Daily insulin injections are absolutely important for people with type 1 diabetes or type 2.
However, insulin is a very complicated hormone and taking it every day requires great care and management.
In this article, we will discuss potential side effects of insulin that anyone taking it should know.
What is insulin? Why is it necessary?
First of all, make sure we all understand insulin teeth And why is it an important part of making you healthy and lively? None Anyyou will die. None sufficientyou will become very sick and eventually die.
Insulin is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells in the pancreas. The GLUT2 transporter is secreted when it detects changes in serum glucose levels.
In other words, when blood sugar levels begin to rise, the pancreas secretes more insulin, preventing blood sugar levels from getting too high. Insulin collects glucose in the bloodstream and carries it to cells throughout your body that use it for energy.
The pancreas also secretes a stable insulin drip 24 hours a day to meet “background” insulin needs. Your body needs insulin every hour each day to maintain Normal blood sugar levels It works properly.
Even your brain relies on the 2-second delivery of glucose to function – without insulin, the brain cannot utilize glucose that is sitting in the bloodstream.
Even if you eat zero or zero grams of carbohydrates, your body needs insulin to survive.
Type 1 diabetes patients
in People with type 1 diabetesyour immune system will begin to attack and destroy most or all of your beta cells. Every day, your body is trying to produce insulin through beta cells from the pancreas. And every day, your immune system continues to destroy them.
When a person develops type 1 diabetes, they become ill very quickly and very quickly over weeks or months as blood sugar levels rise to life-threatening levels.
People with type 1 diabetes Must do Take insulin daily, either via an insulin pump or pod, or via multiple daily injections using a syringe or insulin pen. Skipping injections or insulin for a day is potentially fatal.
Type 2 diabetes patients
in People with type 2 diabetesthe body is struggling to produce healthy beta cells, or the body is suffering severely Insulin resistancemakes it difficult to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
The outbreak of type 2 diabetes usually occurs between months and years and is presented as prediabetic until the blood sugar level is high enough to qualify as type 2 diabetes first.
Some people with type 2 diabetes can improve (or “Reverse”) Blood glucose levels due to changes in nutrition, exercise, and weight.
However, many patients with type 2 diabetes struggle to produce healthy beta cells. For many people, the best option is insulin injections via a syringe or pen.
Common Side Effects of Insulin
Keep in mind that most of the side effects of insulin are actually the result of inaccurate doses and inappropriate injection practices. When taken with extreme care and careful care, insulin is an important part of what protects you I’m alive And healthy.
Hypoglycemia
The human body needs insulin to stay alive, but too much Hypoglycemia (Also known as “hypoglycemia”). Even one unit can lead to unpleasant and dangerous symptoms
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include:
- Feeling unstable
- I’m nervous or worried
- Sweat, chills, rather
- Irritated or anxious
- confusion
- Fast Heartbeat
- Feeling unwell or dizzy
- Hungry
- nausea
- Color that drains from the skin (pall)
- I feel sleepy
- Feel weak or lacking energy
- Vision impairment/disability
- Twitching and numbness on the lips, tongue, or cheeks
- headache
- Adjustment issues, clumsy
- Nightmares and screams while sleeping
- Crucifixion
Please read more How to treat hypoglycemia.
Fat bloat
Fat hypertrophy is a common side effect of long-term insulin injections or insulin pump injection sites.
Fat hypertrophy is essentially a swollen mass of adipose tissue at the site of frequent injections. Insulin can actually increase the size of fat cells near the site of frequent injection.
Scar tissue usually occurs in these locations as well. This is because both are the result of frequent insulin injections.
In the early years, when only human insulin was available, Lipoatrophy Taking insulin was a similar problem, but since human insulin was no longer used by most people, it has since disappeared.
Using devices to “roll” tissues, the most commonly used for injections, helps prevent and break down fat fertilizer masses, but these lumps are inevitable to some extent for those taking insulin daily.
The best thing you can do to minimize the development of fat hypertrophy is to rotate consistently where you are injecting the insulin. If you use the same area repeatedly, fat hypertrophy and lumps will develop from scar tissue.
Since insulin is not well absorbed at these sites, it is also important to identify areas affected by fat hypertrophy. These lumps should be instructed to begin using different areas at the injection or injection site and to improve the “rotation of the injection site” habit to prevent future problems.
combustion
Some insulin can burn during or immediately after injection. This is common in long-acting insulins like Lantus and Basalgar due to their high acidity.
Other insulin is possible Sting wound Or if it was injected into muscle tissue rather than body fat, or simply hit a sensitive area or frequently used area for injections that require healing.
However, it is difficult to prevent the sensation of burning from acidic insulin. Some people recommend placing ice packs in the area in front injection. It helps, but it won’t completely eliminate the burning sensation.
Rash and allergic reactions
Less than 4% of diabetic patients Hypersensitivity or allergies to insulinBut if you’re one of these 4%, it’s a key issue.
