What are the pros and cons of taking insulin for type 2 diabetes?
What are the pros and cons of taking insulin for type 2 diabetes? 
The most controversial topic in the field of diabetes treatment is basal insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes.
Currently, the glycemic compliance rate of type 2 diabetes patients is less than 15%, which warns us that the importance and practical experience of glycemic compliance treatment have yet to be strengthened, and that the traditional laddering treatment model is no longer effective in controlling hyperglycemia.
There is a new understanding of basal insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus, the importance of early basal insulin therapy has been recognized, and the timing of initiation of basal insulin therapy and modification of treatment modalities has become a current focus of the endocrine field.
The primary goal of early initiation of insulin therapy is not limited to reducing the harms of hyperglycemia, but more importantly, to prevent further loss of pancreatic secretory function and to slow the course of the ongoing progression of type 2 diabetes. A series of studies have shown that improved control of fasting blood glucose is key to achieving these goals. Recent studies have found that controlling fasting blood glucose below 5.6 mmol/L is an important prerequisite for restoring a physiologic insulin secretion pattern.
Elevated fasting blood glucose is not only a result of decreased islet function; it also has a direct effect on islet function. Fasting blood glucose levels directly affect an individual's mealtime insulin secretory response.
In order to better control the condition, the early use of insulin is very necessary, patients should not mistakenly think that the use of insulin is serious, or can not be stopped, in fact, insulin is not addictive, patients as long as strictly in accordance with the guidance of a professional doctor to use scientific.
Advantages and disadvantages of insulin in type 2 diabetic patients
The pancreas usually secretes insulin to metabolize sugar, when diabetes occurs, insulin appears relative or absolute insufficiency, then direct supplementation of insulin is the most direct and safest method, the so-called lack of what to give, only to grasp the dose is not good prone to hypoglycemia, so you need to test blood glucose often, the current treatment guidelines proposed if there are economic conditions to advocate more insulin therapy.
Advantages of taking insulin:
Drugs for the treatment of diabetes are divided into griseofulvin, biguanides, glinides, a-glucosides , sensitizers, etc., with different mechanisms of action, but more or less damaging to the pancreas, liver and kidney function, only used in the treatment of the disease, and if there is no associated disease, then the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. In this way, insulin has irreplaceable advantages.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by relative insufficiency of insulin secretion with insulin resistance. patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have relative insufficiency of insulin or insulin resistance in their bodies, and insulin injections can give the decompensated pancreatic islets a temporary rest and buffer, just as people need to take a rest when they are sick, and in some cases after a period of time of treatment, when pancreatic islets recover their functions, insulin injections can be reduced or discontinued;
The use of insulin can lower blood glucose; avoid the toxicity of some drugs to the liver and kidneys; make blood glucose smoother, reduce or delay the occurrence of complications; the treatment plan for different subjects can be individualized; there are emergencies such as infections, diarrhea, etc. diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic non-ketotic hyperosmolar coma must be supplemented with insulin.
Fast effect, control blood glucose in time, correct high glucose toxicity; safety, no obvious liver and kidney toxicity; drug dose adjustment is convenient, individualized medication;
Disadvantages of taking insulin:
Insulin is currently mostly self-injectable, with poorer prevalence; hypoglycemia is common; some patients are also insulin resistant or insensitive requiring combination with oral medications; increased body weight; hard, poorly absorbed injection sites; local allergies, etc. Risk of hypoglycemia; increased body weight; local allergy; peripheral edema (rare); fat atrophy at injection site; insulin antibodies (animal insulin); slightly more cumbersome to use. Dependence.
Diabetic patients need to take subcutaneous injections 2-4 times a day, which is more troublesome and has increased skin pain; there is a risk of hypoglycemia; there is a possibility of weight gain if you cannot eat a scientific diet after taking insulin; allergy and fat shrinkage can occur at the place where insulin is injected.
However, at present, there are better ways to control sugar for type 2 diabetes, such as controlling diet and reasonable exercise can also be good sugar control without injections and medication!
Here's a picture of a treatment process for a diabetic patient from medication to insulin, to share with you
As you can see by the flow in the figure, theInsulin injections are mandatory for people with type 1 diabetes.Because people with type 1 diabetes do not secrete insulin, they need insulin injections to lower their blood glucose targets.
And type 2 diabetics can see if they want to inject insulin or not depending on their situation. I wonder if the pros and cons of insulin injections for type 2 diabetics asked about here are due to concerns about side effects because insulin is mostly synthetic these days.
