Contents:
- Medical Video: Diabetes Treatment : How to Treat Diabetes With Insulin
- Types of insulin
- How do you use long acting insulin?
- What are the side effects of long acting insulin?
- Is it ultra long lasting insulin?
- How do I determine which insulin is right for me?
Medical Video: Diabetes Treatment : How to Treat Diabetes With Insulin
When you eat, your body tells the pancreas to release the hormone insulin. Insulin transfers sugar (glucose) from the blood and into your muscles, liver, and fat cells for energy or storage. If you consume insulin, you can take it at mealtime which can help you lower blood sugar, right after you eat. Even between meals, insulin is needed in small amounts to help maintain blood sugar stability. This is where long-lasting insulin comes.
If you have diabetes, the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or anything, and / or your cells cannot use it efficiently. To control your blood sugar, you need to replace or add to the automatic functioning of your pancreas with regular insulin injections.
Types of insulin
Insulin is available in various types. Each type is different in how quickly insulin begins to work to reduce your blood sugar (onset), when the impact on your blood sugar is optimal (peak), and how long to reduce your blood sugar levels (duration):
Insulin Rapid Acting: This type starts working only 15 minutes after consumption. Reach peak within 30-90 minutes, and the effect lasts for 3-5 hours.
Regular Insulin or Short Acting Insulin: This type takes about 30-60 minutes to become active in your bloodstream. Reaches its peak in 2-4 hours, and the effect can last for 5-8 hours.
Intermediate acting insulin: This intermediate type takes 1-3 hours to start work, reaches its peak in 8 hours and works for 12-16 hours.
Long acting insulin: This type takes the longest amount of time to get to work. This insulin can take up to 4 hours to get into your bloodstream. This type of insulin will not reach the top, so this insulin controls blood sugar consistently throughout the day. Insulin is similar to the action of insulin usually produced by the pancreas to help control blood sugar levels between meals.
Long acting insulin is also called basal or rear insulin. This insulin continues to work behind to keep your blood sugar under control throughout your daily routine.
Two different long-term insulin products are available. They include glargine insulin (Lantus), which lasts up to 24 hours, and detemir insulin (Levemir), which lasts for 18-23 hours.
How do you use long acting insulin?
Usually, you will inject long acting insulin once a day to keep your blood sugar levels stable. You will use a needle or syringe to give an injection. Be sure to inject this insulin at the same time every day to avoid left over insulin or a buildup of insulin doses (consuming at the same time so that the work overlaps).
Your doctor may recommend that you add other types of insulin to prevent a surge in blood sugar after eating.
What are the side effects of long acting insulin?
As with the medicines you take, insulin injections can cause side effects.
One possible side effect is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Symptoms of low blood sugar include dizziness, chills, blurred vision, weakness, headaches, and fainting.
Other possible side effects from insulin injections include pain, redness, or swelling of the skin at the injection site.
Is it ultra long lasting insulin?
In the future, people who use long-term insulin may not need to give themselves lots of injections. A new insulin, called ultra-long lasting called degludec, controls blood sugar for 2 times the amount of long-term insulin time. This insulin can last up to 42 hours. Degludec may also reduce low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
For now, people with diabetes have to wait for ultra-durable insulin to reach the market. The FDA has resisted agreeing to degludec until manufacturers do more research to ensure that insulin does not cause heart risk.
How do I determine which insulin is right for me?
No matter what type of insulin you take, insulin must work well to control your blood sugar.
Consult your doctor to find the best dose of insulin and its type, and to set a schedule for effective and comfortable dosing for you.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
