|
Using Insulin
Insulin therapy is often prescribed when:
• You have diabetes you may not make insulin at all (Type I)
• You do not make enough to keep your blood glucose normal all the time (Type II).
• You may be taking diabetes pills and they are not working well (Type II).
What are the kinds of insulin and how do they work?
|
Name of Insulin
|
Starts Working
|
Works Best
|
Ends
|
Low Blood Glucose Most Likely In
|
Very short-acting
(Humalog)
|
10 mins
|
1.5 hrs
|
3 hrs
|
2-4 hrs
|
Short-acting
(Regular)
|
20 mins
|
3-4 hrs
|
8 hrs
|
3- 7 hrs
|
Intermediate-acting
(N or L)
|
1.5-2 hrs
|
4-15 hrs
|
22-24 hrs
|
6-13 hrs
|
Long-acting
(UltraLente)
|
4 hrs
|
10-24 hrs
|
36 hrs
|
12-28 hrs
|
Combination:
70% N / 30% R
|
0-1 hrs
|
3-13 hrs
|
12-20 hrs
|
3-12 hrs
|
Combination:
50% N / 50% R
|
0-1 hrs
|
3-12 hrs
|
12-20 hrs
|
3-12 hrs
|
Tips on Taking Insulin
• Take your insulin at the same times each day (relative to meals).
• Balance your food and exercise with your insulin.
• Too much activity or too little food can make your blood glucose drop low.
• Too much food can make your blood glucose go high.
• Rotate the area you give your shots, using a regular plan of moving from one site to another. For example, use all the sites in both arms before moving to your leg. This will keep your blood glucose more even from day-to-day.
• If you take more than 1 shot each day, use a different area for each shot.
• Do not change your insulin or insulin routine before talking to your doctor or diabetes educator. |
