Remember that the information presented here is not intended to replace the care of your own doctor. Before making any changes in the management of your own illness, you should consult your physician or other qualified medical professionals.
Question
I'm a 57 year old man who was diagnosed with diabetes about 15 years ago,
and I was taking pills until two months ago when I started taking NPH insulin
twice daily as instructed by my doctor. For about a month
and a half, it seemed to work well, and my glucose
level was around 100 mg/dL [5.6 mm/L]. However two weeks ago,
my glucose level rose dramatically to 250-300 mg/dL [13.9-16.7 mm/L], and
it doesn't drop, even if I'm eating the same food as previously. What
causes this? What should I do in order to decrease
the glucose level? Is this type of insulin not adapting to my body?
Answer
First of all, your insulin may have "gone bad" even if it has not expired. The
first thing to do is to switch to a new package of
cartridges (or use a syringe with a vial of insulin).
Secondly, the insulin you're
using is a suspension, and it's very important to make sure sure you are
mixing it each time you give a dose.
Third, you need to verify that your pen is working properly. I'd suggest seeing a
diabetes educator, and reviewing its function and your technique with the educator.
If none of these things work, you should contact your physician. You may
need an increase in dosage, which does happen over time, or may occur as a result of an unsuspected infection.
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