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The Effect of Repeated Insulin Injections

For people with diabetes who use insulin injections to help control blood glucose levels, repeated injections can take its toll on the body. Although swelling is common, permanent skin conditions and absorption issues can also arise.

  1. Diabetes treatments

    • Diabetes can be controlled through various methods, including diet, exercise, glucose monitoring, pills, insulin or a combination of the above.

    Effects of repeated injections

    • Repeated insulin injections can leave unsightly swelling or even deterioration of the muscle known as lipoatrophy. Furthermore, if insulin is injected into areas where lipoatrophy is present, the absorption rate will vary, which will cause blood sugars to fluctuate.

    Identifying lipoatrophy

    • Lipoatrophy often goes hand-in-hand with insulin resistance. If injections are given in an area where the skin is depressed, and blood sugars remain high (above 160 mg/dl), it is likely that the situation is caused by lipoatrophy.

    Prevention/Solution

    • To prevent lipoatrophy and/or swelling at injection sites, it's important to rotate your sites. You can inject insulin in numerous areas, including the arms, legs, buttocks, stomach and hips.

    Alternative options

    • Insulin pump therapy is another option to multiple daily insulin injections. With the pump, you are only injecting yourself with a needle once very three days, on average, which can give other sites a break from constant injections.

    Warning

    • Only take insulin as prescribed by your physician. Taking the incorrect dose can lead to serious, and sometimes fatal, health problems. Consult your doctor if you have any questions about your diabetes and methods to treat it.

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