Monday, March 25, 2024
HomeFactsDo Type 2 Diabetics Take Insulin

Do Type 2 Diabetics Take Insulin


Avoiding Injection Bruises And Lumps

WHY Type 2 Diabetics Become INSULIN DEPENDENT? SugarMD

Bruising can happen when you catch a tiny capillary under the skin where you have injected. It is quite normal for this to happen occasionally when you are injecting regularly and youre not doing anything wrong.;

If you are concerned, you could make an appointment with your diabetes specialist nurse who will be able to do a review of your injection technique. In some cases, bleeding and bruising can be reduced by something as simple as using a different sized needle or changing your needle after each injection.;

Some people notice hard lumps that can form if you inject in the same place too often. This might be lipohypertrophy ,;or could be something called cutaneous amyloidosis. These lumps can stop the insulin from working properly, so make sure you rotate where you inject and choose a different spot each time. If you notice any lumps, especially if they’re not going away, speak to your healthcare professional for more advice.

Other side effects from injecting a lot can be itching, rashes and other skin irritations. Changing where you inject helps with this too. You can also get treatments from your local pharmacy that can will help with the irritation.


What Is Diabetes And Does It Qualify For The Disability Tax Credit

Diabetes prevents the body from either not producing or correctly using insulin. Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the blood. Diabetes leads to high blood sugar levels, which can damage organs, blood vessels and nerves. The body needs insulin to use sugar as an energy source.

There are two types of diabetes:

Medicines For Type 2 Diabetes

Most people need medicine to control their type 2 diabetes.

Medicine helps keep your blood sugar level as normal as possible to prevent health problems. You may have to take it for the rest of your life.

Diabetes usually gets worse over time, so your medicine or dose may need to change.


Adjusting your diet and being active is usually necessary to keep your blood sugar level down.

Also Check: Can You Lose Weight With Diabetes

How Do I Take Insulin

Insulin is normally injected under the skin with a very small needle. It can also be taken with an insulin pen. Your doctor will teach you exactly how to inject insulin, but here are the basics:

Wash your hands.

  • Take the plastic cover off the insulin bottle and wipe the top of the bottle with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.

  • Pull back the plunger of the syringe, drawing air into the syringe equal to the dose of insulin that you are taking . Put the syringe needle through the rubber top of the insulin bottle. Inject air into the bottle by pushing the syringe plunger forward. Turn the bottle upside down.

  • What If Im Sent A Second Form Regarding Time Spent

    What is Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus or Non

    If sent an additional form regarding your time spent tending to your diabetes, it is best to not only confirm that it takes 14 hours or more a week to maintain, but you should also elaborate further than you had on the initial form.


    Heres some examples of how to add up your time:

    For injections, take into account the time it takes to:

    • Clean the area where injection will go
    • Clean and prep the vial
    • Perform the injection

    Preparing and injecting insulin usually takes around 3.5 hours or a week.

    For insulin pumpers, take into account the time it takes to:

    • Change pump tubing and insulin cartridge
    • Adjusting pump programming

    It usually takes 7 plus hours a week to maintain an insulin pump.


    For logging, take into account the time it takes to:

    • Analyzing trends

    It would total 30 minutes per day, equating to 3.5 hours per week.

    For checking blood glucose levels, take into account the time it takes to:

    • Wash the area to be tested,
    • Ensure meter is coded properly
    • Insert the test strip
    • Apply blood
    • Record reading

    This is usually done 8 times per day, taking around 3 minutes per test equating to 24 minutes per day or 3 hours per week.

    Recommended Reading: How Many Points Does Metformin Lower Blood Sugar


    Do I Have Other Treatment Options For My Diabetes

    When medicines and lifestyle changes are not enough to manage your diabetes, a less common treatment may be an option. Other treatments include bariatric surgery for certain people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and an “artificial pancreas” and;pancreatic islet transplantation for some people with type 1 diabetes.

    Risk Factors For Type 2 Diabetes

    We may not understand the exact causes of type 2 diabetes, but we do know that certain factors can put you at increased risk.

    Certain factors are out of your control:

    • Your risk is greater if you have a brother, sister, or parent who has type 2 diabetes.
    • You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, but your risk increases as you get older. Your risk is particularly high once you reach 45 years old.
    • African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans are at higher risk than Caucasians.
    • Women who have a condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome are at increased risk.

    You may be able to change these factors:

    • Being overweight means that you have more fatty tissue, which makes your cells more resistant to insulin. Extra fat in the abdomen increases your risk more than extra fat in the hips and thighs.
    • Your risk increases if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Regular exercise uses up glucose and helps your cells respond better to insulin.

    Youre also at increased risk if youve had gestational diabetes or prediabetes, two conditions caused by elevated glucose levels. Learn more about the factors that can increase your risk for diabetes.


