Using Insulin at Home: Your Daily Guide

Know your insulin

• Mealtime (rapid-acting) insulin works fast. Take it within 15 minutes before you eat, then eat.
• Long-acting insulin works all day. Take it once a day at the same time.
• My insulins and doses: ____________.

Use your pen

• Wash your hands. Check the name and date. Put on a new needle.
• Prime: dial 2 units, point the needle up, and press until a drop appears.
• Dial your dose. Push the needle straight in.
• Press the button all the way. Count to 10, then pull out.
• Never share your pen, even with a new needle.

Change your spot

• Use your belly, thighs, or the back of your upper arms.
• Move each shot about 1 inch from the last one.

Store it safely

• Keep unopened insulin in the refrigerator. Never freeze it.
• Keep the pen you are using at room temperature. Throw it out after the number of days on the label.
• Put used needles in a sharps container or a hard plastic bottle with a tight lid.

Check and treat low sugar

• Check before meals and at bedtime.
• Low sugar (under 70): shaky, sweaty, fast heartbeat, hungry, or confused.
• Take 15 g of fast sugar, such as 4 oz of juice. Recheck in 15 minutes.
• When sick, keep taking long-acting insulin unless told not to.