I made a big fuss when the plastic ones came out and the nurse gave me their last supplies of the metal one to use once my current one gave up the ghost, so I managed to keep metal for much longer – till 2000 anyway when I got my pump.
What’s all this about plastic Novopens?! Mine (received in 2008) is metal bodied. There is plastic involved, but enough (all the main body bits) of it is lovely, shiny, brushed metal!
Would I just ask my doctor about getting changed to the Clickstar? I have zero knowledge/experience with prescription stuff Apart from going and getting it replenished every so often, obviously… Some more new shiny-ness would go down very well with me
I don’t really know about anyone else’s experience @neobrainless, but all I have to do is ask my SDN, and she sorts it out for me. I think there are some GPs practices where you have to bully them a bit, but I’m lucky I guess.
Just been given a Novopen Luxura HD, so I can do half-units (honeymooning, diagnosed 8 weeks ago – at 45!). Looks and feels like a lovely solid piece of kit… (And it’s HD!)
Are you sure it’s a Novopen not a Humapen Rob? I’ve got a Novopen 3 for Levemir (fortunately metal, I knew nothing about plastic ones – how tacky!) plus a spare. Also a Humapen Memoir which is a great bit of kit.
For lantus I use the SoloStar pre-filled pens, which it appears that no one else seems to?! They are simple plastic pens but I think they’re really good, and @neobrainless they dial up single units and you can undial them too. I know I used something else before but whatever it was was awful and complaining to my DSN got me this one. And the HumaPen Luxura is my standard Humalog pen. I got very excited when they gave me a shiny new one in ‘champagne’ – turns out you’re meant to change the pen you’re using every so often too, you know, like lancets!
Marc used the Novopen 4 and wouldn’t use any other pen. The New Echo is looking good (even though it’s made for kids) it has a simple memory function to show last dialled up dose and delivers in 1/2 units BUT it’s not available in the UK
Those hands nearly hypnotised me when moving up and down.. Wish I had a pen like that when I started back in the day.. Although I did have a metallic Novo Pen.. Complete with Actrapid and Insulatard.