Shots: before or after you've ate?

[stu8910]

When is the best time to take your shot? before or after you've ate? I take mine after.

[Cyborg]

Depending on bg of course, but usually 15-20 minutes before eating if I can. Helps keep those post meal bg spikes down...

[DeusXM]

Depends on the meal. Usually, just before, but if it's something like pizza then I'll wait 15 minutes or so.

[JediSkipdogg]

There are numerous factors to consider....

1) What are you eating? If you are eating something with high sugar content, then definitely before and maybe even 15 minutes before. That way when the sugar hits, it doesn't spike you extremely high. If you eat something high fat, maybe a little after you start eating.

2) Do you eat everything on your plate? If you think you won't eat everything, then after may be better otherwise you'll have to eat more later or risk going low. I find it when I'm sick that it's very adventageous to give after.

3) Are you on another drug like Symlin? Symlin helps to reduce post meal spikes. In doing so it actually acts in a way like insulin and can make one go low. Therefore, many have to adjust when they give the shot to prevent going low.


I find either way doesn't matter as long as you don't go low or extremely high.

[Funnygrl]

I usually bolus while still at the table after I eat. That way I'm bolusing for what I actually ate.

[lgvincent]

I usually take mine before the meal but it can lead to major problems if there is some sort of unexpected delay.

[seacomp]

While there is a certain logic to taking a shot after a meal, I expect that it leads to unacceptable interim levels, especially with large meals (that take some time to eat).
I would expect that if you metered your BG immediately after a half hour meal with moderate carbs, you'd see your BG at 150(8.3) or above and over 200(11.1) before the insulin began to kick in. I think those levels are not acceptable.
Some people say that shot periods at those levels are OK; I've not seen evidence one way or the other. But I'd rather not bet that they are all right and be wrong then the other way around.
I'd like to see a series of every 10 minute readings for after a moderate lenghth meal with moderate carbs to see what the numbers actually are.

[sofaraway]

for me personally, i always bolus straight after. especially at the moment as i seem to have no appetitie, and am never sure how much i'm going to eat.

I expect that my BG does spike slightly higher due to injecting after, but i am always in my target range at 2 hours, so this is acceptable to me.

[Emm]

Depending on bg of course, but usually 15-20 minutes before eating if I can. Helps keep those post meal bg spikes down...

Ditto I do the same, for 90% of meals.
If I'm having something that'll last longer than my insulin - pizza, chinese, that sort of thing - then I still jab 15 mins before I eat, but I split the (higher than usual) dose into two so that the delayed highs are being kicked in the butt too.

[Noemie]

Depends on the BG, but usually just before.

[Cyborg]

I have a bad habit of overeating. I find that if I plan out my meals, I end up limiting myself appropriately. Thus, I'm almost always sure I will eat all of my meal so it's safe for me to bolus before hand.

Those people that find it hard to eat, I supposed it is somewhat safer to bolus afterwards. Sometimes I will take a full bolus and start to eat immediately, but only eat half. Then about 15-30 minutes later, I will finish the rest of my dinner. This also helps quite a bit with bg spikes.