icon-nav-help
Need Help

Submit your question to our team of health care professionals.

icon-nav-current-questions
Current Question

See what's on the mind of the community right now.

icon-conf-speakers-at-a-glance
Meet the Team

Learn more about our world-renowned team.

icon-nav-archives
CWD Answers Archives

Review the entire archive according to the date it was posted.

CWD_Answers_Icon
November 2, 1999

Insulin

advertisement
Question from :

How does my doctor determine how much insulin I need to take? She looks at this card with the time the different insulins take to work and then tells me to take, like 24 units in the morning? How does she arrive at the number 24?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

There are no exact formulas, but there are some guidelines. If the pancreas is not making any insulin, the average total daily dose is approximately 1 unit/kg or 1/2 unit/lb. If the pancreas is still making some insulin, daily requirements will be less. Many other factors can affect the total daily dose including general level of exercise, whether the person is overweight, other medications the person is on, and diet. How much of each type of insulin to take during the day will depend on what insulin regimen you are on and results of blood sugar testing.

TGL