Insulin

Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get inside your body's cells. Insulin is made by pancreas.

Types of Insulin

• Long- Acting Insulin Analogs- There are two types: insulin glargine and insulin deterrent. They start to work 2-4 hours after injection and last up to 24 hours.
• Intermediate-Acting Insulin - This includes Isophane Insulin (Humulin N and Novolon N). It starts to work 2-4 hours after injection, peaks at 4-10 hours and lasts 10-16 hours.
• Regular Insulin - This is short-acting and must be injected several times during the day. It starts to work 30-60 minutes after injection and lasts 3-6 hours.
• Rapid-Acting Insulin Analogs - Starts to work within 15 minutes, peaks in 1-2 hours and lasts 3-5 hours.
• Premixes (Biphasic) Insulin - Created by mixing NPH and regular or rapid acting insulin. They are useful for people with eyesight or dexterity problems.

Signs of Allergies to Insulin

Talk to your doctor if you have any of the following signs of allergies to insulin:

• Dents under the skin at injection sites
• Redness at injection sites
• Groups of small bumps, similar to hives
• Swelling at injection sites

How to Inject insulin

• Choose an injection site with fatty tissue, such as abdomen the back of the arm, the top and outside of the thigh, or the buttocks. Make sure the site and your hands are clean and dry.
• Gently pinch a fold of skin between your thumb and forefinger, and inject in if you have normal amount of fatty tissue. For a thin adult or a small child, you may need to inject at a 45 degree angle. With smaller needles, this may not be necessary.
• Push the needle through the skin as quickly as you can.
• Relax the pinch and push the plunger in to inject the insulin.
• Pull the needle straight out.
• Cover the injection site with your finger, a cotton ball, or gauze, and apply slight pressure for 5-8 seconds. Do not rub, rubbing may spread insulin too quickly or irritate the skin.
• Write down how much insulin you injected and the time of the day.