If you have type 2 diabetes and were put on insulin, it’s LIKELY you need it to bring your blood sugar down farther than pills could. In this case, you’ll likely need to TAKE insulin injections the rest of your life. If, however, you started taking insulin when you had an infection, needed surgery, or were hospitalized for a medical REASON, your need for insulin may be temporary. These SITUATIONS raise stress, and stress can raise blood sugar levels. When the stress abates, you may be able to taper or stop taking insulin and get back to your PREVIOUS medication regimen.

“The big ‘if’ is whether your pancreas still makes enough insulin to get your glucose down,” says Dan Kent, Pharm.D., CDE, a specialty clinical pharmacist with Group Health in Seattle and member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators Board of Directors. “The glucose-lowering medications, other than insulin, available today (mainly pills and a few injectables) use various routes to lower glucose levels. They don’t lower glucose as much as insulin, in part because with insulin you can keep increasing the dose as needed,” Kent says.

If you have type 2 diabetes and were put on insulin, it’s likely you need it to bring your blood sugar down farther than pills could. In this case, you’ll likely need to take insulin injections the rest of your life. If, however, you started taking insulin when you had an infection, needed surgery, or were hospitalized for a medical reason, your need for insulin may be temporary. These situations raise stress, and stress can raise blood sugar levels. When the stress abates, you may be able to taper or stop taking insulin and get back to your previous medication regimen.

“The big ‘if’ is whether your pancreas still makes enough insulin to get your glucose down,” says Dan Kent, Pharm.D., CDE, a specialty clinical pharmacist with Group Health in Seattle and member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators Board of Directors. “The glucose-lowering medications, other than insulin, available today (mainly pills and a few injectables) use various routes to lower glucose levels. They don’t lower glucose as much as insulin, in part because with insulin you can keep increasing the dose as needed,” Kent says.