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Information for vial users: Switching to the SymlinPen™
This information is ONLY for people who have been using SYMLIN in a vial and are now switching to the SymlinPen™.
If you are not switching to the SymlinPen™, please click here for important information about using SYMLIN with a vial.
Dosing with the SymlinPen™
The SymlinPen™ delivers a dose in micrograms (sometimes written as mcg). In the past, SYMLIN only came in a vial and had to be delivered using an insulin syringe. Because insulin syringes measure in units, the dose of SYMLIN was often referred to in units. Now that the SymlinPen™ is available, a syringe is no longer needed.
When you start using the SymlinPen™, you must first know your dose in micrograms. If you do not, you will deliver the wrong dose. The SYMLIN Dosing Chart below helps your healthcare provider know which dose of SYMLIN in micrograms is the same as your current dose in units.
How your healthcare provider can use the SYMLIN Dosing Chart
Step 1: Your healthcare provider will find your dose of SYMLIN in units in the column on the left.
Step 2: Then he or she will follow the arrow to find the matching dose in micrograms in the column on the right.
Step 3: This is your dose in micrograms (the column on the right) when you use the SymlinPen™.
Here's an example: Mary uses 10 units of SYMLIN in a syringe. Now she is switching to the SymlinPen™. Using the chart, her healthcare provider looks in the left column to find "10 units." Following the arrow across to the column on the right, her healthcare provider sees that Mary's dose using the SymlinPen™ is 60 micrograms.
SYMLIN is an injectable medicine for adults with type 2 and type 1 diabetes to control blood sugar. It is always used with insulin to help lower blood sugar during the 3 hours after meals. SYMLIN is used with insulin to lower blood sugar but your blood sugar may drop too low (severe hypoglycemia), especially if you have type 1 diabetes. You must use SYMLIN exactly as prescribed. Nausea is the most common side effect with SYMLIN. When you start taking SYMLIN, it is important to follow your healthcare provider's directions. Only your healthcare provider can decide what changes you need to make to your diabetes treatment plan to reduce your chance of very low blood sugar, which is also called severe hypoglycemia. Never mix SYMLIN and insulin.
Please see the SYMLIN Medication Guide and Important Patient Safety Information, including information about the risk of severe low blood sugar.