Using a reusable pen

Loading a cartridge

1. 1Unscrew the cartridge holder from the pen body.
2. 2Reset the plunger rod: on most pens you twist or push it back fully into the body. Check your pen's manual; models differ.
3. 3Drop the cartridge into the holder, metal-cap end first, and screw the holder back on.

Every dose

1. 1Wash your hands. Check the cartridge is clear and in date.
2. 2Swab the septum, screw on a new pen needle straight, and take off both the outer and inner caps.
3. 3Prime: dial 2 units, point the needle up, tap to raise bubbles and press the button until a drop appears at the tip. A new cartridge may need a few tries.
4. 4Dial your dose: the number of clicks from the Pen calculator. Went too far? Dial back; most pens don't waste anything. A V1 dials up to 80 units at once; the V2, V3 and Gansulin up to 60. A bigger dose takes two injections.
5. 5Swab the site and let it dry. Insert the needle straight in (90°); with 4 mm needles most people don't need to pinch.
6. 6Manual pens (V1, V2, V3): press the button slowly and steadily all the way down with your thumb. Auto-inject pens (Gansulin): press the button once and let the spring do it; keep the pen still against your skin until the clicking stops.
7. 7Either way, hold it in place for 10 seconds before pulling out, so the full dose goes in and nothing drips.
8. 8Put the outer cap back on the needle, unscrew it and drop it in the sharps container. Don't store the pen with a needle on: air gets in and it leaks.
9. 9Cap the pen and store it: in the fridge for peptides, at room temperature for testosterone. Log the dose in the app, with the site.

The Pen calculator counts the first prime of each cartridge. If you also give a 2-unit safety shot before every dose (pen makers recommend it with each new needle), tick that box so it counts those too.

Go with this guide