I don't think I like this PEP pen

chunkyTN

chunkyTN

GLP-1 Apprentice
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I bought a V2 injection pen. First two months of research were with pharmacy provided injection pens. I liked the simplicity of it.

I've read a bunch of stuff here about the pens and decided that I would get one. Blame it on my need to have ALL the things when I start something new.

It came in yesterday along with vials and needle tips. Purple and shiny! This morning I took my tirz and transferred it to the vial and loaded the pen. Purged the air and got ready for my new easy way to just pin and go.

It's awkward to hold, the plunger is kinda hard to press and I can't get the visual confirmation that it injected that I'm used to with insulin syringes.

Will I use it? Yep, not gonna waste all the tirz I just loaded. Will I load it again? I'm not sure. It seems like overkill. Or maybe I bought the wrong pen?

If you use one tell me about it? I'm currently using sema and tirz (I know sema isn't popular right now but it's working and it's cheap). Why do you like it better than just using syringes?
 
Still very new to the GLPs myself and I've never used a pen so I have no input for you. That said I have been extremely curious about the idea and potential convenience so I'm looking forward what ever input you get from others here.
 
I have bought about 7 of the generic V2 pep pen. There were 2 bad ones, spring not strong enough to actually inject and 2 were super stiff and hard to push the plunger. The other 3 worked perfect, easy to press, count to 10 before pulling the needle out and there is no drip. The good ones work great and I would never go back to pulling every dose every time.
 
@ZippityDooDah believes pens are overrated ("stupid"):

Autoinjector pens are stupid

But most people who use pens are doing so for daily dosing of non-GLP peptides, which are relatively worthless in his view:

Peptides are not the answer


AlexSilver said:
I have bought about 7 of the generic V2 pep pen. There were 2 bad ones, spring not strong enough to actually inject and 2 were super stiff and hard to push the plunger. The other 3 worked perfect, easy to press, count to 10 before pulling the needle out and there is no drip. The good ones work great and I would never go back to pulling every dose every time.
Click to expand...
Well, there you go. The answer is buying more pens 🙂
 
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chunkyTN said:
I bought a V2 injection pen. First two months of research were with pharmacy provided injection pens. I liked the simplicity of it.

I've read a bunch of stuff here about the pens and decided that I would get one. Blame it on my need to have ALL the things when I start something new.

It came in yesterday along with vials and needle tips. Purple and shiny! This morning I took my tirz and transferred it to the vial and loaded the pen. Purged the air and got ready for my new easy way to just pin and go.

It's awkward to hold, the plunger is kinda hard to press and I can't get the visual confirmation that it injected that I'm used to with insulin syringes.

Will I use it? Yep, not gonna waste all the tirz I just loaded. Will I load it again? I'm not sure. It seems like overkill. Or maybe I bought the wrong pen?

If you use one tell me about it? I'm currently using sema and tirz (I know sema isn't popular right now but it's working and it's cheap). Why do you like it better than just using syringes?
Click to expand...
I initially had the same issues as you're having now.

The lack of visual confimation was most concerning - it's hard to tell how much you've injected especially with the markings on the internal cartridge holder a massive 40 units apart. But after checking the accuracy of my pens by injecting the output into standard insulin syringes, I felt more comfortable in trusting it.

I hold the pen in my fist and use my thumb to press the plunger, works well for me but it can be a little difficult sometimes. You do have to get used to holding it in place for 10 seconds or so after the plunger is all the way in or it will leak a little when you pull it out, it takes a while to totally unload.

I just made the switch to automatic pens that makes it SO much easier. Spring loaded and easy to inject, just a simple button that you press and hold until the clicking stops - the higher the dose, the more clicks you'll hear. I've got 4 of them now and I won't go back to standard syringes, there's too much waste and you can find the pen needles a bit cheaper than the syringes.
 
I just recently picked up my first pen, a gansulin 2 and it's pretty sweet. For once weekly injections, I think its not worth the time it takes to load carts but for something daily like tesa, I would definitely prefer the ease of just dialing and clicking a button.
 
If you’re going to filter anyway, then there’s not much extra hassle to filtering into a cart versus a new sterile vial.

I agree that the V1/V2 style can be a bit clunky trying to depress the end for the injection. If they are too hard to depress (and not just an ergonomics issue), then something is probably wrong and it’s be worth resetting the plunger and purging the vial.

You can pick up a “bird” pen (autoinjector) for ~$35. I tested 2 of them for accuracy and they were dead on (but so were my V2s). I got one for my mom as I don’t think she’s going to be able to use the other styles just due to the size of her hands and not being able to use 2 hands to inject. She hasn’t tried one yet, so the jury is still out.

I do like that vials take up a lot less space in the fridge than pens, so I only use pens for daily injections at the moment.
 
