Quuestion about Edex injections

[Ohio425]

I'm a 33 year old long-time diabetic, and after unsuccessful attemts with
all the pills, my uro has finally agreed to let me go on injections - which work!

Now...the uro has so far been dead set against anything from a compounding
pharmacy - he seems to prefer the edex injection "kit" - but between insurance
limits and co-pays, thats becoming somewhat problematic.

Now my question...the vial that slides into the injection device holds, after
mixing approx 1ml of solution - half of which gets wasted, as my dosage is
0.5 ml. According to the manufacturer, thats just par for the course, as it
says it cannot be stored - yet I read about people storing the same thing from
a compounding pharmacy in the fridge for weeks at a time.

So...is anyone out there successfully mixing the edex vial, and then using plain
insulin syringes to inject, and storing the excess in the fridge, and if so for
how long?

Also, the needle on the Edex injection device is 12.7mm, and the syringes I
use are 8mm - is 8mm long enough? Or should I find syringes with a longer needle?

Thanks for letting me pick your collective brains!

[dtwarren1942]

I use a 5/16 inch syringe needle which is 8 mm. ccordingly your 8mm syringe should be ok unless you have an above average girth. Can't help with the storage issue.

[dtwarren1942]

I could not retrieve my first post to correct the error so I am submitting a second post. My 5/16 inch needle is equal to 8mm

[PBDaddy]

I'm not familiar with Edex injections, but have been using bi-mix very successfully from compounding pharmacies in my neighborhood since it came out in the late '90s. Cost shouldn't be a major problem: I use .25 ml (or whatever the units are - it's 1/4 of a syringe) and I figure each injection costs $2-3. I've seen the Caverject but find it cumbersome. Only useful if you're too squeamish to inject. Bi-mix results are so phenomenal for me (easily 3 hours) that the short injection pain is definitely worth it. Also, the normal diabetes syringes are small enough to carry around in an eyeglass case . My pharmacy gave me 5/16" this time - a bit too short. Usually I prefer 1/2" (Although the 1/2" needle is more susceptible to bending). In 15 years of weekly use (or more) I've had no increase in the necessary dosage. Also, I keep it in the refrigerator for 6 months with no noticeable degradation. I can't say enough good things about bi-mix.

[dtwarren1942]

8 mm is fine. Don't understand why uro doesn't trust compounding pharmacies. I pay $70 for 5 ml vial of Trimix which covers 50 injections for me. My insurance covers everything except the $10 for shipping.

[ontopher469]

HI Ohio425,
I've been using Edex for over 10 years. I get my Edex from the VA. Since each Rx cost is the same regardless of the dosage, I get the strongest Rx available.

I inject the entire Edex vial contents into one of my empty insulin vials. Believe there's about 200 cc/ml in the vial. I use a 31 gauge insulin needle for injecting about 40 cc of the medication into my penis for intercourse. I have sex every week so the vial lasts about 2 1/2 weeks. I refill the vial with a new vial of Edex every 2 1/2 weeks. I've never had any problems with the excess Edex being stored in the frig.

As for your uro, you need a new doctor. For any doctor who has no appreciation for our concerns for medication costs, insurance
limits and co-pays, replace the doc immediately!