Insulin Syringe: Instructions For Use

If your healthcare provider has told you, it is time to administer insulin to control your diabetes, you will need instructions about how to use an insulin syringe. Proper procedure will ensure you get the correct dosage and will keep the skin at injection sites free from breakdown and infection. What follows is a basic guide appropriate for adult patients who self-inject their insulin.

1. Check Your Insulin Dosage

Read your doctor’s prescription and the insulin bottle carefully to ensure you have the right kind of insulin and know how much and when to administer it.

2. Select the Appropriate Insulin Syringe

Use a 3/10 cc syringe for up to 30 USP units of injectable insulin. Use a ½ cc syringe for up to 50 USP units and a one cc syringe for up to 100 USP units.

Most people elect to avoid the inconvenience of sterilizing reusable syringes. Instead, they choose to use disposable insulin syringes, injecting their insulin only once and then disposing of the used syringe in a closed container such as an empty laundry soap container. This procedure protects others in the household and those who handle the weekly trash from unexpected needle sticks.

3. Wash Your Hands Thoroughly

Personal hygiene is essential for everyone, but especially for diabetics, who are more prone to get infections. So, before handling your insulin and insulin syringe, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and dry them on a clean towel.

4. Roll Your Insulin Bottle Gently Between Your Hands

This warms and mixes the insulin. Also, make sure your insulin looks free from discoloration, thickening, or debris. Regular or short-acting insulin should be 100 percent clear. Other kinds of insulin may be a bit cloudy-looking.

5. Remove the Small Plastic Cap from The Top of the Insulin Bottle

Then, inspect the small rubber gasket which is underneath the cap. Do not use the insulin if the gasket is missing, torn, or punctured in any way. If it is OK, use a fresh alcohol pad to wipe the gasket clean.

6. Draw Up Air into the Insulin Syringe

The amount should be equal to your insulin dosage. Then, insert the needle into the top of the insulin bottle and inject all the air. Invert the bottle with the syringe still inserted and draw up the proper dosage of insulin by pulling back slowly on the plunger.

7. Check the Insulin Dosage

Be sure you have drawn up the prescribed amount of insulin and then adjust it if necessary. Tap the syringe on the side to disperse any air bubbles and verify the dosage again. Remove the needle from the bottle straight out of the gasket so as not to bend the insulin needle or contaminate the insulin in any way. 

8. Prepare Your Insulin Injection Site

Typically, doctors recommend using the fatty skin of the abdomen for routine insulin injections. Also, you should be provided with a diagram of where to inject and how often to rotate to alternate sites on the abdomen.

Also, be sure to clean your skin with an alcohol pad or soap and water and dry the area before your injection. This ensures no microorganisms will enter the site with the insulin shot.

9. Inject the Insulin

Pinch up a small skin fold. Then, quickly but gently push the insulin needle fully into the skin. Inject the insulin smoothly and completely. This should take no more than five seconds. After you have fully depressed the plunger, pick up an alcohol wipe with your other hand. Withdraw the insulin needle straight out of the skin and press the alcohol swab on the injection site for a few seconds.

10. Safely Dispose of or Store the Syringe

Most disposable syringe manufactures recommend that you use a disposable syringe only once. After you use the syringe, do not recap and simply place it into your disposal sharps container.

If you must reuse your disposable syringe, recap it after injecting your insulin. If the syringe has come into contact with anything besides clean skin and hands, dispose of it and use a new syringe to draw up your insulin. If the needle of a syringe you’re reusing becomes bent or dull, you must also use a new syringe at step 2.

Symptoms to Watch for After an Insulin Injection

After your insulin injection, monitor yourself for signs of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. These signs include shakiness, dizziness, mental confusion, and vision changes.

If you experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, treat them with a fast-acting carbohydrate such as fruit juice, honey, or glucose tablets. Additionally, watch for signs of infection at the injection site, such as swelling and redness. If this occurs, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Finally, consider recording your insulin injections and blood sugar levels (obtained from a home blood glucose monitor) in order to review how well your treatment plan is working. This can help you and your provider fine-tune your diabetes care for the best overall and long-term health.

Inject Insulin Syringes Less Frequently with Insulin Pumps from Americare Diabetes

Managing diabetes is no small challenge, and finger pricks and injections are a constant pain. If you want to decrease the number of finger pricks and the number of insulin injections you must give yourself, consider getting a continuous glucose monitor as well as a tandem insulin pump.

Tandem insulin pumps use blood sugar level data from the continuous glucose monitor to provide more accurate doses of insulin compared to insulin syringes, helping people manage their blood sugar more easily.

At Americare Diabetes, we offer multiple kinds of continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps so you can use the devices that work best for your unique needs. Call us at (866) 400-9565 or click here to learn more. We are happy to help those with type 1 and 2 diabetes find a better quality of life with the right diabetes supplies!