Insulin

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Insulin in a disposable pen, a pen cartridge or vial (bottle) remains effective for 1 month at room temperature. Spare cartridges and pens are best stored until their expiry date at the bottom of a refrigerator or on the shelf of the refrigerator door. Insulin should never be stored in a freezer - it will not work once frozen.

Disposable pens and pen cartridges should be changed every month if using only small insulin doses.
Targets3

Top three tips for glucose control

How to give insulin

Follow this step-by-step guide on how to give an insulin injection.
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Where to give insulin

Remember where the last injection was given and aim to inject 2-3 fingers’ breadth away from this site. Do not routinely pinch the skin if you use the 4mm needles. If you do pinch, you may inject into the wrong place which is more painful. Pinching the skin may be helpful if the arm is slender – ask for specific advice if you think this is the case. If you use larger needles you may inject into muscle and this may make the insulin work more rapidly. Regularly change your injection sites using any of the shaded areas below.
injection sites

Insulin injection sites (shaded areas)

Disposal of Equipment

Blood glucose strips may be wrapped in paper and disposed of in the usual household rubbish.
All ‘sharps’, including lancets, pen needles, syringes and empty insulin cartridges or vials could injure someone if thrown out in the rubbish and so should be disposed of in a sharps bin. You can get extra sharps bins for school etc. These can be obtained and returned to community pharmacies, hospital out patient clinics, minor injury and illness units and participating GP surgeries.

Types of insulin

There are 2 main types of insulin in use.  Long acting insulin (e.g. glargine (Lantus)), typically lasts for 24 hours and are usually given once a day.  Short/rapid acting insulin (e.g. insulin aspart (novorapid)) provides additional insulin for mealtimes.  This type of insulin lasts for a few hours and is best given 5-15 minutes before eating.
Rapid and slow insulin1

Types of insulin

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