When to inject?

[Camperman]

Hi, since I was prescribed insulin 1 month ago I've found controlling my sugar so much better, I'm also eating a little more like normal, and feel heaps better.
My question to you all is, when is the best time to inject rapid insulin?
Before meal?
During meal?
Or after a meal?
I wa initially told before, bit was finding my sugar would sometimes drop to quickly before the meal could counter the insulin, so I've tried during, but still would sometimes spike, and lastly I've given after a shot, which does seem a little better, but wondered if it's different for everyone?
Thanks

 

[Bruce Stephens]

but wondered if it's different for everyone?

Yes. (That's often the answer, sadly.) It's different for everyone and for an individual can vary depending on time of day.

 

[rebrascora]

It is not just different for everyone, it can also depend on the type of quick acting insulin, the food you are eating and the time of day. Fatty foods like pizza and pasta in a creamy sauce often take longer to digest and release their glucose so you may find that if you prebolus, for that you will hypo afterwards and then go high. People sometimes split their insulin and have some before the meal and some an hour or so later to deal with this. High fibre meals, like lentils and beans can sometimes have the same effect, especially if there is fat and fibre as these both slow the digestive system.

Breakfast time I need to prebolus 45 mins in advance or I spike up into the mid teens and then come crashing down but 15-20mins at other times of day is enough. I seem to be very quick to digest food but slow to absorb insulin. Injecting this far in advance for many people would see them hypo before they even started eating, so yes it is very individual and you need to experiment to find what works for you. It is all about timing the insulin and food so that the glucose and insulin hit the blood stream at about the same time. Libre sensors are great for helping you to see when the insulin is kicking in and enabling you to get the timing right for you and your insulin.

 

[Kaylz]

Another factor is where your injecting it too, thighs are slower absorption rate than abdomen and upper arms absorb it even quicker (but people rarely use their arms) it's totally individual, I personally have to prebolus by 25 minutes for breakfast and dinner in my thighs and immediately before tea using my abdomen xx

 

[helli]

And to add to the “it depends…” list, it also depends on

• what you are eating - some foods take longer to absorb than others. We are advised to take fast acting carbs to treat a hypo and, in contrast, carbs with fat (such as pizza and curry) take much longer to absorb.
• when you are eating - we can be more insulin resistant in the mornings
• what your blood sugar levels are like when you inject - I use Fiasp insulin and find it reacts much faster when my levels are lower.

You may benefit from keeping a diary of when you eat, what you eat, when you inject, what your levels are, where you inject and how fast your levels come down. It sounds like a pain but, once you get enough data to draw some conclusions, you don’t need to keep up the diary (unless you want to).

 

[nonethewiser]

Nearly always before, sometimes split dose depending on meal, usual time is 15 - 20 mins before food, better since changing to fiasp.

 

[SB2015]

As with so many things related to diabetes, we are all individuals.

I find I need to pre-bolus in the morning for ‘however long it takes me to have a shower‘ and then make breakfast. Later in the day it depends on what I am about to eat. For the ones that you mentioned can you think Back to what food you were eating. It might be useful to keep a record for a while of Bg before the meal, what you are eating (carbs, fatty?) and when you give the bolus.

let us know how you get on.

 

[DaveB]

In most cases it will be before. It all depends on the insulin absorption rate where you inject and the type of carbs you are eating

 

[Camperman]

Yes. (That's often the answer, sadly.) It's different for everyone and for an individual can vary depending on time of day.

Yeah I figured as much, and yes I've noticed time of day seems to make a difference to! Thank you

 

[Camperman]

It is not just different for everyone, it can also depend on the type of quick acting insulin, the food you are eating and the time of day. Fatty foods like pizza and pasta in a creamy sauce often take longer to digest and release their glucose so you may find that if you prebolus, for that you will hypo afterwards and then go high. People sometimes split their insulin and have some before the meal and some an hour or so later to deal with this. High fibre meals, like lentils and beans can sometimes have the same effect, especially if there is fat and fibre as these both slow the digestive system.

Breakfast time I need to prebolus 45 mins in advance or I spike up into the mid teens and then come crashing down but 15-20mins at other times of day is enough. I seem to be very quick to digest food but slow to absorb insulin. Injecting this far in advance for many people would see them hypo before they even started eating, so yes it is very individual and you need to experiment to find what works for you. It is all about timing the insulin and food so that the glucose and insulin hit the blood stream at about the same time. Libre sensors are great for helping you to see when the insulin is kicking in and enabling you to get the timing right for you and your insulin.

Thank you,, very helpful I have a free sample libre which I agree are fantastic but I'm struggling to get them on prescription at the moment, I shall keep trying though

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Glad you are finding insulin is helping you @Camperman

But yes… it can be a bit of a fiddle trying to get it to play nicely. And then just when you have your doses and timings all sorted out your diabetes will shift the goalposts and you’ll have to tweak things again! 🙄 *sigh*

 

[Camperman]

Glad you are finding insulin is helping you @Camperman

But yes… it can be a bit of a fiddle trying to get it to play nicely. And then just when you have your doses and timings all sorted out your diabetes will shift the goalposts and you’ll have to tweak things again! 🙄 *sigh*

Well you're right there, it certainly is fiddly! Sometimes reacts differently to the samenmeal to, even though all the circumstances are the same! I know the body is a strange and unpredictable animal, but its still frustrating although on the whole, yes, the insulin is doing the trick