Insulin therapy is a life-saving treatment for insulin-dependent diabetics. But unfortunately, the only way to take insulin is by subcutaneous injection.
But what if you are afraid of needles ? What if you just can't get used to injections and feel pain and discomfort every time you take your medication?
Here are 10 tips for injecting insulin without pain!
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Why do insulin injections sometimes hurt?
When insulin is administered by subcutaneous injections (as opposed to insulin pump therapy), the patient must use an insulin syringe or injection pen. Both involve inserting a needle through the skin to inject the insulin into the fatty tissue.
Insulin delivery devices have improved significantly in recent years. A few years (or decades) ago, insulin syringes were quite intimidating, but today's needles are much smaller and thinner than they used to be. The design of the needle tips has also improved greatly and is now much sharper, requiring less force to insert.
Although these improvements make insulin injections as painless as possible, some people still experience pain and discomfort when injecting insulin or are simply afraid of needles.
burning sensation
Most people who find insulin injections painful report a burning sensation during or immediately after the injection. But why does insulin sometimes burn when injected? There are two main explanations for this:
- PH difference : Long-acting insulins such as Lantus and Basaglar have a high acid content, which is different from the pH of the skin. This difference in pH may explain a brief burning sensation immediately after injection.
- Temperature difference : Injecting cold insulin that has just been taken out of the refrigerator can also cause a burning sensation during the injection.
Redness and itching at the injection site
Common symptoms that can occur when injecting insulin are redness or itching at the injection site . However, these are usually only mild and are not a cause for concern.
Such local reactions at the injection site can occur if you have hit muscle tissue instead of body fat, injected into a more sensitive area, or used the same injection site too often.
Severe itching, rash or hives can also be symptoms of insulin allergy or hypersensitivity . However, insulin allergy is very rare and is estimated to occur in less than 3% of diabetics treated with insulin.
lipoatrophy and lipohypertrophy
Lipoatrophy and lipohypertrophy are the two main skin problems that can occur at insulin injection sites.
Lipoatrophy is the localized loss of fatty tissue beneath the skin. Lipohypertrophy is the overgrowth of fat cells that makes the skin look lumpy or swollen.
Both lipoatrophy and lipohypertrophy can cause pain or numbness at the injection sites . Ask your healthcare provider to check your skin regularly.
With a few simple good habits, you can avoid most of these discomforts and skin problems caused by insulin injections.
How to inject insulin without pain?
If you experience pain and discomfort when injecting insulin with a pen or syringe, here are some tips and best practices that may help you. But of course, it's a matter of trial and error and personal preference. We hope you find the tips that work best for you.
For our visually gifted readers, we have created a video version of this article, which you can find just below.
1. Choose the right insulin needle size
There are different types of insulin syringes and disposable needles for insulin pens. Some diabetics sometimes need longer needles, but most get by with short and thin needles (4 mm).
The thinner and shorter the needle, the less painful the injection will be. If you feel that the size of the needle is causing the pain, ask your doctor to prescribe shorter needles.
2. Always use a new needle to avoid pain
Needles for syringes and insulin pens are disposable and intended for single use only. You must use a new needle for each injection.
Old needles become blunt and have a bent tip, which can significantly increase the pain when inserting the needle into the skin or when removing it. In addition, there is a risk that the fine tip will break off in the skin.
In addition, reuse of insulin needles increases the risk of bacterial contamination and lipohypertrophy.
3. Massage gently before insulin injection
Some patients report that gently massaging the injection site a few minutes before the injection helps relieve pain and discomfort.
However, massaging the injection site after injection is controversial among experts , although it helps relieve pain. While some argue that it improves insulin absorption, others think that it may interfere with the onset and peak of insulin action.
4. Choose your injection site carefully
Common sites for insulin injection include the abdomen, lower abdomen, upper arm, thigh, lower back, hip, or buttocks . Most people find the abdomen to be the least painful site.
Remember that insulin should be injected into the fatty tissue. If you hit a muscle, blood vessel or nerve, it can cause pain during and after the injection. Never inject near joints, wounds, scars, etc. Some patients who are very sensitive to insulin injection also report that injection into the hair follicles is more painful.
5. Rotating injection sites reduce the risk of pain
Your doctor and diabetes educator have probably advised you to change insulin injection sites. There are several reasons for this:
- First, injecting too frequently into the same area can result in painful injections.
- Secondly, it leads to an accumulation of fatty tissue (lipohypertrophy), which can become painful or numb.
- Third, it can impair the body's ability to absorb insulin in the long term.
Although you probably have a favorite injection site that is less painful or more comfortable than others, be sure to leave it alone!
6. Injecting cold insulin is more painful
Injecting cold insulin is more painful than injecting room temperature insulin , so while you need to keep your insulin supplies refrigerated, allow your new pens, vials, or cartridges of insulin to come to room temperature before using them for the first time.
As a reminder, insulin is a temperature-sensitive medication that can spoil quickly when left outside the refrigerator or at high temperatures. Insulin that has not been stored in the refrigerator or is being used for the first time must be used within about a month.
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7. Inject insulin without pain
To avoid pain when injecting insulin, grasp a large piece of skin and fat with one hand. With the other hand, hold the insulin syringe or pen like a dart and insert the needle quickly at a 90-degree angle . Children or thin adults without much fat under the skin may need to inject at a 45-degree angle.
The faster and more precise the penetration, the less pain there is . The key to minimizing pain is speed and decisive movements.
Once the needle has fully penetrated your skin, push the injection button (insulin pen) or plunger (insulin syringe) all the way in. Wait a few seconds without moving to make sure all the insulin is delivered, then immediately pull the needle out without moving it .
8. Make sure your skin is dry
Injecting insulin into dry skin helps reduce pain or discomfort. Wet skin is harder to penetrate with a needle .
So always make sure the skin at the injection site is dry. If you use alcohol wipes to prepare and clean the skin before the injection, allow your skin to air dry before proceeding with the injection. This can help reduce the stinging sensation.
9. Relaxation helps reduce injection pain
If you are nervous before injecting insulin, your muscles will tense up, which will ultimately increase the pain . While this is easier said than done, try to relax before injecting.
Sitting instead of standing can help relax the muscles. Breathe in and out slowly. Maybe talk to someone or listen to relaxing music while you inject.
10. Try pain-relieving injection aids
Most diabetics do well with insulin injections and eventually find a way to perfect their habits so that they don't feel any pain or discomfort. However, if you still find the injections painful after trying all of the tips above, you may want to consider injection aids .
Here are some examples:
- Buzzy (seen on Shark Tank). It's a portable device that looks like a bug and emits high frequency vibrations to numb the injection site before injecting insulin. It reduces injection pain by 50-80% and fits easily in a purse or wallet.
- Medtronic's I-Port Advanced is an easy-to-apply adhesive port that can be worn for up to three days in a row. A flexible cannula is inserted into the skin and allows insulin to be delivered from a syringe or pen without having to inject each time
- The ShotBlocker from Bionix is an affordable solution for reducing injection pain. It is a simple plastic disk with spikes that you press against the skin to saturate the sensory nerves, numbing the injection site.
- Insulfon by Intrapump is a soft cannula that is gently inserted under the skin to give injections with needles and syringes without pain. It is specially designed to help diabetic children overcome their fear of needles.
- Ice packs are another effective and affordable solution to reduce the pain caused by insulin injections. Before the injection, place an ice pack on the injection site for a few minutes. The coldness of the ice will numb the area, making the needle insertion less painful.
What about you? Do you find insulin injections painful? What works best to reduce pain and discomfort?
