The Secret of Mixing Insulin
Learning the technique of mixing insulin types for diabetes treatment could be very exhausting.
But after you realize the rules of the game it's worthwhile, I can guarantee you that.
Insulin pump users, for example, don't usually mix different types of insulin. They take only rapid-acting insulin.
But other insulin users treat themselves with a mix of faster and slower types, to provide best blood sugar level control.
The mixing insulin idea is to let the fast types (Regular or Humalog) act in time of meals, and let the long-acting types (NPH, Lente, Ultralente) to act in the time between meals.
Good insulin mixing might be a challenge in the early stage of your treatment, as you must consider your diet, exercise, total insulin volume, ratio of slow to fast types, injection frequency, your general health, and other medications you take.
Very important!
There is one insulin mix that could have dangerous consequences, and should be avoided.
The long-acting insulin types available, such as glargine and detemir should NEVER be combined with any other insulin. For further instructions ask your pharmacist.
So you can choose between two options of mixing insulin:
But then you might ask yourself a tough question:
"To achieve the best control, perhaps a better mix for me should be 65/32, or 72/28?
And next week if I'll change my diet or I'll do other activities why won't it be 69/31 or 75/25?"
You have a problem. The pre-mixed insulin is fixed. What you see is what you get, and there are no adjustments, period.
The better option if you ask me.
Why?
First, because you owe it to yourself.
You have to find the optimal mix for your body and for your good lifestyle!
You don't want to take the "pre mixed" and have the doubt for the rest of your life that you might have had better optimal results with the second option. Right?
Second, sooner or later you'll reach the conclusion that you must learn how to do it by yourself. Why?
Your body changes, and gets older. Also your insulin needs.
That means consuming a new mix ratio of insulin types from time to time.
You're already doing great with monitoring your blood control levels, aren't you?
So why not complete the good work and achieve optimal control by adjusting your insulin types?
You can compute, draw up, and inject different amounts and mixture percentages for a daily basis.
You can adjust your insulin types every day, in close step with your diet, exercise, and blood glucose test results.
The rewards of your discipline can be enormous! From a very good lifestyle up to a state of reduced chance of complications.
Once you discover the role played by the different types of insulin, and how you can optimize your control by combining the most suitable ratio, you're well on the road to staying healthy.
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