Preparing and injecting insulin
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Check the appearance of your insulin. If it looks unusual or the vial is damaged, don't use it.
- If you use cloudy insulin, gently roll the vial between your hands 10 times to mix, then gently invert the vial (from top to bottom) 10 times until the suspension has a uniform milky appearance.
- Remove the vial cap and wipe the rubber top with an alcohol swab. Let dry.
- Draw the same volume of air as the volume of insulin you need to inject.
- Stick the needle through the rubber top of the vial and slowly inject the air into the vial.
- Turn the vial upside down and slowly pull the plunger until you have drawn the correct volume of insulin. Make sure that the needle is always in the insulin.
- If there are air bubbles in the syringe: Hold the syringe in a vertical position with the needle pointing upward. Gently tap a finger against the barrel of the syringe to get the bubbles rise to the top. Slowly push in the plunger until all the bubbles have disappeared.
- Remove the needle from the vial and cap the needle immediately.
- Preferred injection sites are the abdomen (particularly), thighs and top of the buttocks. Rotating injection sites and injection points is recommended. The skin should be healthy, meaning free of bruises, swelling, scars, etc.
- Clean the injection site with soap and water. If an alcohol pad is used (e.g., at the hospital), allow the skin to dry before proceeding with the injection.
- Inject the insulin and wait 5 seconds before removing the needle from the skin.
Needles and syringes should only be used once and then thrown away since they may be dirty and blunt. Always use a sharps (disposal) container to safely discard used syringes and needles. Return the container to the pharmacy when it is full or you no longer need it.
Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly to reduce the risk of infection at the injection site.
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The patient information leaflets are provided by Vigilance Santé Inc. This content is for information purposes only and does not in any manner whatsoever replace the opinion or advice of your health care professional. Always consult a health care professional before making a decision about your medication or treatment.