Fears Insulin
"The thought of insulin scares me. Needles are painful."
- Fears Insulin

Fear of insulin is not uncommon.

You may want to have the insulin talk sooner

Strategy to Help You Succeed #2 – Proactive Diabetes Management3

Empower patients to take an active role in their care by setting future goals.

Use a care model that includes routine, follow-up visits. Set goals for your patients and chart their progress.

  1. What was the patient's A1C on their last visit?
  2. What are the treatment goals for the patient?
  3. Does the patient understand their treatment goals and how to get there?

Establishing goals is a proactive care model that can help mobilize patients and reduce clinical inertia.

Use benefits of glycemic control to help address patient fears.

Encourage patients

Find time to understand patient worries and address concerns. Remind your appropriate patients that insulin is an effective agent for lowering blood glucose and help them accept insulin as an effective option that can be added to their treatment regimen.1

Patient discussion points

  • Remind patients that diabetes is a progressive disease and that their treatment plans may be adjusted over time. An overall treatment plan to lower A1C consists of diet, exercise, and diabetes medication, which may include insulin.2
  • Let patients know fear of insulin is not uncommon. Help them understand the facts about insulin therapy

Begin insulin therapy for your appropriate patients

Integrate insulin as a vital component of an overall diabetes plan for T2DM patients that often includes healthy eating, physical activity and OADs.

Next >

Important Safety Information for Lantus®

Contraindications

Lantus® is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to insulin glargine or one of its excipients.

Warnings and precautions

Monitor blood glucose in all patients treated with insulin. Insulin regimens should be modified cautiously and only under medical supervision. Changes in insulin strength, manufacturer, type, or method of administration may result in the need for a change in insulin dose or an adjustment in concomitant oral antidiabetic treatment.

Do not dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution. If mixed or diluted, the solution may become cloudy, and the onset of action/time to peak effect may be altered in an unpredictable manner. Do not administer Lantus® via an insulin pump or intravenously because severe hypoglycemia can occur. Insulin devices and needles must not be shared between patients.

Hypoglycemia is the most common adverse reaction of insulin therapy, including Lantus®, and may be life-threatening.

Severe life-threatening, generalized allergy, including anaphylaxis, can occur.

A reduction in the Lantus® dose may be required in patients with renal or hepatic impairment.

Drug interactions

Certain drugs may affect glucose metabolism, requiring insulin dose adjustment and close monitoring of blood glucose. The signs of hypoglycemia may be reduced in patients taking anti-adrenergic drugs (e.g., beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine).

Adverse reactions

Other adverse reactions commonly associated with Lantus® are injection site reaction, lipodystrophy, pruritus, and rash.

Important Safety Information for Lantus® SoloSTAR®

Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin pen. To help ensure an accurate dose each time, patients should follow all steps in the Instruction Leaflet accompanying the pen; otherwise they may not get the correct amount of insulin, which may affect their blood glucose.

Indications and Usage for Lantus®

Lantus® is a long-acting insulin analog indicated to improve glycemic control in adults and children (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes mellitus and in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lantus® should be administered once a day at the same time every day.

Important Limitations of Use: Lantus® is not recommended for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Use intravenous short-acting insulin instead.

Please click here for full prescribing information

References: 1. Nathan DM et al. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(1):193-203.
2. Holman RR. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1998;40(suppl):S21-S25.
3. UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group. Diabetes. 1995;44:1249-1258.