Medication

 Diabetes Pills

 Insulin

 Insulin Pumps

Insulin, discovered in 1921, is not a cure for diabetes. But it's discovery, and the advances in types and delivery methods, has really made a difference in the lives of people with diabetes.

What is insulin? Your body uses glucose (a type of sugar) for energy, like a car uses gasoline. Insulin regulates the amount of glucose in the blood so you have energy for daily activities. Without insulin, your body can't process glucose to keep it working properly, and systems start to break down.

If you have Type 1 diabetes, you should know that:

• Your body does not make insulin at all.
• You need insulin shots every day to replace what is missing.
  
• Diabetes pills are not insulin and will not work alone for people with Type 1 diabetes.

• Your body does not make enough insulin to keep your glucose at the right level.
  
• Diabetes pills can help your body make insulin but are not always strong enough to control your blood glucose level.
  
• When this happens, insulin shots give you the extra insulin you need to control your glucose level.
  

Everyone using insulin should be under the care of a doctor, who can help train you on its use, work with you to determine which insulin is best for you, what your targets are, and what to do around certain events (like a low or high blood glucose, or a sick day).

How and when different insulin works?
How will I know if my insulin plan is working?
What are some tips I should know to use insulin correctly?

Most people need more than one kind of insulin to meet their needs.

• Short-acting insulin - Given to help the body use the food that is about to be eaten. It is not uncommon to have several shorter-acting insulin shots per day.
  
• Long-acting insulin - Used mostly to help keep a steady supply of insulin in the body between meals or overnight.
  
• Pre-mixed insulin - A combination of short-and long-acting insulin together. This makes measuring insulin easier, but the pre-mixed combinations do not meet everyone's needs.

Your doctor will help you choose insulin that's right for you. What helps determine which insulin to use?

• Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
  
• Whether you take diabetes pills
  
• Your schedule of sleeping, working, etc.
  
• Your level of activity and other things, such as stress

There are several manufacturers of insulin and insulin delivery systems. Be sure to research the options and discuss them with your health care team, to find a solution that's right for you.

• Food choices and amounts eaten
  
• Insulin doses and the times when taken
  
• Other changes in your daily routine

This information will help you adjust insulin doses for best results. Work with your health care team to determine a blood glucose monitoring routine.

• Take your insulin at the same times each day (relative to meals).
  
• Draw up your insulin, carefully every time to ensure getting the right dose.
  
• Write down the exact time and amount of every insulin shot.
  
• Learn how to balance food, insulin, and exercise, using information from the other pamphlets in this series. If your doctor or educator gives you a plan to change insulin doses for food or blood glucose values, use the plan carefully. Talk to your health care team before changing your insulin.
  
• Follow a pattern to rotate the body areas where you give your shots. For example, use all the sites in your arms before moving to your legs. This helps even out your blood glucose over time.
  
• Within an area (arm, leg, stomach, buttock), move to a different site for each shot. Each shot should be at least a thumb-width away from the last one given.
  
• If you take more than one shot a day, take each one in a different body area.
  
• If you are planning to exercise, inject your insulin into muscle groups not used in your activity. For example, avoid injecting into your thighs before running.
  

Learn more about insulin from the American Diabetes Association