Side effects of insulin injection Weight gain Insulin can promote the synthesis of protein and fat in the body. If diabetics take insulin therapy without controlling their diet and consume too many calories, they will gradually gain weight. This is especially common in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, so diabetic patients treated with insulin still need to control their diet to avoid gaining weight gradually. Abdominal obesity caused by insulin injection is the manifestation of hyperinsulinemia. Purified insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents can be used to reduce the dosage of insulin.
Hypoglycemic reaction This is the most important side effect of insulin. Generally speaking, it is caused by a large dose of insulin, inability to eat on time, liver and kidney insufficiency, and defective hypoglycemia. In order to avoid hypoglycemia reaction in the process of using insulin, we must start using it from a small dose, closely monitor blood sugar, and gradually adjust the dose of insulin, so that the dose of insulin can gradually reach an appropriate dose that can satisfactorily control blood sugar without hypoglycemia. Diabetic patients who take insulin must eat on time after insulin injection, and the amount of meals and activities should be fixed. If they don't eat on time after insulin injection, or do strenuous exercise after insulin injection, hypoglycemia may occur. For diabetics who are injected with insulin, you must carry candy, biscuits and other foods with you so that you can treat yourself in time when hypoglycemia occurs.
When impure insulin is used for a long time or injected at a site for a long time, subcutaneous fat malnutrition can lead to subcutaneous fat atrophy. It is seen in patients who use animal insulin for a long time, and it is more likely to appear if patients who use animal insulin for a long time inject it at one place.
Insulin allergy can be seen in animal insulin and impure insulin, which can be divided into local allergy and systemic allergy. Local allergies are just maculopapules and itching around the injection site. Systemic allergy can cause measles and henoch-schonlein purpura, and a few severe cases can cause anaphylactic shock. Allergic reaction can be seen in the first use, or after using 1 month, after stopping using for a period of time, start using again.
Insulin resistance: anti-insulin antibodies are produced in the body, which reduces the curative effect of insulin injection. Generally, when the daily insulin consumption of diabetic patients exceeds 100 unit, the occurrence of insulin resistance should be considered. If we switch to human insulin, we can overcome the problem of insulin resistance. In the absence of ketoacidosis, insulin resistance can be diagnosed if the daily insulin dose is >: 200μ for 48 hours.
Local bruising Some patients' friends found that after insulin injection, the local skin at the injection site would be bruised. In fact, this phenomenon will appear not only after insulin injection, but also when other drugs are injected. It turns out that the local bruising after injection is not caused by drugs or insulin, but by capillary damage caused by injection. Generally, this kind of bruise can be absorbed quickly without special treatment. To prevent local abrasion, the injection site can be pressed for several seconds immediately after injection.
Refraction mainly occurs in diabetic patients with high blood sugar level before using insulin. The causes of ametropia have been mentioned before. This side effect is temporary. With the prolonged use of insulin, the blood sugar control is stable and the side effect will gradually disappear.
Before insulin edema and diabetes were not controlled, there were water loss, sodium loss and extracellular fluid reduction in the body. Once insulin treatment is given, water and sodium remain in the body within 4~6 days after blood sugar control, and edema of face and limbs appears, which can be absorbed by itself within a few days.
Hyperinsulinemia is especially common in type 2 obese people, and the dosage of insulin is too large.
There are many reasons for skin infection in diabetic patients, but insulin injection is by no means the main and decisive factor. First of all, the high sugar content in diabetic tissues provides a "hotbed" for bacterial reproduction; Secondly, bacteria are more likely to invade the body if skin hygiene and aseptic operation are not paid attention to during injection; In addition, diabetic patients have poor resistance and recovery ability, which is easy to further expand the infection. It can be seen that controlling blood sugar is the fundamental to prevent infection, and paying attention to personal hygiene and aseptic operation during injection is the necessary means to prevent infection. As long as preventive measures are in place, insulin injection will generally not cause infection.
