Starting On Insulin
People with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes must use multiple daily injections of insulin or pumps to manage their diabetes.
Most people start out with lower insulin doses and slowly increase the amount of insulin until they reach the target blood glucose level. Your insulin dose may need to be adjusted throughout the day and with changes to meals and physical activity. Your doctor will help find the best insulin plan for you.
Most people start out with lower insulin doses and slowly increase the amount of insulin until they reach the target blood glucose level. Your insulin dose may need to be adjusted throughout the day and with changes to meals and physical activity. Your doctor will help find the best insulin plan for you.
Problems Starting Insulin
When people are first starting insulin, some of these problems are seen: taking smaller doses of insulin than prescribed, cutting back on insulin, or not taking insulin shots at all. Not following your doctor's recommendations for taking insulin can cause further complications from high blood glucose levels.
So why do people not take insulin as prescribed? Here are three common reasons why people do not take insulin as prescribed:
- Weight Management:
Without insulin, the body absorbs less calories from food and it becomes easy to manage or lose weight. Weight loss may seem easier, but much higher blood sugars are a guaranteed result. And these high blood glucose levels lead to long-term complications. Research suggests that those who regularly skip insulin may be at double or even triple the risk for developing long-term complications such as eye and kidney disease.
- Fear of hypoglycemia
Many people who have had unpleasant experiences with low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) become worried and fearful that this will happen again if they keep using insulin. Cutting back on recommended insulin may decrease their risk for further hypoglycemia, but the price they pay is high. Once again, chronically high blood glucose levels can increase the risk of long-term complications.
- Needle phobia
A fear of needles can make each and every insulin injection a very unpleasant experience. People with this problem may tend to skip or delay insulin injections, again leading to higher blood glucose levels. There are behavioral treatments available that can help resolve this fear. One of the best approaches is known as "systematic desensitization". Using this technique over a series of 4 or 5 visits, the individual slowly learns to associate with the needle with a feeling of relaxation, rather than anxiety. Talk to your doctor about how to find a good mental health provider who is skilled with this procedure if you fear needles.
No matter what the reason, there is NO good reason not to take insulin as prescribed. Cutting back or not taking insulin as directed by your doctor can be very dangerous and is not worth any "benefits" gained.
This information is a summary from "Diabetes Burnout" hand has been provided with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.
"Diabetes Burnout" is recommended by the American Diabetes Association as an invaluable guide that addresses the emotional issues that can become barriers to good self-care.
Click on the image to go to the American Diabetes Association bookstore.
Note:Care4life has no commercial interest in any of the books or resources it recommends.