    Also Check: How Long Do Type 1 Diabetics Live

    Why Do I Need To Take Insulin

    All people who have type 1 diabetes and some people who have type 2 diabetes need to take insulin to help control their blood sugar levels. The goal of taking insulin is to keep your blood sugar level in a normal range as much as possible. Keeping blood sugar in check helps you stay healthy. Insulin cant be taken by mouth. It is usually taken by injection . It can also be taken using an insulin pen or an insulin pump.

    Oral Medications Are Better Than Insulin

    Session 39. Should Type 2 Diabetics Take Insulin? – Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes University.

    Oral diabetes medications can be great when it comes to lowering blood glucose levels. Many have been used for years and are very safe, such as metformin.Still, they dont work for everyone. “For some people, insulin is the easiest and best because it always works, but some people respond to pills, and others dont,” says Dr. Crandall.Not all oral medications have a tried-and-true safety record. For example,

    Avandia was restricted by the FDA because of research suggesting that it ups the risk of heart attack.

    Don’t Miss: How Much Does Metformin Lower Blood Glucose


    Do I Need To Monitor My Blood Sugar Level

    Yes. Monitoring and controlling your blood sugar is key to preventing the complications of diabetes. If you dont already monitor your blood sugar level, you will need to learn how. Checking your blood sugar involves pricking your finger to get a small drop of blood that you put on a test strip. You can read the results yourself or insert the strip into a machine called an electronic glucose meter. The results will tell you whether your blood sugar is in a healthy range. Your doctor will give you additional information about monitoring your blood sugar.

    Why Insulin Can Become Necessary For A Person With Type 2 Diabetes

    Starting insulin treatment should not be seen as a setback.

    People with type 2 diabetes may require insulin when their meal plan, weight loss, exercise and antidiabetic drugs do not achieve targeted blood glucose levels.

    Diabetes is a progressive disease and the body may require insulin injections to compensate for declining insulin production by the pancreas. That is why starting insulin treatment should never be seen as a failure.

    Starting insulin treatment should never be seen as a failure.


    Treatment with insulin may be added to an antidiabetic medication or completely replace it. Regardless of the treatment, lifestyle habits are essential to managing diabetes.

    Many people are reluctant to inject insulin for various reasons:

    • Fear of pain or needles
    • Guilt
    • Impression that this is the last resort
    • Fear of hypoglycemic attacks
    • Fear of weight gain
    • Memories of loved one who had to take insulin

    If this is the case, do not hesitate to discuss your concerns with a health care professional. Some of your fears may be due to false beliefs. Learning more about todays insulin treatment will probably allay your fears. For many people, insulin is an effective way to achieve good blood-sugar control, which can prevent or delay certain diabetes complications over the long term.

    Don’t Miss: Can You Take Too Much Insulin

    What Happens If You Avoid Taking Your Insulin

    If you have type 1 diabetes, taking insulin is essential and you cannot live without it. If you avoid taking it, your blood sugar levels can become too high and you risk developing diabetic ketoacidosis . If left untreated, DKA could be life-threatening. Thats why its important to make sure you take your insulin.;


    If you have type 2 diabetes and use insulin to treat your condition, you should continue to take it as prescribed. If you avoid taking it, your blood sugar levels could become too high and you may become ill. Please speak to your healthcare professional if you have any questions or concerns about taking your insulin.;

    Insulin is a treatment that helps manage blood sugars, so this also reduces the risk of serious long-term complications as well a shorter-term consequences. Its still important to keep going to your appointments and manage your condition with healthy lifestyle choices. Staying active and eating a healthy diet will reduce the risk of complications from your diabetes, but insulin is also an important part of your treatment.;

    Insulin Is A Treatment Of Last Resort

    Insulin Dosage: 6 Important Things to Know

    Although some people exhaust all possible diabetes treatments before resorting to insulin, this may not be the best strategy. By the time a person with type 2 starts insulin therapy, they likely already have diabetes-related complication because of poor blood sugar control, Dr. Crandall says. Because high blood sugar is so toxic and can up the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other problems, you shouldnt waste too much time undergoing treatments that arent getting your blood sugar under control.In fact, starting insulin sooner may avoid complications, cause oral medications to work better , or allow you to use a less-complicated insulin regimen for a longer period of time.

    You May Like: Diabetic High Blood Sugar Symptoms

    Causes Of Type 2 Diabetes

    Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone. Your pancreas produces it and releases it when you eat. Insulin helps transport glucose from your bloodstream to cells throughout your body, where its used for energy.


    If you have type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin. Your body is no longer using the hormone efficiently. This forces your pancreas to work harder to make more insulin.

    Over time, this can damage cells in your pancreas. Eventually, your pancreas may not be able to produce any insulin.

    If you dont produce enough insulin or if your body doesnt use it efficiently, glucose builds up in your bloodstream. This leaves your bodys cells starved for energy. Doctors dont know exactly what triggers this series of events.

    It may have to do with cell dysfunction in the pancreas or with cell signaling and regulation. In some people, the liver produces too much glucose. There may be a genetic predisposition to developing type 2 diabetes.

    Theres definitely a genetic predisposition to obesity, which increases the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. There could also be an environmental trigger.