AlexSilver said:
I have bought about 7 of the generic V2 pep pen. There were 2 bad ones, spring not strong enough to actually inject and 2 were super stiff and hard to push the plunger. The other 3 worked perfect, easy to press, count to 10 before pulling the needle out and there is no drip. The good ones work great and I would never go back to pulling every dose every time.
Click to expand...
I have run into the same problem. You think it injected but when you lift up the pen its either dripping or spraying a stream of peptide everywhere. Seems like the pens worked great the first time but got weak when reloaded.
The simplicity of it all is great if it works correctly. Maybe a better quality pen would help.
 
woundcarping said:
I wanted to want pens, but all the hassles of defective pens or you’ve gotta push the plunger at the right speed or this or that… syringes serve me well for my 20ish injections each week. Three of those wouldn’t be well suited for a pen.
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I also have 250 31g syringes, so there's that.
 
I have been doing 1-3 injections a week for a couple years and still have not tried a pen. As it seems like too much bother versus a minute or two to inject with a syringe. If I was doing more I might consider it.
 
Dos-Dox said:
If you’re going to filter anyway, then there’s not much extra hassle to filtering into a cart versus a new sterile vial.

I agree that the V1/V2 style can be a bit clunky trying to depress the end for the injection. If they are too hard to depress (and not just an ergonomics issue), then something is probably wrong and it’s be worth resetting the plunger and purging the vial.

You can pick up a “bird” pen (autoinjector) for ~$35. I tested 2 of them for accuracy and they were dead on (but so were my V2s). I got one for my mom as I don’t think she’s going to be able to use the other styles just due to the size of her hands and not being able to use 2 hands to inject. She hasn’t tried one yet, so the jury is still out.

I do like that vials take up a lot less space in the fridge than pens, so I only use pens for daily injections at the moment.
Click to expand...

I keep seeing the "bird" pen mentioned but honestly I'm not sure what that is.

You have a point about filtering right into the cart. Today I transferred a partial vial into a cart cause I was looking forward to using the pen.
 
Peotidethrowaway said:
If you filter anyway the pen creates zero extra effort. I hate all the waste of the insulin syringes. So much plastic
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I just put mine in a Sharps container and send it back to them in the box they send, postage paid. Then I get a new one in 3 days and fill it up again. Rinse, repeat. If I was trashing them, I'd be more concerned.
 
Dos-Dox said:
If you’re going to filter anyway, then there’s not much extra hassle to filtering into a cart versus a new sterile vial.

I agree that the V1/V2 style can be a bit clunky trying to depress the end for the injection. If they are too hard to depress (and not just an ergonomics issue), then something is probably wrong and it’s be worth resetting the plunger and purging the vial.

You can pick up a “bird” pen (autoinjector) for ~$35. I tested 2 of them for accuracy and they were dead on (but so were my V2s). I got one for my mom as I don’t think she’s going to be able to use the other styles just due to the size of her hands and not being able to use 2 hands to inject. She hasn’t tried one yet, so the jury is still out.

I do like that vials take up a lot less space in the fridge than pens, so I only use pens for daily injections at the moment.
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Im with you, for a small everyday injections, I like the pens.
 

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chunkyTN said:
I keep seeing the "bird" pen mentioned but honestly I'm not sure what that is.
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It’s the “Chonghe Lin Insulin Injection Pen Chonghe Lin M30 Diabetes Home Automatic Injection Pen,” but everyone calls it the bird pen because it has a picture of a bird on the box.

I got one on AliExpress (more expensive with tariffs) and the 2nd from Goodlife Goodies. It looks like Goodlife is currently out of stock, but they have a lot of other pens. Daro Pep Accessories (on TG) is also a good resource. They do lots of drops and most of their pens sell out quickly.

I haven’t tried any higher end pens. Some folks don’t like the bird pen because it’s plastic. Just have to try a few and see what you like.
 

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I went back to v1's after my six generic v2's, which I initially loved, started springing back a varying amount halfway through the plunge, the way it does if you unscrew it, reach in, and push the thing back to load a cart. I had the two v1's already, and just bought two more. Four is all I need. One for tirz, one for Survo until I hit goal and discontinue that one, one for Klow, and a fourth one in case I ever decide to do the mitochondrial protocol again, which I probably won't because MOTS-C does gross things to my injection site.
 
I haven't tried v2's, but I use v1's for my daily (or almost daily) injections. I really enjoy the convenience of it and I feel like the pen needles are a lot less painful to me... probably because I generally have a lot of needle anxiety and my brain doesn't have the same reaction to the visual of the pen needle vs a syringe.

I will say, when I inject with the pen I do it slower than with a syringe and leave the needle in for about 10 seconds after delivering the full dose. From what I understand, injecting too fast can cause inaccurate dosing or leakage from the needle after removing it. I have had a tiny drop leak out after injecting something, but nothing more than what comes out of the injection site if you remove a syringe too fast.

Also, I have arthritis in my tiny lady hands and on especially stiff days I do find gripping and pressing the pen with one hand to be a little difficult. But honestly I struggle just as much with a syringe especially at higher units (the plunger all the way out).

