When You Need More Blood Sugar Control

Even if you've been doing everything you can to manage your diabetes, you may still need more control over your blood sugar. This doesn't mean that you haven't been doing everything right. Diabetes changes over time. The most important thing about managing diabetes is finding the diabetes care plan that works best for you.

What is basal-bolus insulin therapy?

In the body of a person without diabetes, insulin works to control blood sugar:

• Insulin is released in steady amounts, day and night, to help control blood sugar between meals and during sleep
• Insulin is also released in bursts to help control blood sugar from meals

Someone with diabetes may need help controlling blood sugar in both ways:

• Insulin therapy that helps you control blood sugar between meals and during sleep is called long-acting or basal insulin
• Insulin therapy that helps you control blood sugar from meals is called bolus insulin , meaning itʼs released in a burst. NovoLog® is a bolus insulin

When you need more control over your blood sugar levels, your doctor may suggest basal-bolus therapy, also called intensive insulin therapy. Basal-bolus therapy is recommended for people with type 1 diabetes. It may also be recommended for people with type 2 diabetes who need better blood sugar control.

People on basal-bolus therapy monitor their blood sugar levels closely and take insulin doses often. The goal of this kind of insulin therapy is to mimic the way blood sugar is controlled naturally.

Your basal-bolus therapy care plan

In addition to changes in diet and exercise, your basal-bolus therapy care plan will include taking a long-acting basal insulin dose along with a dose of NovoLog® at mealtime up to 3 times daily.

This combination imitates the body's natural insulin response
and has been shown to help people with diabetes lower their
A1C levels.

It will also be important to:

• Monitor your blood sugar levels often
• Follow your meal and exercise plans closely
• Communicate with your diabetes care team regularly

Basal-bolus therapy is recommended for appropriate patients by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE).

For more information on intensive insulin therapy, talk with
your diabetes care team. Together, you can decide if it is right
for you. For help talking to your doctor, try using our Doctor Discussion Guide.