Types

Side Effects

Hypoglycaemia

• patients should be taught the signs of hypoglycaemia: sweating, anxiety, blurred vision, confusion, aggression
• conscious patients should take 10-20g of a short-acting carbohydrate (e.g. a glass of Lucozade or non-diet drink, three or more glucose tablets, glucose gel)
• every person treated with insulin should have a glucagon kit for emergencies where the patient is not able to orally ingest a short-acting carbohydrate
• patients who have frequent hypoglycaemic episodes may develop reduced awareness. If this develops then allowing glycaemic control to slip for a period of time may restore their awareness
• beta-blockers reduce hypoglycaemic awareness

Lipodystrophy

• typically presents as atrophy/lumps of subcutaneous fat
• can be prevented by rotating the injection site
• may cause erractic insulin absorption