Insulin & Target Blood Glucose

Insulin can help keep your blood glucose levels in the target range and prevent diabetes complications. Based on your blood glucose patterns, your doctor will decide which type of insulin is right for you.

QTrue or false? If your blood glucose levels are always above your target range and you need insulin, you will always be prescribed long-acting insulin.
right

Long-acting insulin can be prescribed if most or all of your blood glucose levels are above target range. But it is also common to use both short and long-acting insulin because their actions can be combined to bring blood glucose to target range.

Wrong

Long-acting insulin can be prescribed if most or all of your blood glucose levels are above target range. But it is also common to use both short and long-acting insulin because their actions can be combined to bring blood glucose to target range.

Insulin & Diabetes

Insulin is absolutely necessary for treatment of type 1 diabetes, but it is also necessary to help control blood glucose levels in many people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

If your doctor has prescribed insulin for you remember some important things:

  1. Take insulin as your doctor has directed to help keep your blood glucose levels in target range.

  2. Talk to your doctor about changing your insulin if your blood glucose levels are not in the target range that has been recommended. Perhaps a different dose or type of insulin or another medicine would work better for you.

  3. Ask your doctor about the best place on your body to inject insulin. Some people find injecting in the same area at the same time of the day keeps their blood glucose in control.

  4. Check your blood glucose as recommended by your doctor. People who take insulin more than twice a day usually need to check their blood glucose at least four times a day.

  5. Check your blood glucose more often if you did not take your insulin or if you took too much of it.

This information is a summary from "Diabetes A to Z" and is provided with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.

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