Why Do Insulin Shots Burn

25 September 12 Tips For Reducing Pain With Insulin Injections

For those of you with diabetes who take insulin, take heart! While insulin injections can sometimes cause pain or discomfort, there are tips for reducing or eliminating pain. Most of the tips reported here are taken from a presentation given by Stacey Seggelke, MS, RN, CNS, CDE, BC-ADM at the Rocky Mountain Metabolic Syndrome Symposium on May 14, 2010. Alcohol After swabbing your injection site with alcohol, wait for it to DRY before injecting insulin. Alcohol can feel like a burning sensation if it gets pushed in along with the insulin. Temperature Injecting insulin that is cold will hurt more than if it is at room temperature. Remove your unopened insulin from the refrigerator long enough in advance before use so that it is at room temperature when you need to use it. Once your vial or pen is in use, you can store it at room temperature (59F – 86F). Insulin vials can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 month. Most rapid-acting or long acting insulin pens can be stored for up to 28 days at room temperature. However, premixed insulin or intermediate N or NPH pens should be stored for up to only 10 – 14 days. Never guess at your insulin's room temperature storage guidelines - always check the information provided with your insulin for number of days it can be used at room temperature. Unopened insulin can be stored in the refrigerator (36F-46F) up until the expiration date. However, once the expiration date is reached, do not use the insulin – discard it. Dose Higher doses can hurt more than lower doses of insulin. For those of you with Type 2 diabetes, losing weight and regular exercise could improve your insulin sensitivity enough so that less insulin is needed to control your diabetes. And for folks with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, good carb counting skills Continue reading >>