Reviewed by: Xubin Yang (Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University)
In diabetics treated with insulin injections, blood glucose levels may fluctuate occasionally. If blood glucose levels do not drop after insulin injection, how should patients cope?
Don't worry, insulin isn't the only way to control diabetes. Healthy lifestyle habits and other diabetes medications can also help control blood sugar.
First, change your lifestyle
The best ways to prevent hyperglycemia include:
1. Exercise
Exercising regularly is like adding another "drug" to your diabetes regimen. Exercise enhances the efficacy of insulin and removes excess glucose from the blood. Exercise also results in weight loss.
Even if you can only exercise for 5 minutes in a row at the beginning, it is best to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. To stay safe, consult your doctor before exercising and follow your doctor's advice.
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2. Healthy eating
A healthy diet helps keep blood sugar within a safe range.
For overweight people, a healthy diet is the most important way to lose weight. It is best to work with a dietitian to develop a meal plan that suits your lifestyle. If you are applying diet pills, discuss with your doctor about the medication that is right for you.
3. Relax
Stress prevents the body from releasing insulin, causing glucose to accumulate in the blood. If the pressure is high for a long time, blood sugar levels will continue to rise. Yoga, meditation, tai chi and breathing exercises help lower blood sugar.
Second, increase the dose of insulin
If the insulin injected is not enough to lower your blood sugar, your doctor may give you the following advice.
Increase the insulin dose.
Rapid-acting insulin is injected before meals to help lower blood sugar after meals.
Inject long-acting insulin once or twice a day to help you control your blood sugar more smoothly.
Use an insulin pump to make it easier to manage blood sugar levels.
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Consider other medications
In addition to injecting insulin, excessive blood sugar can be controlled with other drugs. Some common medications include:
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. These drugs can lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, leaving them feeling full after meals, thereby reducing food intake and weight loss. These drugs are given by injection and may cause certain side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, weakness, or dizziness.
Dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. These drugs lower postprandial blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes by oral administration. Side effects vary depending on the drug chosen.
Fourth, identify the cause and treat it
There are other causes of high blood sugar, such as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance may be familial, and the body of an insulin resister cannot respond normally to the insulin produced.
High blood sugar may also be taking medications to treat other diseases that prevent the body from using insulin.
Repeated injections from the same site may leave scarring on the site, which in turn affects the body's absorption of insulin.
Consideration may be given to changing the injection site or using an insulin pump.
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Some patients reduce the amount of insulin they do on their own. Patients may be afraid of the risk of hypoglycemia or have a fear of needles.
Slowly increasing the insulin dose may make the patient feel more comfortable. If you don't like needles, consider using an insulin pump or syringe pen.
Regardless of the cause of the rise in blood sugar, patients should actively cooperate with doctors to find a solution. In particular, the insulin injection dose cannot be changed on its own.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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