Patient/caregiver was instructed upon side-effects of insulin administration as follows:
Hypoglycemia
- Insulin is a hormone naturally produced by the pancreas in your body. Insulin helps with shifting the glucose from the blood into the cells of body tissues. This helps with regulating the blood sugar levels.
- Excess physical activity to recommended, noncompliance with mealtimes, reduced nutrition intake, sudden changes in dietary patterns, acute weight loss, and many other factors could change the insulin requirements in individuals. Observing compliance with insulin intake, as recommended, in the backdrop of the factors discussed above, can contribute to overly corrected and severely lowered blood sugar numbers (hypoglycemia). Administering excess insulin to recommended dose and inappropriate timings of insulin dose intake can also contribute to hypoglycemia.
- The lowered blood sugars can be insufficient to the tissue demands and consequently individuals with hypoglycemia can present with symptoms, such as, dizziness, confusion, and in severe cases even loss of consciousness. The dizziness and confusion can lead to build-up of anxiety and associated symptoms, such as, sweating, shakiness, and muscle twitching. Poor nutrition to the tissues due to hypoglycemia can result in exhaustion, fatigue, and increased hunger.
Increased fat deposition
- Intake of insulin over a period of time lowers the free fatty acids and glycerol in the blood, by mobilizing them towards increased fat synthesis and deposition into fatty tissues.
Increased protein synthesis
- Intake of insulin over a period of time lowers the free and simpler amino acids in the blood, by mobilizing them towards increased protein synthesis and muscle build-up.
Weight gain
- Increased fat synthesis and increased muscle built with insulin intake can contribute to weight gain in due course of time.
