Does the insulin in use need to be refrigerated every day? What to avoid when using insulin

Insulin is a powerful weapon to help diabetic patients control their blood sugar, but many diabetic patients will "fall into pits" when using insulin due to misunderstandings, resulting in side effects or poor treatment effects. In fact, when using insulin, you need to pay attention to some details to avoid the "pitfalls" in treatment.

1. Should insulin in use be refrigerated? Everyone knows that insulin is an active protein preparation, and too high or too low a temperature will denature the protein, so insulin needs to be stored at a low temperature of 2-8°C for a long time. However, this storage condition is only for unopened insulin that needs to be stored for a long time. Not all insulin in use needs to be refrigerated.

Bottle insulin: Insulin is stored in a medicine bottle, which usually needs to be kept in the refrigerator. When needed, it should be taken out and extracted with a syringe.

Pen insulin: Insulin is stored in the pen cartridge and is placed in a dedicated insulin pen when in use. It does not need to be put in the refrigerator during use, and can be carried with you. Putting it in the refrigerator will affect the accuracy of the dosage.

This is because current pen-type insulin uses human insulin or human insulin analogs, which are relatively stable and can be used for 4 weeks at room temperature. When the pen is loaded into the insulin pen for use, the pen core containing the liquid medicine will be connected to the outside world. When it is repeatedly put in and out of the refrigerator, the liquid medicine will overflow from the needle tip due to the effect of thermal expansion and contraction, affecting the accuracy of the dosage during use.

2. How to reduce the pain of insulin injection? Some people told Huazi that it hurts when injecting insulin, so they don't want to get a needle. In fact, the current pen insulin uses a special needle, which is very thin. There is almost no feeling during the injection, and at most it will feel like being bitten by a mosquito.

Those who feel obvious pain are mainly in three situations:

1. "Needle phobia": Some people are afraid of sharp objects and will get nervous when pricking themselves with a syringe, which will induce pain. In this case, you should relax yourself or ask your family to help you with the needle. After a few times, you will no longer be afraid after getting used to it.

2. The needle has been used for too long: Although the needle of the insulin pen is disposable, it is expensive. In order to reduce the cost of treatment, most diabetic patients reuse it. When the needle tip has burrs, bends or hooks, it will cause pain. Therefore, people who use insulin pens should replace the needle in time.

3. People who use syringes: Some people with diabetes use bottle insulin and inject it after drawing it with a syringe. This causes more pain than pen insulin. So when buying a syringe, pay attention to the short and thin needle to reduce pain, or switch to pen insulin.

4. Subcutaneous nodules: When insulin is injected in the same area for a long time, nodules will occur under the skin. Do not inject at the site of nodules. The abdomen, the outer side of the upper arm, and the outer side of the thigh, 1 cm outside the navel, are all areas that can be injected. Pay attention to the rotation of injection sites.

3. Avoid abnormalities at the insulin injection site 1. Avoid skin infection: Diabetic patients have high sugar content in their tissues, and bacteria are easy to multiply. Therefore, the skin should be disinfected during injection, the needle should be changed frequently, hands should be washed before injection, and aseptic operation should be paid attention to during the injection process.

2. Avoid bleeding and bruising: Bleeding and bruising means that the needle has damaged the blood vessels under the skin. It is recommended to choose a shorter and thinner needle. The shorter and thinner the needle, the less likely it is to cause bleeding. After the injection is completed, press the injection site for 5 to 10 seconds to prevent bleeding.

3. Avoid hyperplasia or atrophy of subcutaneous fat: Long-term injection of insulin may cause hyperplasia or atrophy of subcutaneous fat, usually hyperplasia is more common than atrophy. No matter which one occurs, it will affect the absorption of insulin and cause blood sugar fluctuations. This situation is mostly caused by long-term fixed injection of insulin in the same site, or the purity of the insulin used is insufficient. Using purified insulin and rotating the injection site can reduce the hyperplasia or atrophy of subcutaneous fat.

4. Avoid insulin allergy: Itching, erythema, rash and other allergic symptoms at the injection site are common in diabetic patients who use animal insulin, because animal insulin has a different structure from human insulin and contains a certain amount of impurity protein, which can easily cause allergies. Replacing with human insulin or human insulin analogs can avoid allergies.

To sum up, when using insulin, diabetic patients should understand that human insulin or human insulin analogs are better than animal insulin, and the use experience of pen insulin is better than bottle insulin. Bottle insulin in use needs to be refrigerated, while pen insulin does not need to be refrigerated. Remember to replace the needle in time and rotate the injection site every time you inject to avoid "falling into the pit" when using insulin. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and let me be the pharmacist by your side.