Insulin Delivery Methods
New kinds of insulin are being developed, and the
syringe, needle, and vials of insulin no longer need to be carried
with you if you need multiple injections.
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The syringe remains the most common method
for delivering insulin, but advances are being made to
simplify the method of delivery. Researchers developed a
pill but found that enzymes from the stomach broke it down
before it delivered the insulin. A patch also proved to be
disappointing. Various other methods often proved too
complicated or impractical.
A step up from the needle and syringes, and
vials of insulin is the prefilled insulin pins. It is easy
to cover, injects the correct amount of insulin, and
delivered by an item that looks like a cartridge pen. If
you need to make multiple injections a day, the insulin pen
may be the answer for you. Cartridges are available with
the many different forms of insulin available and a dial
allows you to inject the needed number of units you need.
The tip of the pen is a disposable needle. It punctures the
skin just enough to deliver the insulin. |
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Because they are small and disposable, they
are easier to carry than regular syringes, insulin, swabs, and
needles.
One of the most recent advances is the insulin
pump. Several companies already market a pump for insulin
delivery and over 50,000 people are using it worldwide. This
pump is made of a reservoir that is similar to an insulin
cartridge; a battery ran pump, and a computer chip. This
computer chip allows the user to control the insulin delivered
to the body.
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The pumps on the market today are about the
size of a beeper or pager. It attaches to the abdomen and a
thin plastic tube with a small, soft needle is inserted
under the skin. This cannula (needle) is replaced every two
days and may taken off while showering or swimming. This
pump delivers insulin twenty-four hours a day, delivered at
a set rate and programmable to allow for sleeping,
exercising, and variations in lifestyle
Another promising way of giving insulin is
the inhalation method. The United States Food and Drug
Administration have not approved this method. It is in
phase III testing that means that humans have tested it.
The results look good and it might be on the market in the
next one to two years. Many other medications are delivered
with the inhalation method. Asthma sufferers have
inhalation therapy that eases the effects of an asthma
attack.
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Insulin would need to reach the air sacks at
the end of the bronchial tubes, as the tubes can’t absorb the
insulin. Powdered nebulizers and inhalers are being tested
but need to be proved safe before approved by the FDA.
Many Americans suffer from diabetes, and many
more will be diagnosed in the future. Obesity is growing more
common and as people are educated, more cases of diabetes will
be found. Scientists and researchers are still looking for a
better more efficient way to deliver insulin to the body.
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