by Randa Morris

Created on: April 16, 2010   Last Updated: December 06, 2010

For newly diagnosed diabetics starting on insulin can seem both frightening and overwhelming. Understanding why this chemical is needed to treat your condition, as well as the way that it works within your body, can help to make the process of taking insulin easier to understand.

What is Insulin?

Insulin is a natural substance produced by the pancreas. The body uses insulin to help maintain healthy levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood stream. When the pancreas fails to work properly there is a lack of natural insulin in the body. A lack of insulin causes hyperglycemia, otherwise known as high blood sugar. Too much sugar in the blood stream can cause severe health complications, including coma or death. Type 1 diabetics (and some type 2 diabetics as well) will need to take a synthetic form of insulin in order to help regulate blood sugar levels.

How is Insulin Taken?

Insulin can be delivered to the body in one of several ways. A doctor may prescribe pills, shots, or a combination of both. Additionally, some diabetics benefit from the use of an insulin pump, a constant delivery system, which is attached to the patient 
24 hours a day. Research in the field of diabetes may soon lead to an insulin patch as well, which would deliever the medication through the skin, eliminating the need for pills or shots.

Are There Different Types of Insulin?

Two types of insulin are commonly prescribed. The first, fast acting insulin, is used to counteract the intake of sugar and carbohydrates. Fast acting insulin is taken with meals. A physician will prescribe the proper amount of fast acting insulin, based on the amount of sugars and carbohydrates that should be consumed at meal or snack times. Keeping close track of the amount of carbs that are eaten at meals will ensure that the proper dose of fast acting insulin is received. If you are unsure how much fast acting insulin is appropriate, ask your doctor to give a ratio of insulin to carbs, ie 1 unit of insulin for every 15 carbs eaten. Your doctor may adjust this rate over the course of time, as it may take some time to understand your own body's ability to absorb insulin.

The second type of insulin, long acting, is usually prescribed in the morning and/or at night. This is a low dose insulin which releases slowly in the blood stream. Long acting insulin is used to maintain a level of insulin in the body over a prolonged

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