Question

One of the patients at you clinical site has recently been diagnosed with diabetes. The patient will be using insulin to control his blood sugar and will be injecting the insulin subcutaneously in the thigh. You are concerned about the effects that exercise will have on the activity of the insulin and the patient’s blood sugar. Based on pharmacokinetic principles, what possible effect could exercise have on the insulin?

Answer 1

Ans) Based on pharmacokinetics principles, the possible effect that exercise have on insulin is:

- Exercise dramatically increases blood flow to skin and active skeletal muscle --> increased absorption of drugs administered subcutaneously and intramuscularly

- Exercise increases absorption of insulin up to 25%

- Therefore, patient may have to take more insulin because it will be absorbed faster through subcutaneous injections.

- Sugar is used first when exercising so they will need to inject more insulin to maintain levels of sugar.