Why can't diabetics take insulin through their mouths?
Question:
Answers:
Insulin is aborbsed via fat cells and it must be administered via subcutaneous injections (not intramuscular). There are certain oral hypoglycemic meds, but those are reserved more for Type II or otherwise known as adult onset diabetes. Insulin can only be administered directly into the bloodstream via intravenous therapy and only in a hospital/ER setting. Levels need to be checked 30 minutes after IV administration as it lowers the blood sugar rapidly. Digestive enzymes in the stomach would break down insulin , therefore there's no accurate way to dose it. Some forms of intranasal and inhaled products will soon be available for limited populations. There are also insulin pumps that deliver small continuous increments of insulin through an implantable catheter. Dosing via pumps can be adjusted with blood sugar checks.
Other Answers:
the acid in your stomach will weaken it and it takes longer to get to your bloodstream. also if you inject it it goes straight to the bloodstream
It is broken down by the digestive system before it can work. They have inhalable insulin though. Insulin is a peptide that gets broken down in the gut before getting into the bloodstream so is not effective
alcohol goes straight through into blood
It is because the acid in the stomach destroys insulin, just as it destroys many other chemical compounds. I think they are working right now on an insulin spray which can be used nasally.
it takes longer for the insulin to travel through the body and to ythe point that needs insulin.
Their mouths are too small.
Insulin would die in your stomach acid. It is a base. It goes directly into the blood stream from the pancreas so it would not be any good once it went through the stomach. Taking pills is oral insuin, isn't it?
I think the stomach acids destroy it, they do have inhalable insulin coming out soon, it got approved by the fda a few months ago. I think that is great, I'm not diabetic but it will help lots of people.
because in order for the insulin to actually work you have to put it straight in your blood stream if you take things orally they have slow reaction time to do what they have to do and if you are needing insulin then you need it right away to help you live. it's kinda like a lifesaver but in a shot form. they are working on an insulin that you can inhale but that is only available over sea's. not all diabetic's are on insulin that is the last resort for them when they are to bad for pills or diet to control it.
there are some who are able to take it in pill form. It depends on how out of control the diabetes is. thing we digest require enzymes to digest them, and insulin is one thing we are not made to digest. no proper enzymes. alcohol is sugar, we can digest that.
It would not be possible for type 1 diabetics to take insulin through the mouth since it is absorbed through fat cells. Therefore, it must be injected to the fatty areas to work efficiently. It is not absorbed through the blood stream. Type 2 diabetics can take medication orally.
The first inhaled insulin, Exubera, was approved by the FDA in January 2006 for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. So there might be hope for an alternative means of taking insulin~
Wow, some of these answers are just ridiculous.
Pills are oral meds that work to reduce blood sugar. They are not insulin. Insulin shots does not mean your diabetes is more out of control, it simply means you require insulin to manage it- which is always the case in type 1 diabetes.
Insulin is not injected intramuscularly, it is injected subcutaneously.
The reason insulin must be injected is because it is a protein that your GI tract would break down. Not because it would take too long. And not because your body is too hot. Just because your body would digest it.
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