Helped Over 500,000 patients with 98%+ satisfaction.

Connect & Get Personalized 1-to-1 Answers from Expert Doctors

DoctorSpring > Question Home

Taking insulin is increasing my blood sugar level. Need urgent help.

Resolved Question:

Dear doctor,

I am a diabetes patient who witnessed really abnormal sugar levels in my blood. Today morning the sugar level was 180 mg/dl. I thought of taking a test by taking 3 Novolin-R units to bring it down to normal. After taking it, I haven’t eaten anything. After 2 hours, to my surprise, my blood sugar level shot up to a whopping 214 mg/dl. It increased by 34mg/dl. I took 3 units of Novolin, thinking that it is a corrective dose, which can bring sugar levels by 25mg/dl per unit. But what happened was just a reversal of my expectation. Why this happens so? Am I affected with something else? Please help me out from this dangerous situation.

Category: Community

Ask Your Own Question

Category: Family Physician-GP
 19 Doctors Online

Hi,

Thanks for your question. Let me see how best I can help you with this. First of all, insulin will NOT increase sugar levels. It only decreases. I suspect that you need more insulin than what you take as of now. Regarding the disappointing test you have done, I would like to say something more. R insulin may not work or even show its onset on the first 30 minutes to 1 hour after consuming it. It may not even show its peak within 2-5 hours.  Insulin works well and better when the injection is done in certain places. Falling of direct sunlight on the spot of insulin injection also should be prevented. It should also be noted that insulin which underwent long shelf life may not be of good quality. So, before using insulin, make sure that it is under normal expiry period. You can also use some rapid acting insulin by taking Humalog, Novolog and Aprida rather than R. Rapid acting insulin is more effective, as they work more or less like natural insulin. Moreover, it starts working within 10 minutes from application and will last about 4-5 hours. Peak time of action will be in one hour.

Wish you a healthy life. Stay young.


Dr. John Fuller
Category: Family Physician-GP
Experience: 
MD - New York Institute of Technology, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
Internship, Family Medicine - Lutheran Medical Center
Residency, Family Medicine - The Mount Sinai Hospital
Dr. John Fuller and 4 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you

Users who read this, also read:

Make informed and better medical decisions.

Join the 500,000 people who found a smarter, quicker way to get Answers, Recommendations & Expert Opinions.

Expert Doctors at fingertips

Recommendation on next step. Second-opinion.Multi-specialty.

Save Time

Average time for answers: 6 hours.

Save Money

$35 for typical specialist consult vs. $120 for a local appointment.

Free Follow-ups

Clarify, ask further questions for free in private conversation.

100% Satisfaction

Money back guarantee for the 1st reply. MEDNET Quality Board.

Start My Consultation

CHAT NOW

About DoctorSpring.com

Doctor Spring is a novel online Doctor consultation platform where you can get your medical questions answered by leading Doctors. Just Submit your question and rest assured that you will consult a Doctor easily. Once you submit the question, the Doctor from the concerned specialty will reply within hours. You can always ask more questions or add details with follow-up question options and make it an online doctor chat. You may use this service to consult a specialty or for getting medical second opinion. All paid services come with a MEDNET quality assurance and 100% money back guarantee.

DoctorSpring in news