0.3mL vs. 0.3cc syringes?

Are these the same?
0.3 mL and 0.3 cc

Both boxes of syringes say "use with U-100 insulin for 30 units or less".

 

Yes. 1 mL = 1 cc, so they are the same in total volume.

Carl

 

Thanks, Carl. I've been using Walgreens brand and just got my first box of Monoject. If I line up the 5 unit mark on both of them, by the time they get to the 30 unit mark they're no longer lined up. Does that make sense?

 

The inside diameter of the syringe might be smaller in one than the other. Best thing to do is draw up 30 units of water into one, squirt it in a tiny container, and draw it all up into the other to make sure 30 = 30.

Carl

 

The husband assures me the difference is negligible. The barrel of one is very slightly larger than the other but they are the same length.

 

The ideal syringe is long and has a narrow inner hole, as it makes adjusting the dose easier. The outer barrel may not be an accurate indicator of the inner hole size. Also, the markings may be different even if the entire thing is the same. But yes, 1ML = 1CC
ML is a millilitre or, one thousandth of a litre.
CC is a Cubic Centimetre, IE a cube that's 1CM by 1CM by 1CM, and a CM or Centimetre is one hundredth of a Metre.
A Litre is defined as 10 CM by 10 CM by 10 CM
Thus 1 ML and 1 CC are automatically and always equal. Different terms of the same amount.
The Litre is thus based on the Metre, and the Metre is based on the size of planet earth, With exactly 10,000,000 Metres being between the North Pole and the Equator. It was designed to be easily interchangeable, but because the same base units are consistently used (Metre, Litre) it can sometimes get confusing.

 

I need to play with Carl's suggestion a little more. I'm having trouble finding the right kind of tiny container.

 

Lid from a bottle of water or coke?
Carl

 

Those didn't occur to me. I was using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, which was just too big.
Carl to the rescue again!

Thanks

 

I was digging around and just ran across this...this is exactly what I'm talking about on the monoject vs. store brand that I have.
My store brand looks like the Ulticare. The 5th picture down is what's causing my confusion. You can see the difference in how the markings are.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=63937&hilit=monoject

 

It looks to me that the top one in that picture is smaller on the inside of the syringe, so it would make sense that the "30" mark is further away from the needle than on the lower one.
When you are talking about insulin, one unit of U100 is one unit. If the syringe was really really skinny, then you'd have to draw the plunger way back. If it was fat, you'd draw it a lot less back.

Same thing with U40. If you look at a regular syringe and compare it to one made by prozinc, it would maybe confuse you. The normal ones hold a lot more insulin. Prozinc makes one that only holds 12 units, as opposed to 20 units in most others. But if you lay them side by side, the 12 unit one is almost as long as the 20 unit one. The difference is the diameter and "width" of the plastic barrel. The 12 unit one is much skinnier than the common 20 unit one. But 10 units in one is the same amount of insulin as 10 units in the other.

As long as your syringes, no matter who makes them, are both made and scaled for U100 insulin, then 1 unit in one of them is the same amount of insulin as 1 unit in the other. Volume is volume.

Just like weight. A pound of feathers is the same as a pound of lead. The feathers would just fill up a much bigger box. But if you drop one box on each big toe, they will both hurt the same amount!

Carl

 

Government would not certify unless they were satisfied it was accurate (though it may be wise to look up exactly what the government's standards are if you are going by that)