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Using Medicine
Insulin - Injecting
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Step by Step Instructions
- Select a site for insulin injection. Insulin may be injected into the fatty layer of tissue of the upper arm, the thighs, or the abdomen.
- Clean the injection site with an alcohol pad and allow it to dry.
- Pick up your prepared syringe and uncap it to expose the needle.
- Pinch a fold of skin and quickly push the needle straight into the skin. Be sure that the needle is all the way in.
- Quickly push the plunger all the way down to inject the entire insulin dose. Once the dose is injected, release the pinched skin and pull the needle straight out. Press on the injection site with an alcohol pad but do not rub the injection site.
- Dispose of the syringe and needle properly after injection.
Additional Tips for Injecting Insulin
- It is less painful and less damaging to the body's tissues if the insulin dose is brought to room temperature just prior to injecting.
- Rotate your injection sites – give each insulin shot in a different spot.
- Keep a record of your insulin injections in a log book – write down the time and the dose of each insulin injection. Show your log book to your doctor at each appointment.
- Always check with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions.
Last Updated: April 2004
This content was created by members of the DrugDigest team of experts and is solely under DrugDigest's editorial control.
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