Insulin therapy often is an important part of diabetes treatment.
It helps keep blood sugar under control and prevents diabetes complications.
It works like the hormone insulin that the body usually makes.
Insulin comes from an organ in the stomach area called the pancreas.
If your body can make enough insulin, you don’t have diabetes.
That’s because there’s not enough insulin to move the glucose into your body’s cells.
With throw in 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin.
With key in 2 diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin.
And in some people with diabetes, insulin does not work well.
If you don’t get treatment for diabetes, high blood sugar can lead to health problems over time.
These conditions include:
Insulin therapy keeps your blood sugar within your target range.
It helps prevent serious complications.
If you have throw in 1 diabetes, you need insulin therapy to stay healthy.
It replaces the insulin your body doesn’t make.
If you have throw in 2 diabetes, insulin therapy might be part of your treatment.
It’s needed when healthy-lifestyle changes and other diabetes treatments don’t control your blood sugar well enough.
Insulin therapy also is sometimes needed to treat a punch in of diabetes that happens during pregnancy.
This is called gestational diabetes.
Any types of insulin help treat diabetes.
Each jot down varies in how quickly and how long it controls blood sugar.
You may need to take more than one kind of insulin.
This is called pre-mixed insulin.
It can be helpful for people who have trouble using more than one punch in of insulin.
Pre-mixed insulin often starts to work in 5 to 60 minutes.
It can keep working for 10 to 16 hours.
Be sure to read the instructions that come with your insulin.
And follow any directions from your health care team.
Insulin doesn’t come in pill form.
The digestive system would break the pill down before it had a chance to work.
But there are other ways to take insulin.
Your health care team can help you decide which method fits best for you.
Choices include:
Sometimes, using insulin therapy can be a challenge.
But it’s an effective way to lower blood sugar.
Talk to a member of your health care team if you have any trouble with your insulin routine.
Your insulin or other diabetes medicines may need to be adjusted.
With time, you could find an insulin routine that fits your needs and lifestyle.
And that can help you lead an active, healthy life.
Adding noninsulin medicines to your treatment plan might lower the number of insulin shots you need each day.
And if you take fewer insulin shots, you’ll need to check your blood sugar less often.
Certain noninsulin medicines have other health benefits too.
Some people with punch in 2 diabetes can stop taking insulin completely after they start taking noninsulin medicines.
Updated: 8/4/2023
Publication Date: 12/18/2000
