How to Treat Insulin Poisoning

Insulin is normally produced by the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. However, for people with diabetes, insulin production is relatively low or absent and must receive additional insulin from an external source, usually by subcutaneous injection. The following steps will help you identify and treat a case of insulin poisoning.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Know the symptoms on an insulin overdose. The primary risk is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. The early symptoms include hunger, weakness, sweating, nervousness and headaches.
2. Check for later symptoms of insulin poisoning. These include euphoria, loss of concentration, blurred vision and drowsiness. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can lead to convulsions, coma and death.
3. Provide first aid. Symptoms usually begin to appear when the blood glucose level drops below 3.5 mmol/l. Oral glucose or 3 to 4 lumps of sugar should be given with water and repeated in 15 minutes or sooner if the symptoms reappear.
4. Administer glucose at once if the patient is unconscious. A 50 ml solution of 50 percent dextrose should be administered intravenously. Repeat in 15 minutes if there is no response.
5. Assume cerebral edema if consciousness is impaired even after the hypoglycemia has been corrected. Treat with 20 percent mannitol and corticosteroids unless the patient has cardiovascular disease. Maintain supportive care for several days to see if the neurological deficits improve.
6. Monitor the glucose level every 15 minutes and keep it in the 5 to 10 mmol/l range. Provide 10 mg of dexamethasone initially followed by 4 mg doses 4 times per day.