|
Diabetes Medication Article
How should this medicine be used?
Insulin usually is given by subcutaneous (beneath the skin) injection. The amount of insulin you need depends on diet, other diseases, exercise, and other drugs you are taking and may change with time. Your doctor will determine how often and at what time of day to inject your insulin, as well as what type of insulin will best control the level of sugar in your blood.
Insulin controls high blood sugar but does not cure diabetes. Continue to take insulin even if you feel well. Do not stop taking insulin without talking to your doctor.
The different types of insulin vary as to how quickly they start to work and how long they go on reducing the amount of blood sugar. For example, rapid-acting insulins, such as regular insulin and Semilente, start to work in 30-60 minutes and go on working for 5-16 hours; long-acting insulins, such as Ultralente, start to work in 4-8 hours and continue working for 36 hours.
All insulin bottles are marked with large black letters to indicate what type of insulin they contain. For example, regular = R and Ultralente = U. You must know both the type of insulin you use and how many units (or how many units of each type of insulin if you take more than one) to take with each injection. There are two different strengths of insulin: U-100 and U-500. Your doctor will determine which strength you should use.
U-100 syringes must be used with U-100 insulin, and different syringes must be used with U-500 insulin. Be sure to get the right kind and the same brand each time.
Plastic syringes are disposable; use a new one for each injection. Used needles will hurt more and may cause an infection. Do not use the insulin if it has changed color or if the expiration date on the bottle has passed. Regular insulin should be a clear, colorless solution (U-500 may be straw colored). Discard the bottle if the solution is cloudy or thickened. Other forms of insulin should be cloudy.
Roll the bottle between the palms of your hands and turn it upside down gently several times to mix it and warm it before preparing your dose. Do not shake the bottle vigorously. Do not use it if the insulin has clumped, if lumps or particles are stuck to the sides of the bottle.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor to show you how to prepare your insulin dose. Wipe the rubber cap with an alcohol pad or cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol. It is easier to withdraw insulin if you first inject air into the bottle. Pull the syringe plunger back to draw up the same number of units of air as insulin that you will be taking. Insert the needle through the rubber cap and inject the air into the bottle. Invert the bottle and syringe, pull back on the plunger to draw insulin into the syringe, and measure the correct number of units of insulin. Be sure that there are no bubbles in the syringe. While the bottle is still inverted, you can tap gently on the syringe to eliminate these bubbles.
Preparing Your Dose:If you have trouble seeing the small markings on the syringe, have someone help you. Also, let your doctor and pharmacist know about this problem. They can provide syringes that are easier to read, special tools to help you fill the syringe, or prefilled syringes. If you take two types of insulin at the same time, such as regular and NPH, do not change the order of mixing. Whenever you mix regular insulin with another type of insulin, draw up the regular insulin (the clear solution) first.
You will be shown how to inject insulin correctly. You can inject it into your abdomen, buttocks, thighs, and arms. Clean the skin at the injection site with an alcohol pad or rubbing alcohol. Pinch a fold of skin with your fingers at least 3 inches apart and insert the needle at a 45-90-degree angle. Then inject the insulin, withdraw the needle, and press lightly (do not rub) on the skin.
Injecting Your Dose:Use a different site for each injection, about 1 inch away from the previous injection but in the same general area (e.g., thigh). Use all available sites in the same general area before switching to a different area (e.g., arm). Do not use the same injection site more often than once every month or two.
Diabetes Testing Center
Heart News Center
Hot Home Gym Reviews
The Secret Wisdom You Have Inside
Get Rid of Your Belly fat
Diabetes Pharmacy News
Diabetes Pharmacy
IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Presbyterian College School ... and reduce insulin dose requirements in patients with type 1 diabetes has been assessed in systematic reviews. [1,2] One review sought to assess the effects ...
Read moreIs Metformin Effective for Type 1 Diabetes?
The program does not require a physician referral and helps participants change their lifestyles to delay, or avoid, the onset of diabetes, according to a news release. The class will be from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Jan. 12 in the Pharmacy Conference ...
Read moreDiabetes risk is focus of free program on Jan. 12
The American Diabetes Association is pleased to announce that Walgreens ... multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America.
Read moreAmerican Diabetes Association and Walgreens Collaborating to Help Stop Diabetes®
“Meeting these continuous quality monitors requires collaboration between the diabetes team, medical staff, pharmacy, nursing, dietitians, and caregivers at all levels of responsibility – a collaboration to which the entire Medical Center is committed.”
Read moreJoint Commission Awards Certification to the Diabetes Center at Cape Regional
She was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and bipolar disorder, the release said. Lopez appeared to be fine and had just taken her bipolar and diabetic medication before she left for the pharmacy, the release said.
Read moreWoman reported missing since Friday
The diabetes study, Accu-check was held in collaboration with Gozo General Hospital and community pharmacies to gauge the extent of the condition and raise awareness about it. In a statement, Vivian Corporation said pharmacists had reported a general ...
Read morePeople no longer afraid of diabetes - doctor warns
504 Gozitans participated in the second phase of the diabetes awareness campaign “Accu-chek ‘in Gozo” co-ordinated by Vivian Corporation with the collaboration of the Gozo General Hospital and community pharmacies. The Pharmacists reported a general ...
Read moreVivian Corporation announces diabetes study results
GI Dynamics, Inc. (ASX: GID) today announced the transition of the EndoBarrier® Gastrointestinal Liner (the EndoBarrier), a novel, non-surgical device for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and/or obesity, from clinical research to commercial ...
Read moreGI Dynamics, Inc. Announces Commercial Availability of the EndoBarrier® for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and/or Obesity in the Netherlands
The Ashville Project was a community pharmacy-based care management project performed in Ashville, North Carolina, in patients with asthma, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Positive clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes associated with ...
Read more