In fact, although the injectable insulin is synthetic, but in fact it and the human pancreas secretion of the "real" insulin is not much different, in the efficacy of medicine is no side effects, but may be in the process of use due to the differences in the use of each person, the injection location, there will be different situations, and this may be the drawbacks of the part.
There may still be a misunderstanding about insulin, many people think that insulin can't be stopped, which is the misunderstanding of many diabetic patients at present. In fact, if after treatment, if the pancreas islet beta (beta) cell function has been restored, insulin can be completely "a break".
For example, obese patients have successfully achieved weight loss through strict dietary control and exercise modification, and subsequently reaped the benefits of improved insulin sensibility; at this point, only oral hypoglycemic agents are needed for good blood glucose control, and the use of insulin naturally takes a backseat.
Dr. Duan's Q&A Online 🔑 Insulin Pros and Cons 🔑
There is no doubt that insulin is the most effective medication available for treating diabetes until the real cause of diabetes is found. Many people are reluctant to take insulin despite what their doctors say. Let's find out what are the benefits and drawbacks of taking insulin for a long period of time:
I. Benefits of insulin shots:
① The most direct benefit we can see - lowering blood sugar. Long-term high blood sugar will damage microvessels, such as kidneys, eyes and neuropathy, and will also damage large blood vessels, accelerating atherosclerosis, such as heart and brain. Because insulin is the only substance in the body that lowers blood sugar, when the body does not produce enough insulin, supplemental insulin can certainly lower blood sugar and reduce or delay the probability of these diseases.
② In young patients, the first detection of an exceptionally high blood glucose with glycated hemoglobin >9% promotes pancreatic recovery and even reverses the condition. At this time, because of the existence of insulin resistance, that is, insulin overdose, but can not play a better role, the blood glucose rises sharply, prompting the pancreas to accelerate the secretion of insulin, and the pancreas's function deteriorates. At this time, insulin injection is preferred, which can temporarily replace the function of the pancreas, so that the pancreas can rest and its function can be restored.
③ For people who plan to have surgery in the near future, have serious infection, trauma, poor liver and kidney function, acute complications of hyperglycemia (e.g. ketoacidosis), and can't eat, oral hypoglycemic drugs are slow to work and have a lot of side-effects, so insulin is a good choice.
④ Few side effects, the most common being hypoglycemia, which can usually be prevented from occurring as long as injections are given at regular intervals, meals are taken at regular intervals, and exercise is given at regular intervals.
Second, the downside of insulin:
Insulin has relatively few side effects, and the most common form of hypoglycemia is preventable.
① Trouble and pain. If one is made to take medicine every day, it is easy to stick to it. If one has to take injections every day, many people are not willing to accept it, not only painful, but also complicated to operate, especially for those who are afraid of injections, the elderly, people with poor memory, people with mobility problems, people with a history of mental illness, and may need the help of family members.
② The injection site affects aesthetics. The site where insulin is given for a long period of time can be unsightly with hardened and atrophied skin. However, most of the people who take insulin are older, and aesthetics may not be a key issue. If insulin is injected again in these hardened areas, it may interfere with insulin absorption.
③ High cost: Insulin is more expensive than oral medications and requires injection needles and sterilized items, but it is not so high as to be outrageous. In fact, it is acceptable for many people to have slightly higher money for the sake of their health.
Dr. Duan specifically warned:
(1) Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. If the disease becomes uncontrollable with oral medication, insulin injections are the only effective solution and must be overcome no matter how many difficulties are encountered.
(2) With insulin, you also have to control your diet and exercise so that the total amount of insulin is reduced.
(3) From the above, it is clear that the benefits of taking insulin far outweigh the drawbacks.
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1. What are the benefits of insulin therapy for people with diabetes?
Insulin therapy has the following advantages: 1. For patients with type I diabetes, insulin therapy is currently the best means of treatment; 2. For patients with type 2 diabetes, a reasonable insulin use program can mimic the physiological secretion characteristics of human insulin, which can help the recovery of pancreatic islet B-cell function; 3. Insulin relative to medication can be a very good control of blood glucose, while there is no damage to the liver and kidney function; 4. Insulin treatment can delay the onset of diabetic complications to a certain extent.
2. What are the shortcomings of insulin therapy for people with diabetes?
Insulin also has the following shortcomings: 1. The most common adverse reaction to insulin therapy is hypoglycemia, so before using insulin, you must strictly control the injection dose and time, if the diet is poor for a period of time and the amount of exercise is increased, you can appropriately reduce the dosage of insulin; 2. Long-term use of insulin may develop a certain degree of resistance to medication, such as: the dose of insulin will be more and more large, and sometimes it will be ineffective; 3. ... insulin injection is an invasive operation. Overall, the advantages of insulin therapy outweigh the disadvantages. However, the treatment of diabetes cannot be based on insulin alone, but requires a combination of therapies (e.g., healthy lifestyle management).
