Starting on Insulin
As you know, diabetes is a condition that changes over time. You’re probably already
doing a lot to manage your diabetes, like making healthy food choices, exercising
more, and taking your medication as prescribed. If your blood sugar is still not
under control, insulin therapy may be right for you. The truth is, most people with
type 2 diabetes will need to take insulin at some point in their lives. This is
a natural progression of diabetes. Although you can’t always control it, you can
control the next step you take.
When you need insulin to help manage your diabetes, it doesn’t mean that you haven’t
been doing everything right. You may even have been controlling your blood sugar
without insulin until now. It’s important to remember that while some factors of
diabetes are under your control, some are not. Remember, diabetes is a progressive
condition—it changes as you age.
Fortunately, there are treatments available that can address your needs as your
diabetes changes. Experts from 2 major diabetes associations—the American Diabetes
Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)—together
have provided steps for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The chart below shows one possible
approach supported by these experts.
You should know that the time between these steps can sometimes be very long, as
much as years in many cases. And not everyone will go through every step. Your doctor
may also recommend other medications not listed in this chart, such as GLP-1 agonist,
as part of an alternate diabetes treatment regimen. Only you and your doctor can
decide if insulin is right for you.
After a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes:
- Step 1: Adopt a diabetes-friendly meal plan and exercise + a diabetes pill called
metformin
If blood sugar levels are not being controlled,
- Step 2: Your doctor may choose one of many diabetes medications, which may include
basal insulin such as Levemir®
If blood sugar levels are still not being controlled,
- Step 3: Other options may be recommended by your doctor
Working insulin therapy into your life
Many people with diabetes are concerned at first about taking insulin. The good
news is that, for most people with type 2 diabetes, insulin therapy can be added
once per day to the medicine you’re already taking. As a result of advances in insulin
delivery, Levemir® is available in the FlexPen®, a prefilled insulin pen that is
ready to use in just a few steps. Levemir® FlexPen® uses NovoTwist® needles, which
are the thinnest needles available from Novo Nordisk.*†
