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Alternatives to Insulin Injections

Insulin is essential for diabetes management because it controls blood glucose, reducing complications and side effects. The most common method for delivering insulin is through insulin injections, which deliver insulin by using a needle to poke through the skin. Some people, however, may seek alternatives to insulin injections because of the pain or its inconvenience. Alternatives, such as pumps or ports, offer painless insulin-delivery methods that provide insulin constantly to the body.

  1. Insulin Pens

    • According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), insulin pens are considered a less painful method of delivering insulin. Shaped like a small pen, insulin pens use small cartridges, inserted inside of the device, to deliver insulin to the bloodstream. The tip of the pen is a small, thin needle, which breaks through the skin when the plunger, a button at the other end of the pen, is pressed.

    Insulin Pumps

    • An insulin pump is another alternative to insulin injections. It is used by connecting an infusion set, a round adhesive device attached to a needle, to the abdomen. The infusion set is connected to a tube, which connects to an insulin cartridge. The cartridge contains basal and bolus insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, basal insulin delivers insulin to the bloodstream all day, whereas bolus insulin is used while eating a snack or meal to control blood-glucose levels.

      Advantages of insulin pumps include decreased blood-glucose spikes and increased accuracy when delivering insulin.

    Insulin Injection Ports

    • Injection ports are similar to insulin pumps. Injection ports make an opening in the skin with an infusion set. Unlike insulin pumps, however, injection ports are not connected to an insulin cartridge. Instead, the user delivers insulin by injecting a needle into the opening in the infusion set. Injection ports reduce the amount of skin punctures as compared to regular insulin injections--a person punctures a new area of skin only once every two or three days.

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