Insulin Usage

Insulin Usage:		Return

If your body no longer makes enough Insulin, you'll need to take it and your doctor can help you decide which way of taking Insulin is best for you; Insulin helps keep the blood glucose levels on target by moving glucose from the blood into your body's cells; your cells can then use the glucose for energy; in people who don't have diabetes, the body makes the right amount of Insulin on its own.

Taking Insulin Injections:

This is where you will need to give yourself Insulin shots by using a Needle and Syringe, an Insulin Pen, or a Jet Injector.

A syringe is an hollow tube with a plunger and needle and you will need to put a dose of Insulin into the tube and then inject the Insulin into the subcutaneous fat; many people use an Insulin Pen, rather than a needle, which looks like a pen but has a needle for its point; a dose of Insulin still needs to be added though.

Insulin Jet Injectors can be used as an alternative to Needles and Syringes or Insulin Pens; a jet injector, which looks like a large pen, sends a fine spray of Insulin through the skin with the use of high pressure air instead of a needle.

Insulin Pumps can also be used as an alternative; an Insulin pump is a small machine about the size of a cell phone, that is worn outside of your body on a belt, or in a pocket, or pouch; the pump connects to a small plastic tube and a very small needle; the needle is inserted under the skin and stays in for several days; Insulin is pumped from the machine through the tube into your body.

The realisation that Insulin injections are going to have to become a part of everyday life can be extremely harrowing for many diabetics and injecting Insulin on a regular basis does impact on a person's daily lifestyle; injections take time, they interrupt daily schedules and the action of injecting in public is considered unpleasant by many people.

Therefore, alternative delivery methods need to be found; using Insulin therapeutically is not a new practice, but the delivery methods to make the process more bearable have not gained any widespread prominence as of yet; obviously, the priority in delivering Insulin to a patient is to make sure it reaches the bloodstream intact.

Alternative Insulin Delivery Methods:

Oral delivery systems have been tried and tested and do work to some extent, but the complicated environment within the stomach means that simple tablets are unpredictable and ineffective, due to the Insulin getting broken down by the digestive juices, which doesn't always leave enough to be of significant use to the body; so Oral Insulin is a reality, but, it is still at the research and development stage and it is not available as yet?.

Nose, Mouth and Lungs:

Another two principal target areas, the Nose and the Lungs, are obvious in developing alternative Insulin delivery systems; however, nasal delivery into the upper airway presents severe problems, primarily that the transport system is too convoluted and would require massive, expensive quantities of Insulin in order to reach the target area; however, Insulin delivery via the lungs does appear to be a promising area because the Insulin can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream through the thin walls of the lung, but this is also still at the research and development stage.

NB. When injecting Insulin be aware of the fact that repeated Insulin injections in the same area can cause medical problems such as Lipoatrophy and Lipohypertrophy.

Diabetes Related Information Leaflets