The insulin dose is dialed on the pen, and the insulin is injected through a needle, much like using a syringe. Cartridges and pre-filled insulin pens only contain one type of insulin. Two injections must be given with an insulin pen if using two types of insulin. Insulin pumps help you manage diabetes by delivering insulin 24 hours a day through a catheter placed under the skin.
Read more about insulin pumps. The place on your body where you inject insulin affects your blood sugar level. Insulin enters the blood at different speeds when injected at different sites. Insulin shots work fastest when given in the abdomen. Insulin arrives in the blood a little more slowly from the upper arms and even more slowly from the thighs and buttocks. Injecting insulin in the same general area for example, your abdomen will give you the best results from your insulin.
This is because the insulin will reach the blood with about the same speed with each insulin shot. Don't inject the insulin in exactly the same place each time, but move around the same area. Each mealtime injection of insulin should be given in the same general area for best results. For example, giving your before-breakfast insulin injection in the abdomen and your before-supper insulin injection in the leg each day give more similar blood sugar results.
If you inject insulin near the same place each time, hard lumps or extra fatty deposits may develop. Both of these problems are unsightly and make the insulin action less reliable. Ask your health care provider if you aren't sure where to inject your insulin. Insulin shots are most effective when you take them so that insulin goes to work when glucose from your food starts to enter your blood. The results will tell you whether your blood sugar is in a healthy range. Your doctor will give you additional information about monitoring your blood sugar.
You and your doctor should discuss when and how you will take your insulin. Some people who use regular insulin take it 30 to 60 minutes before a meal. Some people who use rapid-acting insulin take it just before they eat. Rapid-acting insulin starts working more quickly than other types of insulin. It begins working within 15 minutes and leaves your body after 3 to 5 hours. To keep your blood sugar level steady throughout the day, your doctor may also prescribe a longer-acting insulin.
Or he or she may prescribe another drug for you to take each day in addition to rapid-acting insulin. You should inject rapid-acting insulin no more than 15 minutes before you eat. Your doctor will tell you how much insulin to inject. Remember, you should not wait more than 15 minutes to eat after you take this insulin shot.
Rapid-acting insulin can be more convenient to take than regular insulin. With regular insulin, you inject the insulin and then wait 30 to 60 minutes before eating. Many people find it hard to time their meals around regular insulin injections. Sometimes they end up eating too soon or too late. Since rapid-acting insulin is taken so close to mealtime, it may help you control your blood sugar more effectively.
Rapid-acting insulin should always be drawn into the syringe first. This will keep the intermediate-acting insulin from getting into the rapid-acting insulin bottle. After mixing rapid-acting insulin in the same syringe with an intermediate-acting insulin, you must inject the mixture under your skin within 15 minutes.
Remember to eat within 15 minutes after the injection. You may take insulin using a syringe that you fill from a vial or using a dosing pen that contains the insulin. If your rapid-acting insulin comes in a pen, your doctor or his or her office staff can show you how to use it correctly. Follow the directions carefully.
Insulin is injected just under the skin. Your doctor or his or her office staff will show you how and where to give an insulin injection. The usual places to inject insulin are the upper arm, the front and side parts of the thighs, and the abdomen.
To keep your skin from thickening, try not to inject the insulin in the same place over and over. Instead, rotate injection places. Rapid-acting insulin begins to work very quickly. So while you and your doctor are working to find the right dosage of this insulin, you may have some insulin reactions. Hypoglycemia is the name for a condition in which the level of sugar in your blood is too low.
Most people who take insulin have insulin reactions at some time. Signs of an insulin reaction and hypoglycemia include the following:. People who have diabetes should carry at least 15 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate with them at all times in case of hypoglycemia or an insulin reaction. The following are examples of quick sources of energy that can relieve the symptoms of an insulin reaction:.
Teach your friends, work colleagues, and family members how to treat hypoglycemia, because sometimes you may need their help. Also, keep a supply of glucagon on hand. Glucagon comes in a kit with a powder and a liquid that you must mix together and then inject.
It will raise your blood sugar level. Talk to your doctor to learn when and how to use glucagon. You need to check your blood sugar level regularly using a blood glucose monitor. Your doctor or his or her office staff can teach you how to use the monitor. He or she will use this information to decide how much insulin is right for you. The process takes a little more time from the upper arms and is even slower from the thighs. It is important to stay consistent with the general injection area, but also to change the exact injection site frequently.
Repeat injections at the same spot on the skin can cause lumps to form under the skin. This makes it harder for the insulin to work. Each type of long-acting insulin has its own suggested dose. These vary depending on the type of diabetes and any history of insulin use.
When a person starts to use new insulin, the doctor will recommend that they begin with a smaller percentage of the target dose. This gives the body time to adapt to the extra insulin. The doctor will then slowly start to increase the prescription to provide a full dose. Any factors that can affect blood sugar might lead to a change in insulin dosage, as well as negative reactions to the hormone, such as weight gain.
Finding the ideal long-acting insulin regimen is a trial and error process that requires careful monitoring of blood sugar levels. Learn more here about insulin pens, which often come with pre-prepared doses.
According to the American Diabetes Association, long-acting insulin differs from faster-acting insulins in three main ways :. Long-acting insulin cannot stabilize post-meal blood sugar spikes. People with type 1 diabetes will often need to supplement their long-acting insulin regimen with faster-acting insulins when eating. When scientists create long-acting insulin, they change the structure of natural insulin.
This is so that it can be absorbed into the bloodstream more gradually. As an injection, insulin glargine forms clusters in the fatty tissue beneath the skin. These clusters break down slowly, gradually releasing small amounts of insulin into the bloodstream. This type of insulin works by slowing down the rate at which the bloodstream absorbs insulin molecules.
A editorial in the journal Diabetes Therapy suggests that degludec works better than the older versions of long-acting insulin.
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