Side Effects Of Intermediate Acting Insulin

Like all medicines, intermediate-acting insulin can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. If you do have side effects such as problems where you inject, they usually happen in the first few weeks of starting insulin.

Common side effects

There are things you can do to help cope with these common side effects of intermediate-acting insulin:

Speak to your doctor or diabetes nurse if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

Insulin can sometimes cause severe hypos, where your blood glucose falls very low and you can become unconscious.

Speak to your doctor or diabetes nurse if:

• you've had severe hypos
• you do not always recognise the symptoms when you have a hypo

Call 999 if:

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction to intermediate-acting insulin (anaphylaxis).

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of intermediate-acting insulin. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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