Diabetes FAQ » Diabetes Tips » Tips for Understanding Sliding Scale Insulin Administration

Tips for Understanding Sliding Scale Insulin Administration

Most people who are diabetic can manage their diabetes with diet, and a combination of oral medications and insulin. Some individuals with diabetes type 1 and type 2 are given a combination of long acting and short acting insulin. When your blood glucose is difficult to control, your doctor might put you on a sliding scale insulin regimen. You may be required to test your blood glucose level with a glucometer up to 4 times a day. If your glucose meter reading elevated to certain amounts your doctor may order you to administer regular insulin to yourself in a prescribed pre-determined number of units. For instance, your doctor might prescribe the lowest dose of regular insulin for the varying degrees of blood sugar readings, such as these below. The dosages prescribed by your doctor may not be the same listed below. These dosages were taken from a sliding scale protocol for the lowest dosages of regular insulin found on the Internet.

A blood glucose reading of 150 to 200 you might be required to administer 2 units of insulin. A glucometer reading of 201 to 150 might require 3 units of regular insulin. If you test your blood glucose level and it is 251 to 300 you may need to give 4 units or more of regular insulin. If the reading on your glucose meter is 301 to 350 you may have to give 6 units of regular insulin. If your blood sugar level is 351 to 400 you might be ordered to give 9 units of regular insulin. If your blood sugar is above 400 you will need to administer the prescribed dosage which might be 9 units of regular insulin or and call your doctor. You may even be told by your doctor to go to the emergency department at your local hospital.

Because sliding scale insulin has to be exact, it is usually only done in a hospital setting by licensed nursing personnel. It is quite controversial nowadays for a doctor to order sliding scale insulin to a patient out of the hospital setting, because sliding scale insulin doesn’t address the problem of hyperglycemia. Sliding scale is a temporary fix for the problem. When patients go home it is likely they could be managed better by making lifestyle changes and taking a combination of long and short acting insulin.

If you, as an insulin dependent diabetic, were to treat your elevated blood glucose levels with a sliding scale, you would need to have a firm understand how to administer the insulin in the correct dosages, because a slight error could cause a life threatening situation. You must keep a record of your blood sugar readings listed in your glucometer. You will also need to keep a list of the times that you had to medicate yourself with sliding scale insulin. The next time you see your doctor, you should bring your record of sliding scale dosages to your doctor. Your doctor may adjust your dosages or keep them the same. If your diabetes seems under control, your doctor may take you completely off sliding scale insulin.

Sliding scale insulin therapy is not widely used in the home situation. Most doctors prescribed a combination of long acting insulin and short acting insulin, which usually is effective to manage elevated glucose levels. A combination of diet, exercise and medication (if indicated) is often the diabetic treatment most preferred by health care professionals.

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