All of that being said... can definitely see how pens aren't it for some. If I wasn't a giant baby about needles and/or wasn't doing daily injections, I'd probably keep it old school.
 
c0c0_ly said:
Also, I have arthritis in my tiny lady hands and on especially stiff days I do find gripping and pressing the pen with one hand to be a little difficult.
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Sounds like an auto injector might be a useful investment for you. Bird pens are ~$35. I’ve seen ConviPens for $45. Definitely more than the V1/V2, but after you insert the needle, it’s much easier to hold and push the button (near the middle of the pen) with one hand.
 
Can someone briefly explain to me the difference in function between the V1s and the V2s? I'm thinking about getting my feet wet with pens, but I would like to keep my initial investment fairly low until I'm sure I want to move in the PEN direction. Also, any opinions on PEN needles, brand, length, and gauge would be appreciated. I saw that one of the suppliers, don't remember which, was selling a pen needle sampler. It struck me as odd that there would be that much of a difference in user experience between pen needles of similar specifications, but as I sit here smarting from one of this AM's pins, I figure I should reconsider that point too. For reference, up until now I have been using Easy Touch 31g 5/16" Thank you in advance for everyone's insight!
 
Camlbacker said:
Can someone briefly explain to me the difference in function between the V1s and the V2s? I'm thinking about getting my feet wet with pens, but I would like to keep my initial investment fairly low until I'm sure I want to move in the PEN direction. Also, any opinions on PEN needles, brand, length, and gauge would be appreciated. I saw that one of the suppliers, don't remember which, was selling a pen needle sampler. It struck me as odd that there would be that much of a difference in user experience between pen needles of similar specifications, but as I sit here smarting from one of this AM's pins, I figure I should reconsider that point too. For reference, up until now I have been using Easy Touch 31g 5/16" Thank you in advance for everyone's insight!
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Main difference is v1 = you can see the needle and insert it like you would a regular syringe needle; v2 = the needle is hidden and you press it to your skin to insert. There's other subtle differences but I'll let someone else chime in there because I'm not a pen expert by any means.

As for needles, I've tried 5mm 31g, 4mm 31g, and 4mm 32g on my pens and don't notice much if any difference in feeling and I'm very sensitive to needles. For non-pen injections, I use 31g 6mm syringes (the ones you're using now = 8mm length) and those do feel like they have more bite. But as mentioned above, I think that's more of my own psychological reaction to needles that look like needles haha. Currently, I'm using Overt Universal 4mm 32g on my pens--picked up 4 boxes of 100 from Diabetic Pro for just under $40. No issues so far.

Personally I prefer the shortest needle possible as I don't have a lot of sub-q fat these days. I've heard that shorter needles aren't ideal if you're taking in a lot of units in one injection, but all my pen injections currently are less than 20 units so I haven't really dug into that.
 
c0c0_ly said:
Main difference is v1 = you can see the needle and insert it like you would a regular syringe needle; v2 = the needle is hidden and you press it to your skin to insert. There's other subtle differences but I'll let someone else chime in there because I'm not a pen expert by any means.

As for needles, I've tried 5mm 31g, 4mm 31g, and 4mm 32g on my pens and don't notice much if any difference in feeling and I'm very sensitive to needles. For non-pen injections, I use 31g 6mm syringes (the ones you're using now = 8mm length) and those do feel like they have more bite. But as mentioned above, I think that's more of my own psychological reaction to needles that look like needles haha. Currently, I'm using Overt Universal 4mm 32g on my pens--picked up 4 boxes of 100 from Diabetic Pro for just under $40. No issues so far.

Personally I prefer the shortest needle possible as I don't have a lot of sub-q fat these days. I've heard that shorter needles aren't ideal if you're taking in a lot of units in one injection, but all my pen injections currently are less than 20 units so I haven't really dug into that.
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The V2 only "hides" the needle if you put the cap on it. You still have to remove the cap to screw on the needle.

For needles I much prefer BD Ultrafine needles. Barely feel them go in (if at all), and comes right out. For some reason Easy Touch needles hurt going in and pull my skin up when pulling out. Hate those needles.
 
Camlbacker said:
Can someone briefly explain to me the difference in function between the V1s and the V2s? I'm thinking about getting my feet wet with pens, but I would like to keep my initial investment fairly low until I'm sure I want to move in the PEN direction. Also, any opinions on PEN needles, brand, length, and gauge would be appreciated. I saw that one of the suppliers, don't remember which, was selling a pen needle sampler. It struck me as odd that there would be that much of a difference in user experience between pen needles of similar specifications, but as I sit here smarting from one of this AM's pins, I figure I should reconsider that point too. For reference, up until now I have been using Easy Touch 31g 5/16" Thank you in advance for everyone's insight!
Click to expand...

The minor other difference that hasn't been mentioned is that the V1's are slimmer. They also make a V3 where the cap is big enough to totally enclose the needle for travel. You put a fresh needle on and then cap it. Which I don't like leaving a needle on there but whatever floats your boat.
 
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