How Many Times Should I Inject Insulin In A Day? A Complete Guide To Give Insulin Injection

One of the familiar treatment to help control blood sugar level is by injecting insulin. But, how many times do you need to inject insulin in a day for a diabetic patient?

Insulin is a natural hormone produced by the body. It's job as a "key" in opening or holding body cells so that glucose in the blood can enter the body's cells to be broken down into energy. This hormone is produced by beta cells in the pancreas which is in your liver.

Insulin Injection

Insulin secretion in the human body consists of two types. These two types of insulin secretion are prandial insulin and basal insulin. Both types of insulin have different functions even though they are both aimed at maintaining your blood sugar level in the body.

Basal insulin secretion is insulin which released by the pancreas for 24 hours. It means the body will release insulin continuously to keep blood sugar levels under control. Meanwhile, prandial insulin is the hormone insulin which is usually produced after meals to help prevent a surge in blood sugar levels. Both are produced by beta cells in the pancreas automatically according to the response from the body.

Why do people with diabetes need insulin injections?

Image of insulin injection for diabetes

Actually, not all diabetic patients need insulin injections. Diabetic patients who need insulin injections are diabetes type 1 patients or called as childhood diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system turns to attack beta cells in the pancreas as a producer of insulin until it produces little or no insulin.

Meanwhile, patients with type 2 diabetes actually don't need insulin injections. It depends on the condition of each sufferer. "Actually the number one pillar of diabetes treatment is not a drug, but lifestyle modification, which is from eating activity and physical activity," said Dr. Mochammad Pasha, a diabetes specialist.

"When lifestyle modification doesn't work, we just give medicine," explained Dr. Pasha.

"The medicine we give we start from the lowest dose, then gradually increased." That way, if a person's blood sugar can be controlled through medication or enough lifestyle changes, insulin is not needed.

If you can't control by the drug, how many times should you inject insulin in a day?

Actually, there is no exact measurement of how many times insulin injections should be done by a person with diabetes. Everything depends on the patient's condition. Diabetes is caused by several things and each person may have a different cause. That is why the treatment of each patient is different.

"Basically, giving insulin injections should follow the pattern of physiological secretions of our beta cells (the normal pattern of body insulin release). For instance, there is someone who given after meals, there is one-time giving. But, for one giving (injection), namely basal insulin which works 24 hours, usually combined with drinking drugs, "said Dr. Pasha.

Dr. Mochammad Pasha also added, "If for example the patient has been added medication but it has not been controlled, it will usually be immediately recommended for additional prandial insulin therapy, which is after eating time. The choice can be made when eating the biggest portion, for example in lunch time. "

If with two injections of insulin your blood sugar levels can be controlled properly, the doctor will not add more doses. However, if it is still not controlled after a three-month evaluation, the doctor may add one more prandial insulin dose when there are more meals than the others.

If your blood sugar level is still uncontrolled, you may have to do three prandial insulin injections, plus one basal insulin.

In short, refer to Dr. Pasha, the therapy for treating diabetes is "Start Low, Go Slow" meaning it is to start with a light dose first and increase the treatment gradually, slowly.

Determining since the beginning of the number of injections of insulin a day that must be given and making it into a provision cannot be done considering case by case people with diabetes usually have different causes and responses.

That is why it is very important for you to consult with your doctor regarding any plans and changes in treatment that you might do. Do not determine by yourself about the dosage that you will use because you might just experience a new problem.

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