Changing to insulin - FAQ
Starting on insulin
My doctor has suggested that I might need to start taking insulin injections. Until now my diabetes has been controlled by tablets. Does this mean my diabetes is getting worse and, if so, why is this happening now?
If your doctor has suggested that you start taking insulin, it means that the tablets you are taking are no longer able to control your diabetes. This is because your pancreas is becoming less efficient in producing its own insulin. This often happens after several years on tablets. In that sense your diabetes is worse. However, this does not mean that you are going to experience any new problems. What you will find is that the symptoms, which you are probably experiencing now, such as excessive thirst and needing to go regularly to the loo, will disappear soon after you start taking the insulin. In that respect you should feel much better.
My diabetes has been treated with tablets for two years and now my doctor says I need insulin injections. Do I now have Type 1 diabetes?
If your blood glucose can no longer be controlled with tablets then it means that your pancreas is becoming less efficient at producing insulin to reduce your blood glucose levels. In other words, you are still producing some insulin, whereas someone who has Type 1 diabetes doesn’t produce any. Technically, you’d be called ‘insulin treated’ but you would still be considered to have Type 2 diabetes.
APP/KOL/AC 22/02/07