6 tips about insulin injections

If you’ve been newly prescribed insulin, you may have questions about to do it. Where do you inject it? When? How often? How is it stored? Your healthcare provider should be your first source for questions about insulin, but here are some tips that may help.

Different types of insulin work at different speeds.

• Rapid-acting starts working about 15 minutes after injection and continues for 2 to 4 hours.
• Short-acting reaches the bloodstream in 30 minutes and wears off after 3 to 6 hours.
• Intermediate-acting insulin starts working in about 2 to 4 hours, and it continues to work for 12 to 18 hours.
• Finally, long-acting insulin takes several hours to reach the bloodstream and continues working for about 24 hours.

While you shouldn’t vary which general body part you inject your insulin, you also shouldn’t inject your insulin in the same specific spot every time. Doing so can create lumps and fatty deposits that can reduce the effectiveness of the insulin. It may be less painful to inject into these lumps, but it could change how well your insulin works. Stay away from injecting insuling into bruises, scars, and your belly button, too.

Insulin needs to be injected into fat. Be sure to relax the area around the injection site. If you’re tense, the nerves will be more sensitive to pain. Use a short, thin needle to avoid piercing the muscle and causing more pain, and use room-temperature insulin, if possible.

When storing insulin, make sure to check the label and follow all instructions. Unopened insulin will last until the expiration date, and you can keep it in the refrigerator. Opened insulin can be kept at room temperature for about 30 days. In fact, room temperature insulin may be less painful when injected. Do not freeze insulin, and don’t store it anywhere with temperatures higher than 86 °F.

Some insulin may look cloudy or opaque in the bottle. That means it’s a suspension—a liquid with particles in it. But if it’s supposed to be a clear solution and it looks cloudy, throw it away. Insulin suspensions need to be rolled around in the palm of the hand in order to mix. Don’t shake vigorously or the insulin can clump together. Throw away any clumpy insulin.

It’s important to be consistent with the time at which you inject your insulin and when you eat. Know how long it takes for your insulin to enter your bloodstream, and time your meals so that your blood sugar rises as your insulin takes effect. Injecting insulin and eating around the same times every day takes some of the questions out of managing your condition.