Return to Questions

The right insulin for my food

• Anonymous ORIGINAL POSTER
  The right insulin for my food - Posted by Anonymous

  when I eat for example a sandwich my sugar goes up. I use the same amount of insulin all the time and the sugar goes up all the time with the insulin that i inject. What is the most appropriate dose of insulin?
• Samuel Grossman, BS Pharm, Pharm.D, CDE PROFESSIONAL
  Answered 6/1/2015 by Samuel Grossman, BS Pharm, Pharm.D, CDE

  When you eat a sandwich, for example, blood sugar will rise and fluctuate during the day depending on what you eat and what exercise you do. The dose of insulin is a constant. If you eat more carbohydrates than the dose of insulin can cover, your blood glucose will be higher than anticipated. If you consume less carbohydrates than the dose of insulin can cover, your blood sugar will be lower than anticipated. If the blood glucose is always high regardless of the time of the day, I would recommend to consult with your provider and increase the dose of insulin. Following instructions from your provider, increase the dose of insulin in increments of 2-4 units once a week until your fingersticks are in the range that you and your provider agreed on.