The patient with type 1 diabetes, takes insulin through a daily injection to regulate blood sugar levels and is usually given before main meals.
Type 2 diabetics should start taking insulin when the diet and antidiabetic drugs cannot control blood sugar levels and the value of glycosylated hemoglobin, which can be identified in the blood test that the doctor regularly orders, is higher to 7%.
In addition, the doctor may decide to start diabetes treatment with insulin when fasting blood glucose is higher than 300 mg / dl, during gestational diabetes to better control blood glucose or if the diabetic loses a lot of weight in a short time, for example. See how to measure blood glucose.
Insulin should not be used without a doctor's prescription or when the diabetic wants to because he / she has eaten more sugar, because the improper use of insulin can cause tremors, mental confusion, blurred vision or dizziness, which are characteristic of hypoglycemia.
How the diabetic should take insulin
Generally, when the patient becomes diabetic, he starts insulin treatment by taking a few units, such as 10 units of basal insulin, which is a long-lasting insulin, before going to sleep, continuing to take oral anti-diabetics during the day.
The patient must then measure and record the fasting blood sugar levels, before and after the main meals and also before sleeping, for a period that can vary between 1 or 2 weeks so that the doctor can define when and how much insulin quick action you must take to control diabetes.
After the doctor decides the correct insulin dose, the patient must take insulin forever, strictly respecting the medical prescription, which can be adjusted over time, so that diabetes is controlled and does not progress to complications such as vision problems and malfunction. kidneys, for example. See how to correctly apply insulin at: How to apply insulin.
Watch this video and learn more about what diabetic nutrition should look like.