Human allergic reactions are thought to be in response to additives and peptides in commercially manufactured insulin.
Symptoms of insulin allergy include:
- Swelling at the injection site
- Severe rash, hives, itching
- Hypotension
- Swelling in the throat and mouth
- Difficulty breathing (Anaphylaxis)
“Insulin allergies can be local or systemic and can be immediate or delayed.” 2016 Survey. “The underlying mechanisms of insulin-related allergies can be divided into three types: type I (IgE-mediated), type III (IgG-mediated immune complex), and type IV (T cell-mediated delayed) hypersensitivity.
To date, no single treatment has proven to be as effective as it is widely used.
“A variety of treatment options, from symptom relief to more complex using simple antihistaminix Insulin desensitization therapyhas been proposed to manage allergic reactions to insulin,” the study explains.
Steroids can also be a major help to allergic reactions, but they are not a realistic long-term solution as they produce incredible insulin resistance and make glycemic control extremely difficult.
Scar tissue
Rotating the injection site is important to prevent scar tissue accumulation. Injecting it into the same area of the body over and over again every day will cause the body to accumulate harder fiber tissues with each healing from the damage from that injection.
Over time, that build-up of scar tissue will interfere with your body’s ability to properly absorb insulin injected, leading to high blood sugar levels.
By making an effort to inject various areas of the body (thighs, belly, back of arms, butts, etc.) and Various parts of each area (such as the top of the thigh and thigh) can prevent the rapid accumulation of scar tissue.
Scar tissue is inevitable for those receiving multiple injections daily or using an insulin pump.
Bruises and site stimulation
Sometimes you just hit the wrong place with your syringe or pen needle, and it creates a small bruise. Insulin pumps and pods can also cause bruises.
The solution is pretty simple: spin, spin, spin. Rotating the injection site can prevent the production of too much damage in one area.
If you notice a bruise or an irritating injection site, avoid that particular site (and around it) for the next week or two so that it can be healed.
If the stimulation continues or the bruising spreads instead of minimizing, contact your healthcare team immediately or visit an emergency care clinic to make sure you are not infected.
infection
The needle on that syringe or insulin pen may appear small, but it can create a possibility of infection.
The type of bacteria that most commonly cause infection in areas where insulin is being administered via injection or pumping is called “.Mycobacterium chelonae. ”
High blood sugar levels HBA1C The higher the risk of developing an infection, the higher these levels promote the growth of the bacteria and damage the immune system.
Where you use alcohol swabs at the site you are injecting or place a new infusion set in the pump will help prevent infection. It is also important to use the syringe only once.
Weight gain
We all need insulin to survive, but excess or large amounts of insulin can lead to storing more glucose as body fat. The need for more amounts of insulin is generally caused by:
Insulin resistanceand then you need more and more insulin to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Beta cell dysfunction People with type 2 diabetes are gradually exacerbating the body’s ability to produce healthy beta cells. This inevitably means that getting an insulin injection will become part of what will make you healthy and lively.
hormone! If you’re a growing young adult, your insulin needs will rise. This should really lead to weight gain Unless your other lifestyle habits increase your insulin needs. Growth hormone increases everyone’s resistance to insulin, which is a normal part of the human body’s processes during adolescence. In young women, hormone fluctuations Menstrual cycle It can also create temporary insulin resistance.
Efforts to reduce your insulin needs while keeping your blood sugar safe and healthy will improve your insulin resistance. For some, this can be done by increasing exercise, losing weight and improving nutritional habits.
But for many others, your body may need support from diabetes medications to increase sensitivity to insulin While you’re working About the aforementioned lifestyle habits.
Cough (inhaled insulin)
Inhaled insulin is less common than injectable insulin, but it is gaining popularity. Although it could be a big addition to your diabetes management plan, Can create a persistent cough some.
There are ongoing studies assessing the effects of inhaled insulin on patients’ lungs, but there is no length sufficient to truly determine its safety.
If you feel that inhaled insulin is irritating your throat, mouth, or lungs, contact your medical team immediately.
death
Yes, an overdose of insulin is fatal. This is the reason Anyone When you take insulin, your blood sugar level needs to be checked several times a day.
Our insulin doses are estimates based on our weight, activity level, age, diet, and current blood glucose levels. If you experience it frequently Hypoglycemia It is possible that you have too much insulin in your meal 1-3 hours after your meal. If you are experiencing frequent hypoglycemia in the middle of the night, you may have too much insulin in your last meal or Too long/basal insulin.
Please talk to your doctor immediately If you think you are experiencing frequent hypoglycemia.
It is also important to maintain carbohydrates that act quickly as you take insulin.
After all, insulin is an essential ingredient to staying alive. However, to prevent most of these side effects, it must be taken and managed with great care. Working with healthcare teams, diabetes educators and other resources, we will ensure that insulin improves your health and doesn’t hurt it.
