Different Routes of Insulin for Diabetics

People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a pancreas that cannot manufacture the correct amount of insulin, and they must take in some form of insulin to help their bodies use the energy from food.

Types

• There are multiple kinds of insulin used to treat diabetes, classified by how quickly they begin to work and how long their effects last. They include: rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting and long-acting.

Methods

• There are different ways to deliver insulin, depending on the person's type of diabetes. The most common delivery methods include injection using a pre-filled syringe, using an insulin pump, or taking medication by mouth.

Injectable Insulin

• Injectable insulin comes in pre-filled, single use syringes or injectors. A diabetic can usually self-administer these injections, injecting themselves in a layer of subcutaneous (just below the skin) fat.

Oral Medications

• Oral insulin medication is usually used by people who have type 2 diabetes and can produce some insulin naturally. Many of these medications are used in combination with one another to achieve the needed effects.

Pumps

• Insulin pumps are used for diabetics who have trouble controlling their blood sugar levels, whose blood sugar may have many daily spikes, or in children who can't administer their own medication. There are pumps that have attached glucose meters and will administer insulin as in needed in appropriate doses.

Fun Fact

• In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a form of insulin that can be inhaled, called Exubera. A year later, the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer, decided to stop production of the drug because it wasn't gaining popular use.