side effect of medicine

[yong86]

if i take insulin ....i means long term period, will i get any side effect of it?:( .. im new to insulin....please help

[fairyblood]

Does insulin have side effects... no not really. The only side effects you will have is if you don't take it or you don't use it the right way and get complications. I guess you could look at a low blood sugar as a side effect but I don't think that really counts. As a type I diabetic all you are doing with insulin is replacing what you body can no longer make. Don't concern yourself with side effects, if you want to live, you need insulin. Just put you focus on getting the best blood sugar numbers you can get. Never give up, a good life is worth the work.

[poodlebone]

About the only long term side effect I can think of it lipodystrophy. You can avoid that by rotating your injection sites with every shot. There are people who have been injecting insulin for more than 50 years and have no problems from it. Some people do have allergic reactions to a particular brand or type of insulin but there are now many to choose from. If one causes a problem, try a different one. Most people are fine with all of them.

A normal body produces insulin all the time, so it's not like you're injecting something completely foreign. Your body needs it.

[Subby]

I don't know of any "long term issue" kind of side effects of insulins. Fairyblood is right that the side effect of not using insulin correctly is probably the main thing to be concerned with.

I do know it is possible to get more immediate, probably less serious "side effects" from insulin. It's not worth worrying about unless it happens to occur to you. Here is what I've found for myself:

Actrapid: strange bodily sensations, a feeling of "highly strung", panic
Lantus: fatigue, bodily stress, depressed feelings
Humalog: regular mild nausia

These were symptoms observed a number of times in an immediate fashion, from going on/off the insulins, and over a long period. I think they might be indicative of a mild allergic reaction to something in the insulin mix. I believe I am on the very sensitive end of the scale as far as these side effects go.

Novorapid I am lucky to have no detectable side effects.

I don't think that these side effects are the sign of some lasting damage. Again I say that unless it is obvious that your insulin is affecting you, don't worry about it, the vast majority of people seem to have no issues.

It is also worth mentioning that when you first start a new insulin it is bound to feel a bit strange things in the first few days. It's good to give it at least a week before deciding that it's got lasting side effects that may continue to be an issue to you (or be something you can put up with).

[shiftzor]

I don't know of any "long term issue" kind of side effects of insulins. Fairyblood is right that the side effect of not using insulin correctly is probably the main thing to be concerned with.

I do know it is possible to get more immediate, probably less serious "side effects" from insulin. It's not worth worrying about unless it happens to occur to you. Here is what I've found for myself:

Actrapid: strange bodily sensations, a feeling of "highly strung", panic
Lantus: fatigue, bodily stress, depressed feelings
Humalog: regular mild nausia

These were symptoms observed a number of times in an immediate fashion, from going on/off the insulins, and over a long period. I think they might be indicative of a mild allergic reaction to something in the insulin mix. I believe I am on the very sensitive end of the scale as far as these side effects go.

Novorapid I am lucky to have no detectable side effects.

I don't think that these side effects are the sign of some lasting damage. Again I say that unless it is obvious that your insulin is affecting you, don't worry about it, the vast majority of people seem to have no issues.

It is also worth mentioning that when you first start a new insulin it is bound to feel a bit strange things in the first few days. It's good to give it at least a week before deciding that it's got lasting side effects that may continue to be an issue to you (or be something you can put up with).

I agree, it is very much dependent on the individual and the insulin(s) used. I experience mild form of depression on Lantus which is one reason I am very pro pump since Novorapid doesn't have noticeable effect on me. It’s also very hard to prove that it is one insulin or another unless you change insulin’s or change dosage extremes which most people don’t have the luxury of doing i.e. 40units down to say 10units. It’s like every drug there are side effects, I wouldn’t worry too much about it as you have little choice. Your overall health is far more important than minor side effects from insulin.

[yong86]

thanks for the information :)

i dont know whther i use right techniques or not....but i did follow the pharmacist instruction to inject but after i use insulin my leg got a lot red spots......sometimes even bleeding (not many but just come out 4 or 5 drops of blood)

and i heard that taking too much medic (by the way i dont know is refer to oral medicine or insulin) can cause stroke in 5 to 20 years time. so im a bit worry .

anyway thanks for the valueble information. :)

[shiftzor]

thanks for the information :)

i dont know whther i use right techniques or not....but i did follow the pharmacist instruction to inject but after i use insulin my leg got a lot red spots......sometimes even bleeding (not many but just come out 4 or 5 drops of blood)

and i heard that taking too much medic (by the way i dont know is refer to oral medicine or insulin) can cause stroke in 5 to 20 years time. so im a bit worry .

anyway thanks for the valueble information. :)

Ideally you should be injecting into fat, best areas I find are the belly and thighs. Fatty areas are less likely to draw blood as there aren't many veins. The only way to reduce red dots or bruising is to keep changing injection sites every time, this helps absorption and reduces scar tissue.

