How does insulin affect the feelings of hunger? My teenage daughter is experiencing constant feelings of hunger and is having real difficulty controling her appetite. What can be done to break this cycle between insulin and hunger?

I assume your daughter has diabetes and takes insulin. If her dose is too high, she may experience excessive hunger, stomach aches and headaches. Sometimes the symptoms are subtle. Work with her diabetes care provider to determine if her total dose is ok and that it is distributed well. After the honeymoon and before or after puberty, people with type 1 diabetes don’t usually need more than 1 unit per kilogram per 24 hours (1 kg=2.2 pounds). During puberty the insulin dose may be higher (for example, up to 1.5 units per kg per day would not be considered unusual). It would also be important to look at the distribution of the dose, but it would be hard for me to comment further without more information.

LM