The two regimens below are examples of injection plans that are commonly used for flexible insulin therapy (FIT). Remember, FIT is an individualized approach based on age, lifestyle, and other factors. The regimen prescribed by your doctor may differ from the examples you see here.
These injection plans are designed to imitate the effect of a healthy pancreas. They use faster-acting insulin (bolus) before mealtimes to cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition, slower-acting insulin (basal) taken once or twice a day provides a constant low level of insulin in the body.
| Regimen 1 |
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Insulin
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Rapid-acting (Humalog or Novorapid), and long-acting such as Lantus® or Levemir
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Number of injections
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Four per day
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Injection times and types
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- Injection #1: At breakfast with rapid-acting (Humalog or Novorapid) insulin
- Injection #2: At lunch with rapid-acting insulin
- Injection #3: At dinner with rapid-acting insulin
- Injection #4: Long-acting insulin (Lantus or Levemir) once a day
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Dosage performance
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If your blood glucose reading is high at bedtime, a fifth injection at bedtime of rapid acting insulin may be needed to correct for high glucose.
Long-acting insulin once a day starts working in an hour and, and will cover your basal needs for 24 hours. This injection can be given at any time of the day (though the time should be consistent from one day to the next).
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Lantus® cannot be mixed with any other insulin
| Regimen 2 |
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Insulin
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Regular or rapid acting and intermediate acting (NPH)
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Number of injections
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Four per day
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Injection times and types
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- Injection #1: Up to 15 minutes before breakfast if using rapid- and intermediate-acting insulin mixed in one syringe
30 minutes before breakfast if using regular- and intermediate-acting insulin mixed in one syringe.
- Injection #2: Up to 15 minutes before lunch if using rapid-acting insulin. 30 minutes before lunch if using regular-acting insulin.
- Injection #3: Up to 15 minutes before dinner if using rapid-acting insulin. 30 minutes before dinner if using regular-acting insulin.
- Injection #4: At bedtime with intermediate-acting (NPH) insulin. An additional dose of short acting insulin at bedtime may be needed if glucose level is high.
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Dosage performance
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Intermediate insulin starts working in two to four hours. The morning dose covers you throughout the day and the evening dose works through the night.
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