Insulin is used as part of a normal treatment for people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to have good diabetes management. All people living with type 1 diabetes require insulin, compared to only some people with type 2 diabetes that need it. Proper injection technique of insulin is important to make sure that you receive the right amount of insulin for your body.
There are two different types of insulin that you can use, both slow and rapid acting insulin. Please consult your doctor, pharmacist and diabetes educator to learn more about the medication(s) that has been prescribed for you.
There are many different sizes of needles that you can use for your insulin pen, please use the shortest available for a comfortable experience. Size 4 mM are the most recommended by your healthcare professionals. Each needle should be used only once!
Injection technique 101
STEP 1: Preparation
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Wash your hands for the injection process
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Prepare your supplies: insulin, pens and needles. If your pen is not preloaded, load the insulin cartridge into the pen.
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Mix your insulin if it’s cloudy! The pen should be rolled 10 times, tipped 10 times and check until you notice a milky consistency.
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Choose your injection site:
Image from FIT technique Plus
STEP 2: Check the flow
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Attach your needle to your insulin pen and remove the outer cap and inner cap.
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Dial 2 units of the insulin.
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Face the pen tip upwards and press down on the plunger until you release the 2 units outside. You should notice a stream of insulin coming out of your pen at this step.
* If you notice no stream, repeat this step!
STEP 3: Giving your injection
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Dial up the insulin dose that you will need for your injection.
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Insert the needle into the skin at a 90º angle and press down on the plunger until the dial reaches 0.
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Count 10 seconds before removing the needle from your skin to make sure that you receive the full dose.
STEP 4: Proper disposal
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Remove needle and dispose into sharp container
Injection sites:
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It is very important to change the place where you give yourself insulin at every injection
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Injecting insulin into the same spot repeatedly can cause a lump or hard spot to develop under the skin
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This spot will prevent you from absorbing insulin properly
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To avoid this, change your injection spot each day for each injection insulin
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Keep track of where you have injected, so you don’t use the same spot again for a while