A dropped pen is not automatically ruined and not automatically fine. The five checks that tell you which, in the order to run them.
Key points
- 01Put it down and look before you do anything else. The instinct is to test it by dialling or pressing something. Resist that for sixty seconds. A visual check costs nothing and tells you most of what you need, whereas an immediate press can waste a dose or drive a bent needle somewhere it should not go.
- 02Glass first: cartridge, vial, hairline cracks. Pens hold a glass cartridge and vials are glass throughout. Look along the barrel in good light for cracks and for any wet film or drop on the outside. Liquid that can get out means contamination can get in, so a cracked or weeping container is finished and goes into the sharps container.
- 03If a needle was attached, that needle is done. A needle that hit the floor is contaminated, and one that took the impact may be bent in a way you cannot see along its length. Remove it, drop it in the sharps container and fit a new one. Never straighten a needle and never wipe one to reuse it.
- 04Test the mechanism the way the leaflet describes. Check that the dose counter turns freely and stops where it should, that the window shows the number you set, and run the flow check if your instructions for use describe one. That published check exists for exactly this situation, and it is the only meaningful test of whether the device still delivers.
- 05Look at the solution itself. GLP-1 and insulin solutions should be clear and colourless with nothing floating in them. New cloudiness, flakes or discolouration after a fall means discard rather than inject, and our post on cloudy solution covers how to judge what you are seeing.
- 06When you are unsure, ask before you inject. Keep the carton, the lot number and the device, then call the pharmacy that dispensed it or the manufacturer number printed in the leaflet. A device that may not deliver a full dose is worth one phone call, and repeatedly firing test doses into the air to reassure yourself only burns the doses left in the pen.
Frequently asked questions
Is a pen ruined if it hits the floor?+
Not automatically. Check the glass cartridge for cracks or leaking, replace the needle if one was attached, confirm the dose counter and window behave normally, run any flow check in the leaflet, and inspect the solution. Not medical advice.
Do I have to change the needle after a drop?+
Yes, if one was attached. It is contaminated by the floor and may be bent along its length where you cannot see it. Remove it into a sharps container and fit a fresh one.
The vial fell but looks fine. Can I use it?+
Inspect it in good light for hairline cracks and for any moisture on the outside, and check the solution is clear and particle-free. If either check is doubtful, the vial goes to disposal rather than into a syringe.
Who do I call if I am not sure?+
The pharmacy that dispensed it first, then the manufacturer complaint number in the instructions for use. Keep the device, the carton and the lot number, because both will ask for them.