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Type 2 diabetes and insulin: don’t be scared, here’s what you need to know

If you’re living with Type 2 diabetes, you may think that you won’t ever need insulin… But that’s not always true. Insulin is a reality for many people with Type 2 diabetes. Here’s an article from Accu-Chek that explains all about moving from oral medication to insulin.

type 2 diabetes and insulin

5 facts about insulin for Type 2 diabetics

There is a lot of confusion about insulin for Type 2s – does it mean you’ve ‘failed’ at your diabetes? No. Here are the facts you need to understand… Read this article for all the details.

1. Diabetes is an insulin problem, not a sugar problem.

Sugar doesn’t cause diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes don’t manufacture enough insulin, or their bodies can’t use it properly, so they’re unable to process the food they take in. You might need insulin to solve an insulin problem.

2. Moving to insulin is normal for most people.

Needing insulin doesn’t mean you’ve failed at diabetes care. Diabetes is a progressive disease, meaning that even when you manage your blood glucose properly, your body is likely to create less insulin, or use it less efficiently, as time goes on. Most people with Type 2 diabetes start insulin within 5 to 10 years of being diagnosed.

3. Other Type 2 diabetes medications aren’t the same as insulin.

Pills you take by mouth and other injection drugs are not insulin. Those medications help your body use the insulin it already makes. Insulin can’t be taken by mouth: it would be broken down by the stomach before it could be absorbed into the bloodstream. That’s why it has to be injected under the skin.

4. Insulin injections don’t hurt

Nobody likes shots, but many people are surprised to find out that it’s much easier than they expected. And now that other diabetes medications are being delivered by injection, chances are you’ve gotten more comfortable with injecting.

5. Insulin isn’t the cause of problems with feet, eyes and other parts of the body.

Perhaps you’ve heard about someone starting insulin and then having problems with their eyes or feet. Insulin didn’t cause the problem – it was because of high blood sugar for extended periods of time. Starting insulin sooner might have helped prevent or delay those health issues.

Are you starting insulin soon? How do you feel?

Photo by Diabetesmagazijn.nl on Unsplash


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Sweet Life is a registered NPO/PBO (220-984) with a single goal: to improve diabetes in South Africa. We are funded by sponsorships and donations from aligned companies and organisations who believe in our work. We only share information that we believe benefits our community. While some of this information is linked to specific brands, it is not an official endorsement of that brand. We believe in empowering people with diabetes to make the best decisions they can, to live a healthy, happy life with diabetes.

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