Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes – Insulin Therapy

Insulin may be prescribed in many different ways for the treatment of type 2 diabetes - it depends on the needs of the individual person. The insulin may be given once a day, many times a day, or even via an insulin pump. It may be given as a single therapy, or together with other diabetic medications. To reduce the risk of a low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), your insulin dose should be matched to the amount of carbohydrate in your diet.

True! There are many different ways that insulin therapy can be given. Intensive insulin regimens attempt to mimic the body's normal pattern of insulin secretion and use the concepts of basal and bolus insulin coverage. In order for this to control blood sugars well, intensive therapy requires more injections and calculations. However it provides more freedom and flexibility such that insulin doses can be adjusted to fit daily changes in your lifestyle. Sliding scale therapy refers to the progressive increase in the pre-meal or nighttime insulin dose, based on pre-defined blood glucose ranges. These are more approximate doses and in order to work effectively, your food intake and activity level should be as consistent as possible.

Basal insulin is stable background insulin - to cover the overnight period and between meals. A long-acting insulin, such as glargine, detemir or NPH, may be used to replace basal insulin needs.

Bolus insulin refers to a "chunk" of insulin to both control blood sugar for food and to lower a high blood sugar.

All of the answers are correct. However, the best answer is "All of the above". Although a sliding scale regimen requires less calculation on your part, consistency in your lifestyle, such as eating a pre-set amount of carbohydrate at each meal, is important for it to control blood sugars well.

All of the answers are correct. However, the best answer is "All of the above". Your blood sugar may be too high because of weight gain, inactivity, illness, excess carbohydrate (sugar and starch) in the diet, rebound from a low blood sugar, if insulin is injected into overused sites, scar tissue or too close to the midline, or because you need an adjustment in your insulin.

All of the answers are correct. However, the best answer is "All of the above". Your blood sugar may get too low because of increased insulin sensitivity due to weight loss or exercise, a delay in eating after taking short acting insulin, slow stomach emptying, insulin is taken for snacks used to prevent or treat a low blood sugar or because you need an adjustment in your insulin dose.