Starting Insulin

You have learned that diabetes is a disease that changes over time. Because of this, your diabetes treatment may also need to change to keep your blood sugar (glucose) level in the target range. Early in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, pills may work just fine to manage your blood sugar. But over time, the pills may not continue to work as well.

Here are some facts you need to consider:

• Most people with type 2 diabetes will eventually need to take insulin to manage their blood sugar levels.
• Twenty-six percent of people with diabetes use insulin, with or without diabetes pills.¹

Some common misconceptions

Even though insulin treatment may help manage your blood sugar levels, many people with diabetes have some mistaken ideas about this important form of treatment. For example:

• Some people believe that starting insulin means that they have "failed." Nothing could be further from the truth! Because diabetes changes over time, you simply have to adjust your therapy to keep up with the need for good blood sugar management.
• Other people fear taking insulin because they think the shots will be painful. However, many people who take insulin say their initial worries about injections were actually worse than the shots themselves. Modern technology has given us better tools for injecting insulin, such as shorter and thinner needles. Once you know how to use your supplies and develop a technique, injecting insulin can be quite simple.

Everyday answers for people starting insulin

If you and your doctor are considering insulin, or your doctor has already determined that you should start insulin, the information in this section is for you. You may have questions about how insulin works, the different types of insulin, how to inject, or traveling with your insulin and supplies. This section provides many of those answers that address these types of questions:

• How Insulin Works
• Taking Insulin
• Types of Insulin
• Which Plan Is Right for Me?
• Insulin Injections
• Kids and Insulin
• Handling and Storing Insulin
• Traveling with Insulin

Reference
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf. Accessed October 27, 2011.