    Most likely, its a combination of factors that increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Find out more about the causes of diabetes.

    When To Take Insulin For Type 2 Diabetes

    If you have type 2 diabetes, youre probably aware of how difficult it can be to manage. You may struggle keeping your A1c levels in line despite exercising, managing your weight, eating a healthy diet and taking a prescription medication.

    Cause of Diabetes

    Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, stemming usually from genetics, aging, ethnic background, or being overweight. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas to maintain blood sugar levels. It does this by signaling the liver to store or release sugar into the blood and escorting sugar circulating in blood into cells so that it can be used as energy.;

    Insulin resistance begins when cells wont allow insulin to unlock their door to let sugar into it. Occasionally it doesnt produce symptoms, but more often than not insulin resistance;causes blood sugar levels to rise, leading to prediabetes. Between 15 and 30 percent of prediabetes cases will progress to type 2 diabetes within five years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Treatments for Type 2 Diabetes

    Type 2 diabetes patients are typically prescribed oral medications and lifestyle changes. Generally, insulin is only prescribed after these approaches have become ineffective, as insulin has been linked to weight gain and low blood sugar although some physicians may use it earlier in treatment.;


    When to Take Insulin for Type 2 Diabetes

    Also Check: What Is A High Blood Sugar Reading

    Statistics About Type 2 Diabetes

    The report the following statistics about diabetes in the United States:

    • Over 30 million people have diabetes. Thats around 10 percent of the population.
    • One in four people have no idea they have diabetes.
    • Prediabetes affects 84.1 million adults, and 90 percent of them are unaware of it.
    • Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and Native American adults are to have diabetes as non-Hispanic white adults.

    The ADA reports the following statistics:

    • In 2017, diabetes cost the United States $327 billion in direct medical costs and reduced productivity.
    • The average medical expenses for people with diabetes are about 2.3 times higher than they would be in the absence of diabetes.
    • Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing cause of death.

    Diabetes impact is widespread. It touches the lives of nearly half-a-billion of people around the world. View some infographics that shine a light on other diabetes statistics you should know.

    Insulin And Type 2 Diabetes

    Insulin for Type 2 Diabetes

    If your health care provider offered you a medication to help you feel better and get your blood sugar under control, would you try it? If so, you might be ready to start taking insulin.

    Does insulin immediately make you think of type 1 diabetes? Think again. Between 30 and 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes take insulin. In fact, there are more people with type 2 diabetes who take insulin than type 1 because of the much larger number of people with type 2. Experts believe even more people with type 2 should be taking insulin to control blood sugar — and the earlier, the better. With an increase in people developing type 2 at a younger age and living longer, more and more people with type 2 will likely be taking insulin.;

    Don’t Miss:;12 Healthy Ways to Lower Your Blood Sugar

    “If you live long enough with type 2 diabetes, odds are good you’ll eventually need insulin,” says William Polonsky, Ph.D., CDE, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego; founder and president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute; and author of Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can’t Take It Anymore .

    Read Also: Can You Live A Long Life With Diabetes

    How To Apply To The Disability Tax Credit For My Child With Diabetes

    As with adults, applying for a child for the Disability Tax Credit for diabetes comes down to the amount of time it takes to maintain the disease and its overall effect on the childs ADLs.

    However, if you are applying for the DTC for a child with diabetes, the time you and the child spent doing and supervising activities related to tending to their diabetes will both count towards the 14 plus hours a week required to make them eligible due to life-sustaining therapy.

    Activities counted as supervising a child with Type 1 diabetes that can be as the 14 hours per week requirement include:

    • Waking the child at night to test their blood glucose level
    • Checking the child to decide if more blood glucose testing is needed
    • Any other supervisory activities be considered necessary to adjust the dosage of insulin

    An eligible child may receive one or both of the following refunds:

    • Federal Tax Refund If the impaired childs parent or caregiver has paid into Federal income taxes, they will receive the same amount an adult claimant would.
    • Child Disability Benefits If the parent or caregiver has not paid into Federal income tax, they will only receive the Child Disability Benefits.

    To learn more about the Child Disability Tax Credit, check out our in-depth guide.

    Your Treatment Needs Can Change

    Over time, your condition and treatment needs can change. If youve found it difficult to manage your blood sugar with lifestyle changes and other medications, your doctor might prescribe insulin. Following their recommended treatment plan can help you manage your condition and lower your risk of complications.

    Don’t Miss: How Much Glipizide Is Too Much

    How To Get Free Prescriptions For Diabetes Medicine

    You’re entitled to free prescriptions for your diabetes medicine.

    To claim your free prescriptions, you’ll need to apply for an exemption certificate. This is known as a PF57 form. To do this:

    • fill in a form at your GP surgery
    • you should get the certificate in the post about a week later it’ll last for 5 years
    • take it to your pharmacy with your prescriptions

    Save your receipts if you have to pay for diabetes medicine before you receive your exemption certificate. You can claim the money back if you include the receipts along with your completed PF57 form.

    RELATED ARTICLES

    Popular Articles