The way to reduce the harm of insulin is to rotate the injection site and inject it into the abdomen (just above the navel), with the fastest effect. Followed by upper arm injection, leg injection is slower, hip injection is the slowest. In order to make the best effect of insulin, it is best to inject insulin at the same place before meals. For example, it is injected into the abdomen before breakfast and into the thigh before dinner. The injection point should not be too concentrated, otherwise the scar will affect the absorption of insulin.
Injection time affects absorption, and insulin injection before meals generally takes effect faster. Experts suggest that it is best to inject insulin 20 to 30 minutes before meals.
Avoid the shortage of dehydrated drinking water. When the body is short of water, blood does not easily flow to the skin, and insulin will not be absorbed quickly. Dehydration can also lead to elevated blood sugar levels and temporary insulin resistance.
Paying attention to diet will not change the speed of insulin entering the blood, but it will indeed affect the overall blood sugar level. The absorption rate of fatty foods is slow, and insulin may start to run out before the food is digested. Foods with high glycemic index, such as white rice and white bread, are digested and absorbed faster and affect blood sugar levels faster. Sugar friends should not only eat normally three meals a day, but also appropriately increase snacks between meals.
Maintaining moderate exercise can enhance the body's sensitivity to insulin, and exercise can appropriately reduce the dose of insulin. But experts say that after high-intensity exercise, blood sugar levels are higher, but more insulin is needed.
Don't stop insulin when you are sick. When you feel sick, your blood sugar level will be higher than usual. Some people don't want to eat or eat very little when they are sick, so some people think it is unnecessary to inject insulin. Experts believe that in fact, you often need more insulin when you are sick, so don't stop taking it without authorization.
Decompression experts say that psychological stress will directly lead to an increase in blood sugar, which will reduce insulin secretion in the body and make insulin underutilized. A larger dose of insulin may be needed at this time.
Body temperature affects the absorption effect. After taking a hot bath or hot compress on sore muscles, the injected insulin will enter the blood system faster. Some experts suggest that if necessary, the injection site can be cold compressed first, and then insulin can be injected, which can reduce the absorption rate of insulin.
Adjust the injection quantity in time. Doctors often fine-tune the dosage of insulin according to the condition of sugar friends. According to experts from the American Diabetes Association, factors such as age, weight, diet pattern, exercise and general health will affect insulin injection. Too much insulin will increase the risk, and too little insulin will lead to too high blood sugar level. The insulin dosage can be correctly grasped according to the real-time measured blood sugar level.
The key point of insulin injection is to choose a suitable location for insulin injection, and the abdomen is the first choice. Insulin injection sites include upper and lateral upper arm, abdomen, anterolateral thigh and upper and lateral hip 1/4. The subcutaneous adipose tissue in these parts is beneficial to insulin absorption, with fewer nerve endings and relatively less injection discomfort. Abdomen is the first choice for insulin injection.
The injection site should rotate. Insulin itself is a growth factor. Repeated injections at the same site will lead to hyperplasia of subcutaneous fat layer, induration and liposarcoma, which will lead to the decrease of absorption rate. Therefore, the injection site should be rotated frequently, and the injection should be carried out by rotating the symmetrical part.
Insulin injection time is different. Routine insulin needs to be injected before meals. Quick-acting insulin does not need to be injected in advance, but it must be taken immediately after injection to avoid hypoglycemia. Short-acting insulin can be injected after meals according to doctor's advice. Medium-and long-acting insulin can keep blood sugar stable at night and avoid hyperglycemia before dawn, so it is injected before going to bed.
Injection skills Insulin pen is an advanced injection instrument, which is widely used in clinic. In order to ensure subcutaneous injection of insulin, if an 8 mm needle is used, the skin must be pinched tightly, and the skin folds should not be loosened prematurely. Failure to pinch the skin during injection may lead to the risk of intramuscular injection. When injecting, insert the needle at 45 quickly, inject the medicine slowly, and then pull out the needle. If the patient uses a 5 mm needle, the needle should be inserted vertically without pinching the skin.