Insulin Medication

Insulin medication is given to people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is taken as subcutaneous injections by syringes, via insulin pumps, or insulin pens. Injecting insulin helps replace the lack of functional insulin in the body of a person with diabetes.

In the case of type 2 diabetes, it is not always necessary to inject insulin. A health care team can give information if insulin therapy is needed in addition to non-insulin medication. It mostly depends on the time of diagnosis whether or not people with type 2 diabetes need insulin. Around 30 to 40 % of people with type 2 diabetes need insulin. With an early diagnosis and a healthy lifestyle, there is a high chance that insulin is not needed right away. Living with type 2 diabetes for 15 years or longer will very likely require regular insulin shots.

Different types of insulin exist. Some are rapid acting, others are long acting. Depending on the type of insulin they are injected right before meals or only once or twice a day. Some types of insulin need to be premixed before injecting them.

There are a couple of tricks to remember taking one's diabetes medication, for example:

• Setting an alarm clock
• Using a calendar or notebook that will tell you when your medicine needs to be refilled
• Using a pillbox to keep track of all medications