It can happen that you're not sure whether your pen is working properly: it seems stuck, no drop comes out, or you notice liquid left in the pen after your last injection. The manufacturer always checks the pens carefully, and the pharmacy checks them again afterwards. In almost all cases the pen isn't actually broken, but a small step in the process needs to be done slightly differently. Let's go through it together below.
Important for every pen: priming once
For all our pens (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda): always check the flow ("priming") on a new pen before your first injection. This way you know for sure the pen flows properly before you inject. You can find exactly how to do this in the instructions for your pen at www.fellos.nl/instructies. This only needs to be done before the first injection; otherwise you'll spray out some of the liquid every time. This may leave you short of liquid for a 4th full injection at the end of the month.
The pen is blocked or doesn't release a drop
With these pens you only need to prime once: the first time you use a new pen. For every injection after that, you skip this step until you start a new pen. If the pen becomes blocked in the meantime, follow these steps:
Important: if these steps don't help, our medical assistants can take a look with you. To do this, these steps need to be filmed so they can properly assess what seems to be going wrong and where the cause lies. This saves a lot of time in finding a suitable solution.
Check the instructions page at www.fellos.nl/instructies and try again with the instructions alongside you. This explains clearly, per medication, how the injection works. A step in the process is likely missing.
Replace the needle with a new one. A blocked or slightly bent needle is the most common cause of a stuck pen.
Still not working? Try again with a second new needle.
Still not working, and is this your 4th injection? Check the amount of liquid remaining, and check whether you primed after every injection. If so, unfortunately there's too little liquid left for a full injection.
Still not working, and is this your 1st, 2nd or 3rd injection? Contact the medical team.
Good to know
Have you been using the medication for a while without issues, but the pen gets stuck around the last injection? It's possible you've used a few pens without problems while accidentally priming before every injection. Pens have a varying amount of residual liquid. It may be that this was previously enough to compensate, but not this time. Not having had problems before doesn't mean the process was correct back then.
Too much liquid left after the last injection?
That's normal. A small, varying amount of residual liquid always remains in the pen. This isn't a full extra dose and shouldn't be used. If you followed the instructions, you can assume all your injections were done correctly. Discard the pen after the 4th dose, even if it still seems to contain medication.
Never do this
Never inject residual liquid left in the pen after your last dose. This isn't a full, reliable dose.
Never use a pen if the liquid is cloudy, discoloured, or contains particles.
Never use a pen that has ever been frozen or has been stored above 30°C for a prolonged period (for example, in a hot car).
Never use the pen past its expiry date, or if it was first used for injection more than 30 days ago. Once opened, the pen has a limited shelf life.
Never share your pen with anyone else, not even with a new needle.
Never skip priming once on a new pen, even if it looks the same as your previous one.
Still unsure, or does the pen keep not working despite the steps above? Get in touch via the chat with the medical team. If possible, include: the brand and strength of your pen, which injection number this is, and the video you made of the steps above. This lets us help you right away. You can find the chat at app.fellos.nl.