Free Diabetic Supplies

For the diabetic that must administer insulin shots for the rest of your life, there are some basic tidbits of information that you should know about in order to be better educated about medication. Proper care and storage of your diabetes supplies is essential so that you are always keeping the medication up-to-date and fresh.

Here are a few common informative tips that pertain to all types of insulin:

1. Always pay attention to how long you store your insulin at room temperature. Write down the exact date for each bottle and then adhere to the “4-week rule”. This means that insulin should be discarded if it has been exposed to room temperatures for 4 weeks straight.

2. Always discard insulin if it has has reached the expiration date, even if stored in the refrigerator. Unlike storing your medication at room temperature, refrigeration does keep insulin fresh for a longer period time, but once the expiration mark has been hit, you should discard it immediately.

3. Keep your insulin fresh by protecting it against certain conditions that may cause the medication to be exposed to heat or frozen temperatures. Direct sunlight or even excessive cold temperatures can damage the insulin. Proper storage is essential.

4. Some diabetics will take less than 50 units of insulin in one shot. If you are taking the same amount then you can purchase ½ cc syringes that will make it easier for you to measure up to your 50 units. On the other hand, if you are taking less than 30 units, you can find 3/10 cc syringes for easy application.

5. All insulin shots can be given through clothing if need be. Doing so is completely safe and will not affect the delivery of the medication into your bloodstream.

6. If you must use your disposable syringes more than once, this is completely safe. However, it is not recommended that you reuse your syringes more than two or three times before replacing them with a new one.

7. All insulin can be given through shorter needles if the longer ones are too painful. However, the depth of the needle does affect how fast the insulin can start working depending on what part of the body the injection was given.