If you’ve considered trying Saxenda or Wegovy, you may have noticed that you would need to inject the medication yourself.
Sounds simple enough (unless you’re scared of needles), but where do you get the needles from anyway?
And what happens if you run out of needles before you finish your treatment?
Well, this is exactly what we’re here for, to answer all of those little questions about weight management treatments that you may not have considered before.
So sit back, relax, make a cuppa, and we’ll explain everything you need to know about your fantastic Saxenda needles and where to find them.
What size needles do Saxenda pens take?
Saxenda pens take pen caps with a 32G needle, which means that the needle tip is a minuscule 0.23mm in diameter.
The needles are as small as possible to make your daily injections as comfortable as they can be while also reducing the chance of bruising or bleeding after the fact.
The needles are attached to the pen caps for easy application, you’ll just need to twist the cap onto the pen while the protective top is still on the needle.
If you’re not sure how to do this for yourself, you should ask your healthcare team to demonstrate the process to you.
This will help you to be sure that you’re taking your injections safely every time.
Where do I buy needles for a Saxenda pen?
You usually won’t need to buy needles for a Saxenda pen, as your medication should come with the needles you need to inject it.
With that being said, if you do find yourself in need of extra Saxenda needles we recommend speaking to your pharmacist or healthcare provider.
They’ll be able to either sell you extra needles or point you toward a reliable source that you can buy your needles from.
We would not recommend buying needles from a third party that hasn’t been specifically recommended by a healthcare professional, as they may not be safely produced or packaged, may not fit the pen, and may not be as high quality as the standard Saxenda needles.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so don’t risk your health for the sake of bagging a quick bargain, no matter how tempting it may be.
What are Novofine needles?
Novofine needles are a type of injection needle created by Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Saxenda.
Novofine needles are some of the thinnest and shortest needles available, having been designed for comfort as well as effectiveness.
They also have a flat base to improve contact with the skin, making them more comfortable than similar pen caps from other manufacturers.
Saxenda pens can be used with 32G Novofine pen tips, which can be attached and removed from your pen easily for safe use and disposal in an appropriate sharps bin.
Do I get needles with my Saxenda pen?
Most pharmacies or services that supply Saxenda will give you enough needles to cover the number of injections you’ll be taking.
These will not be attached to the Saxenda pens but will be packaged separately.
If you get your prescription and find out that needles have not been packaged with the pens, make sure to get in touch with your pharmacist or health care team right away.
They’ll be able to help you get enough needles for this stage of your treatment.
They will also be able to help if you need an extra needle if one of yours breaks or isn’t working as it should.
Here at myBMI, we send out high-quality needles with every prescription of Saxenda or Wegovy as a part of our service.
If you are one of our patients and find that you need extra needles, please get in touch with our customer services team, they’ll be able to send replacement needles out to a delivery address of your choice.
Can you reuse the needles?
No, you should not reuse your Saxenda needles or any medical needles for that matter.
If you reuse needles you could run into a number of issues that could be potentially dangerous.
For starters, reusing needles isn’t very hygienic and could lead to infection in the injection site.
When you’ve used a needle once, bacteria starts to grow on its surface that would transfer into your body if you injected yourself again, and some of these bacteria can be very harmful.
Another issue is that the needle will be blunted after its first use, making it more painful to inject with if you use it again.
Repeated use of a needle could also make it weaker, which could lead to part of it breaking off mid-injection and getting stuck in your skin.
The final issue you should be aware of is that the needle may get blocked with medication or particles after use, which could affect the amount of Saxenda solution that is injected into your system.
All in all, it isn’t very pleasant, so make sure you use a new needle for each injection and keep an eye on the number of needles you have so you don’t run out.
How do I dispose of needles when I’ve used them?
When you’ve used a needle for Saxenda you should remove it from the pen and dispose of it right away, you can then store the Saxenda pen until you’ve used all of the medication in it.
The way you’ll dispose of your needles may differ slightly from area to area, as your local council will take charge of collecting your needles.
If you know you’re going to be using an injectable medication like Saxenda, Wegovy, or anything similar, you should contact your local council right away and get hold of a sharps bin.
You’ll throw your used needles into this secure bin and leave them there until the bin is full or you have no more needles to use, then the council can take it away.
You’ll need to organise a time and date for the collection of your sharps bin with your local council and when they’ve picked it up they’ll dispose of it safely and responsibly.
Never throw your used needles away with your regular rubbish, as this creates a risk of injury or cross-contamination to both people and animals.
Now we know more about Saxenda needles, why you’ll need them, and how to get extras if you need to.
If you’d like to learn more about weight loss medications, why not check out our advice section?
We’ve written tonnes of articles about these revolutionary treatments that are bound to pique your interest.