3. What do people with diabetes need to be aware of in their daily lives?
Diabetic patients should pay attention to the following matters in their daily life while receiving medication: 1. Diabetic patients' diets must be calorie and meal distribution, such as calculating their calorie needs, controlling the ratio of "sugar, fat, protein", etc. We suggest that you go to the endocrinology department of the tertiary hospital to receive professional guidance if necessary! 2. Moderate physical exercise to prevent obesity, such as sprinting, walking, swimming and other aerobic exercises. Note: Do not exercise on an empty stomach or after insulin injection to avoid hypoglycemia; 3. Regularly monitor blood glucose, including fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin, which can reflect the recent blood glucose situation; and also check the fundus of the eyes and renal function every year; 4. Make sure to take medication regularly or receive insulin treatment, so as to better control blood glucose and delay the emergence of complications (e.g. diabetic kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy). Nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, etc.).
I hope that my answer will help you! Give me a like if you like it!
When it comes to insulin, some patients think that once they take it, they will be dependent on it for life, so this type of patients will strongly reject insulin; while some patients will rely on insulin, thinking that diabetes is only effective with insulin treatment. Both types of patients have misconceptions about insulin.
Whether a person with type 2 diabetes needs insulin or not needs to be analyzed depending on the condition, and insulin does not produce hormone-dependent effects. Insulin is a very good and right choice for type 2 diabetics who are thin and have unstable blood sugar. This is because insulin has the ability to promote protein and fat synthesis. Protein is the basis for insulin stabilization, and the leaner the diabetic is, the better. Lean diabetics can improve their energy metabolism with insulin, and blood glucose will stabilize when the protein base is in place. Therefore, the use of insulin in thin type 2 diabetics is beneficial. For obese type 2 diabetics, the protein-enhancing feature of insulin becomes a disadvantage, and the long-term use of insulin in such patients will aggravate the obesity of diabetics. Subsequently, blood sugar is less likely to be regulated. In addition to increasing body weight, insulin is easy to cause high blood fat, and insulin resistance in obese patients. In the long run, it will result in a vicious circle of the more insulin you play, the more you play, the worse it is.
In addition, no matter what type of patients, insulin injections have a common disadvantage, which is the pain associated with subcutaneous injections. Some patients also experience adverse reactions such as edema and allergies when injecting insulin. In conclusion, the pros and cons of using insulin for type 2 diabetes patients should not be generalized, but rather analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
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Diabetes, as a disease of affluence, is becoming more and more familiar to people, since the discovery of insulin, diabetes and insulin are tightly bound together, what are the pros and cons of insulin for type 2 diabetic patients? In daily life, many sugar patients think that once you hit insulin, you will be dependent for life, so you strongly reject insulin; while some patients, once diagnosed with diabetes, feel that the first time you must use insulin to treat diabetes, that diabetes can only be cured by injecting insulin to cure the disease. In fact, both types of patients have a misunderstanding of insulin.
Insulin is a glucose-lowering hormone secreted by pancreatic B-cells in the body, and the use of insulin does not produce hormone-dependent effects. For patients with type 2 diabetes, the need for insulin needs to be analyzed according to the condition. Insulin is the better and right choice for type 2 diabetics who are thin and have unstable blood sugar. Because insulin has the effect of promoting protein and fat synthesis. Protein is the basis of insulin stabilization, thin diabetic patients can use insulin to improve energy metabolism, protein base is good, blood sugar control will be more stable. For obese patients with type 2 diabetes, the role of insulin to enhance protein synthesis becomes a disadvantage, long-term use of insulin will aggravate the trend of obesity in diabetic patients, more unfavorable to the maintenance of blood glucose.
Current clinical practice has shown the benefits of early initiation of insulin therapy in diabetic patients. The primary goal of insulin therapy is not only limited to reducing the danger of hyperglycemia, but more importantly, preventing further loss of pancreatic secretion, slowing down the continued progression of type 2 diabetes, and effectively controlling blood glucose levels while being able to avoid all types of diabetic complications. For diabetic patients, insulin will have a common disadvantage, that is, the pain caused by subcutaneous injection. Even many patients will experience adverse reactions such as edema and allergies. In addition, the cost of long-term insulin injection is relatively large, bringing a certain financial burden on the family.
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