Your signature says you hate exercise, I think the best way to get exercise is not down the gym but playing a sport you enjoy or walking your dog. Whichever exercises you choose just make sure you enjoy it, reduces the chances of you “giving up” or quitting. Team based sports are good as other people can help to motivate you.

[yong86]

Ideally you should be injecting into fat, best areas I find are the belly and thighs. Fatty areas are less likely to draw blood as there aren't many veins. The only way to reduce red dots or bruising is to keep changing injection sites every time, this helps absorption and reduces scar tissue.

Your signature says you hate exercise, I think the best way to get exercise is not down the gym but playing a sport you enjoy or walking your dog. Whichever exercises you choose just make sure you enjoy it, reduces the chances of you “giving up” or quitting. Team based sports are good as other people can help to motivate you.


thanks for the good advise. :)

i will discuss it with my doctor at next follow up.:)

currently im in my college life, i used to do exercise with my classmates, sometimes jogging sometimes play badminton. its quite fun to do it. but as you said, if i do it alone it really boring and no fun. it was what i experienced when i just start to do it.:( .

[Subby]

thanks for the information :)

i dont know whther i use right techniques or not....but i did follow the pharmacist instruction to inject but after i use insulin my leg got a lot red spots......sometimes even bleeding (not many but just come out 4 or 5 drops of blood)


Hey Yong, as shiftzor said there are better places to inject in the body than the legs. Typically, bleeding should only occur very occasionally if correctly injecting into fat. Your issues do suggest it's not a good place to inject. Does it hurt much? It shouldn't.

The first port of call is to ask your doctor for alternative sites to try that will suit your body. For most people the belly and butt are good sites. Places like thighs also if you have some fat there. Your best sites will depend quite a bit on your body type and how thin you are. Making sure the site is relaxed (not tensed up) is important too. Sometimes people also raise the fat slightly by gently pinching it.

and i heard that taking too much medic (by the way i dont know is refer to oral medicine or insulin) can cause stroke in 5 to 20 years time. so im a bit worry .


I really think you need to double check this with your doctor and put your mind at ease. I have never heard it applying to insulin. I never heard it apply to other "diabetic" meds either, but I havn't research those myself. Stroke in itself is a risk of diabetes down the track/if poorly controlled. Perhaps someone was confusing the risks of diabetes with the risks of the medication, that confusion can happen.


currently im in my college life, i used to do exercise with my classmates, sometimes jogging sometimes play badminton. its quite fun to do it. but as you said, if i do it alone it really boring and no fun. it was what i experienced when i just start to do it.:( .

Keep plugging away at different ways to get excercise! It is worth time, effort, and money spent as it's a huge part of staying healthy and well for anyone, but triplely so for a diabetic. There is an exercise forum here as well if you want more ideas. As one idea, how about some bike riding around and about college?

[yong86]

Hey Yong, as shiftzor said there are better places to inject in the body than the legs. Typically, bleeding should only occur very occasionally if correctly injecting into fat. Your issues do suggest it's not a good place to inject. Does it hurt much? It shouldn't.

The first port of call is to ask your doctor for alternative sites to try that will suit your body. For most people the belly and butt are good sites. Places like thighs also if you have some fat there. Your best sites will depend quite a bit on your body type and how thin you are. Making sure the site is relaxed (not tensed up) is important too. Sometimes people also raise the fat slightly by gently pinching it.


I really think you need to double check this with your doctor and put your mind at ease. I have never heard it applying to insulin. I never heard it apply to other "diabetic" meds either, but I havn't research those myself. Stroke in itself is a risk of diabetes down the track/if poorly controlled. Perhaps someone was confusing the risks of diabetes with the risks of the medication, that confusion can happen.



Keep plugging away at different ways to get excercise! It is worth time, effort, and money spent as it's a huge part of staying healthy and well for anyone, but triplely so for a diabetic. There is an exercise forum here as well if you want more ideas. As one idea, how about some bike riding around and about college?

hi subby, regarding the stroke issue, i did agree with you that injecting insulin do not cause stroke. the reason i confused is because i read a post from a forum by someone. he didnt reply me as well. but as what i know it should be no problem. but i still come and post a message here to ask all expertise here for confirmation:o

the site i inject is thigh, i dont know what happend but it did bleeding. :( (not many just few drops) it doesnt hurt . and most of the time, it will have a red spot on the site i inject. i inject belly as well, but it seems ok with my belly.:(

i can control my eating style, but one thing i cannot stand is doing exercise. as shiftzor said, it will easier if i play in a team or do something that i enjoy with , it can reduce the chance of giving up. what im worry is if my college life is end who will do exercise with me :( . but at least at this moment im still ok.