Wegovy-style pens are fully automatic while most reusable options require manual needle insertion but automatic plunger action. Several users report good results with certain reusable automatic models but others describe reliability problems after a week of refrigerated storage. Needle length matters for comfort with some compounds and standard 3 ml cartridges fit the discussed pen bodies.
What this discussion establishesWhether the reported failures after cold storage are common or due to specific cartridges, user technique, or particular pen batches
Still openWhich specific models remain reliably available without sourcing issues and whether any fully automatic pens can be obtained by end users
Nothing here is advice.
The original prescription pen is not automatic. Any standard V2 or V3 body works fine. If an automatic mechanism is preferred the options already mentioned are acceptable. For the compound in question and similar ones the 8 mm needles are noticeably more comfortable than 4 mm.
Aren't the flex touch pens automatic? What exactly is the other brand mentioned?
It is simply another brand name. If you have to push the button all the way through the injection it is manual. Automatic versions use a spring so you only need to start the action and then hold the pen in place. There is a video that shows the difference.
There is a difference between automatic and fully automatic. The ones commonly discussed still need the needle inserted by hand but then fire the plunger on their own. The original prescription pens actually insert the needle automatically as well. Tagging the other user for visibility.
My guess is that no pens which operate completely on their own seem available for anyone to purchase.
Yes those are made by the same company. They accept the generic cartridges and I use 6 mm needles for everything in my stack. I like them a lot.
They cost more than the other versions so I have not tried them yet. Maybe I should.
The thing is there are multiple pen choices and price ranges so deciding which and where is difficult.
I would think any of the pens made by big pharma are excellent because they come from companies that know what they are doing and use approved processes. They are proper medical devices. I would have chosen one of those if they were not manual. Instead I went with the cheaper automatic version of the higher-priced automatic model because both are based on the same well-regarded design. It turns out those cheaper versions have been heavily subsidized in their home market for local patients and some stock has left that market. The word is that route is getting harder to use now.
I was excited about getting an automatic injector, particularly because it would help my older family member. But every automatic device I've tried has proven inconsistent after short use. I purchased a couple of the side-button types and one with the button at the end. Right after unpacking, they all measured doses correctly. Yet once put to work with the medication kept chilled, they all began failing to deliver the full amount properly. On the side-button versions, it ended up requiring me to press the button while rotating the adjustment knob myself, needing both hands and making the automatic feature pointless. For the end-button one, repeated presses on the button were necessary to complete the injection. Discussions with others indicated these devices dislike low temperatures. Letting them warm up didn't resolve the issues much, and I'm not keen on repeatedly changing the storage temperature anyway. Attempting to oil the insides also didn't fix anything. At some point I might experiment with other cartridges that have special coated stoppers, though I'm hesitant to spend more on these since the devices cost quite a bit already. This is just sharing what happened with the four automatic units I tried. The simple manual injector has been far more dependable and affordable. I also own a couple of the newer manual versions which work okay, but the original slim manual ones have become my preferred choice.
Haven't encountered that problem with either of them. Do you press the button or keep holding it during the shot? The temperature complaint seems odd since they're built for insulin that needs fridge storage. Which substance are you using and what needle size? Those have been getting much harder to locate so I've been grabbing extras before they vanish.
I've always found that reasoning confusing, yet it's what others keep repeating to me. They mentioned pressing and keeping the button pressed, standard peptides without any thickness or oils, plus 29-gauge pen needles in the usual short lengths. All of them perform well right after opening for roughly seven days. The trigger-style versions then quit delivering the liquid unless the trigger stays pressed while the other hand rotates the dial, which becomes awkward during hip shots. Fresh ones also push out the full amount very quickly, something some folks dislike about that model. The other version only manages a small portion before halting, requiring me to let go and press the trigger once more. It would be nice if this turned out to be a mistake on our end, especially since three different people have tried the four devices, so any ideas would be welcome.
Lots of folks keep relying on this constantly and those problems you mention have never reached me.
I prefer the end-trigger model over the side-trigger model because I like the click sound.
Can you confirm if standard 3 ml cartridges fit in the side-trigger model version 2? I am waiting on delivery of this very pen myself. I bought a few of the sterile peptide pen 3 ml cartridges.
It looks like you've already exhausted every possibility there. Maybe give a manual pen a shot with that troublesome vial instead? I've seen reports from others dealing with the exact same problems, where even the manual version didn't make it any easier. The only reasons mentioned were defective glass or a plunger that wasn't aligned properly. Did those other cartridges all come from that one place too? Some of the budget options skip adding any lube.
This injector model has really grown on me since I started with it. The traditional style just doesn't seem worth returning to anymore. Pressing the plunger on those always comes across as uncomfortable, even with the nicer versions out there.
People tend to go for the baked-on silicone versions of the cartridges. There are also some special coated stoppers available, but those appear meant for liquids like oils that degrade ordinary rubber ones. I came across word that a few places stock the treated cartridges. Before our main batch showed up I received several test units and tried fitting the stoppers in them. The way they went in felt incredibly slick, almost ridiculously effortless. 😆
The pens look good to me and I enjoy pressing that button on the side. My wife thinks they're better since her hands are small.
I was wondering if anyone has tried adding spacers to these kinds of pens. Somewhere I saw that maybe the fluid doesn't all come out properly.
I discovered this overview that checks out various pens and notes whether each one requires a spacer.
I'm wondering about this part. When doing the injection is it a quick tap on the switch or do you keep the pressure on until everything finishes?
I don't feel like digging through every post in this discussion. Could you repeat what you said before or show me the spot where you covered it already?
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