This week, our family was put in touch with a family of a newly diagnosed T1D. There is so much information thrown at newly diagnosed T1Ds that it can get overwhelming. Remembering my experience at 8, I thought that it would be good to cover some things about insulin.
When talking about insulin, there are some terms to be aware of, such as:
Basal – Underlying, all-day insulin to keep a regular blood sugar.
Bolus – Take it whenever you eat, to keep your blood sugar from spiking.
Onset – This is the time from injection to when it starts affecting blood sugar. You use this timing to determine when to inject yourself with insulin prior to eating
Peak – This is the time frame, from injection, where the insulin is the most effective in the body/bloodstream.
Duration – This is how long the insulin is still active in the body.
You use peak and duration when determining the dosage amount, this is also called your “insulin on board” or IOB.
Each type of insulin has a different onset/peak/duration, so it is important to understand that when dosing as well as informing others who are helping you through this maze of medicines.
For the types of insulin, here are the 5 most common ones:
| Type | Onset | Peak | Duration | Usage |
| Rapid acting | 15 minutes | 1 hour | 2-4 hours | Bolus |
| Normal/short | 30 minutes | 2-3 hour | 3-6 hours | Bolus/basal |
| Intermediate | 2-4 hours | 4-12 | 12-18 hours | Basal |
| Long | 2 hours | No peak | Up to 24 hours | Basal |
| Ultra long | 6 hours | No peak | 36 hours or longer | basal |
Most type 1 diabetics will only use normal/short or rapid acting insulin. Especially if you are on an insulin pump as the short acting will be used as the basal, instead of only the bolus.
There is so much more about insulin to discuss, but this is the foundation of what someone needs to know. Look for more posts about insulin as it is the medical miracle that keeps T1Ds alive and healthy.
Hope this helps!
