Many people with diabetes need to take insulin medications to control their glucose (blood sugar). There are several options for administering these drugs, but the most popular is still the needle and syringe.

No matter the method of injection, the injection site affects how quickly the medication is absorbed into the body. Patients need to vary their injection sites to prevent damage to tissues.

Insulin is absorbed the most quickly when injected into the abdomen. Other sites often used for injections include the arms, thighs or buttocks. Patients should be sure to choose an injection site that is at least a half-inch away from the site of their previous injection.

Insulin can be delivered:

• Under the skin (subcutaneous). This is the most common way to deliver insulin into the bloodstream.
  
  
• Into a vein (intravenous). This is the quickest way to deliver insulin into the bloodstream.
  
  
• Into the muscle (intramuscular). This is the second-quickest way to deliver insulin into the bloodstream.
  
  
• By mouth (oral). Researchers have developed inhalers that deliver insulin powder through the mouth and then to the lungs for absorption. The first available inhaled insulin, however, was discontinued for commercial reasons in 2007 after little more than a year.

Patients injecting insulin should be sure to thoroughly clean the skin at the injection site to prevent infection. Insulin should be delivered at an angle suggested by a physician. This is usually between 45 and 90 degrees and depends on the thickness of a patient’s skin.

Adaptive equipment is available to help patients with visual or motor difficulties use insulin-delivery devices. Patients should consult their physician to ensure that they are properly administering their medication.

Recent research suggests that many diabetic individuals, particularly those not yet prescribed insulin, would risk their health to avoid insulin injections and that some physicians are reluctant to prescribe the medication to patients who would benefit from it. Improved methods of insulin administration may address these issues.

Other options for people with insulin-dependent diabetes may include a pancreas transplant or an islet cell transplant.