Anyone who lives with insulin-dependent diabetes knows that management requires insulin injections and many of them.
Because insulin injections are intended to be taken subcutaneously, the medication is quickly absorbed into adipose tissue directly beneath the skin, but can benefit from injecting insulin into the muscles.
In this article, we will outline the DO of insulin injected into the muscles and what is not.
How is insulin normally injected?
Insulin is usually injected subcutaneously and refers to the layer of adipose tissue beneath the skin. This results in predictable release of medication, more painless shots, and less bruises overall.
Today’s ultra-small syringes and insulin injection sets make insulin easier than ever. When injected into the adipose tissue around the stomach, arms, but areas and legs, most of today’s rapid-acting insulin begins to work within 10-15 minutes and can remain in the body for up to 4 hours.
Why does someone inject insulin into their muscles?
Someone can accidentally inject insulin into the muscles.
Sometimes people feel as if they’ve “used out” the injection site and inevitably want to inject them into the muscles or simply make insulin work faster.
Be careful how often you do this, as infusions into the muscles can be more painful. Injecting it into the muscle will help absorb insulin doses faster. This is a warning that insulin is also metabolized and is excreted faster from the system.
Injecting into the muscles requires that insulin kick faster if you’re eating something with a lot of sugar added (it increases your blood sugar much faster).
Is it safe to inject into the muscles?
Although generally safe, insulin has a short tail at the back end, so you should be aware of hyperglycemia after exercise (after meals).
Injecting long-acting insulin into the muscles is never recommended because the mechanism of action of long-acting insulin does not function properly if not injected into adipose tissue. Injecting insulin that shortens (such as Humanlog or Novolog) is generally fine. However, always check with your doctor first.
I don’t recommend injecting insulin into your muscles all the time (the reason is subcutaneous), but injecting it into your muscles in a pinch is great.
What should (and don’t) do if you inject insulin into your muscles?
Do not inject long-acting insulin into the muscles
This will change the effects of long-acting insulin and cause havoc on your blood sugar levels for more than 24 hours. Always inject long-acting insulin into the adipose tissue.
Do not inject the muscles regularly
Injecting into the muscles can cause more bruises, more painful, and insulin is not absorbed properly (it is absorbed much faster, metabolized, and much faster in vitro).
If you need to work better with the foods insulin taking, try injecting it 15-20 minutes before starting your meal to see if it helps instead.
If you have stubborn hyperglycemia, try injecting it into your muscles
This technique can be useful to keep blood glucose levels faster, especially if you are suffering from illness and are at risk for diabetic ketosidosis (DKA).
Inject your muscles to make your blood sugar faster before big events like school exams, movie outings, or family dinners.
However, always consult your doctor before doing so. Especially if you have experienced chronic hyperglycemia greater than 250 mg/dl in a few hours with moderate or high ketones.
In this case, you may need to seek emergency medical procedures in the form of IV insulin drip at a local hospital.
Continue using alcohol swabs and clean syringes
As always, to prevent infection, always use a fresh alcohol swab and a clean syringe/pen when receiving your injection. Diabetic patients are generally at a high risk of infections, which is a very simple step to prevent unwanted hospitalizations!
Rotate the injection site
People with insulin-dependent diabetes may feel like they have “used” room for new injection sites. This is where injecting the muscles sometimes makes sense.
Make sure you rotate the sites properly to avoid excessive use of one area as it can cause scar tissue and insulin resistance.
If you forget to bolus for food, inject it into your muscles
Everyone knows that forgetting a bolus for the carbohydrates they eat in their meal can mean trouble. Injecting into muscles allows insulin to work much faster than regular injections into adipose tissue, so if you forget to administer this tactic can be used.
Work with your doctor to see if this helps you.
Carry extra low snacks when injecting into the muscles
Insulin works much faster when injected into the muscles, so if you’re on the go, you may need to treat unexpected hypoglycemia, so make sure to carry many low snacks with you.
The unpredictability of the mechanism of action can cause a roller coaster of blood glucose, so monitor your blood glucose more carefully for several hours after injecting it into your muscles.
Try inhalable insulin
If you frequently suffer from stubborn hyperglycemia, or if you regularly forget to eat a dietary bolus, try Afriza, an inhalable insulin.
This works much faster than injections, while hurting people much less than taking syringes into the muscles.
Always work with your doctor
However, you can manually inject insulin, whether using multiple daily shots or an insulin pump. You should work with your doctor or endocrinologist to know what’s best for you and your lifestyle.
Knowing that occasional infusion into the muscles is an option can help suppress stubborn hyperglycemia, manage more difficult diets, and prevent scar tissue in high dose areas for shots, but it has its drawbacks.
Injecting insulin into the muscles can change the way it is metabolized, making it more painful and can cause more bruises. And be careful not to inject long-acting insulin into your muscles. That’s because it could ruin your blood sugar levels and send you on the next 24-hour blood sugar roller coaster.
Using these strategies, you will know you are more equipped if you need to inject insulin into your muscles.
