Illustration Devices To Take Insulin
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Medicines for People with Diabetes

Today, most people who take insulin to manage diabetes inject the insulin with a syringe that they place just under the skin. Several other devices with which to take insulin are currently available, and others are being developed.

Devices currently available:

Insulin pens can be helpful if you take at least three doses of insulin a day and want the convenience of carrying insulin with you. An insulin pen is a device that looks like a pen with a cartridge that holds 100 to 200 units of insulin. A fine, short needle, similar to the needle on an insulin syringe, is on the tip of the pen. Users turn a dial to select the desired dose of insulin and press a plunger on the end to deliver the insulin just under the skin.

Insulin jet injectors, which look like large pens, send a fine spray of insulin through the skin by a high pressure air mechanism. Insulin jet injectors are costly, so try out several models before you purchase one.

External insulin pumps attach to the body through narrow, flexible plastic tubing, with a needle inserted just under the skin near the abdomen. The insulin pump is about the size of a deck of cards, weighs about 4 to 6 ounces, and can be worn on a belt or in a pocket. A refillable cartridge holds enough insulin for about 2 days. The needle and tubing should be changed every 2 days as well. Users set the pump to give a steady trickle or "basal" amount of insulin continuously throughout the day. Most pumps today have the option to set several basal rates. Users inject "bolus" doses of insulin (several units at a time) at meals and at times when blood sugar is too high. Frequent blood glucose monitoring is essential to determine insulin dosages and to ensure that insulin is delivered.

Insulin delivery methods under development:

Implantable insulin pumps are surgically implanted, usually on the left side of the abdomen. The pump is disk shaped and weighs about 6 to 8 ounces. The pump delivers a basal dose of insulin continuously throughout the day. Users deliver bolus insulin doses with a handheld telemetry unit that instructs the pump to give the specified amount of insulin.

An advantage of this method is that, like insulin produced naturally from the pancreas, the insulin from the pump goes directly to the liver to prevent excess sugar production there.

The insulin patch, placed on the skin, gives a continuous low dose of insulin. To adjust insulin doses before meals, users can pull off a tab on the patch to release insulin. The problem with the patch is that insulin does not get through the skin easily.

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Additional Information on Alternative Methods of Insulin Delivery

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The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1978, the clearinghouse provides information about diabetes to people with diabetes and their families, health care professionals, and the public. NDIC answers inquiries; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about diabetes.

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e-text posted: 17 March 1998