Insulin Overview for NCLEX

What is Insulin?

• Natural Hormone: Produced by the pancreas.
• Medication Form: Used to manage high blood sugar and high potassium levels.

Functions of Insulin

• Lowers Blood Sugar:
  • Insulin binds to cell receptors, stimulating glucose uptake and reducing blood glucose levels.
  • Used in treating high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) like in diabetes mellitus.
  • Risk of Hypoglycemia:
    • Over-treatment can cause low blood sugar.
    • Symptoms include chills, tachycardia, dizziness, and severe cases may lead to loss of consciousness.

Insulin and Potassium

• Lowers Potassium Levels:
  • Insulin helps reduce high potassium levels in the blood.
  • Symbolized by a banana peel in the video mnemonic (bananas are high in potassium).
  • Less common clinical use but relevant for exams.

Side Effects of Insulin

• Lipohypertrophy:
  • Occurs when insulin injection sites are not rotated.
  • Leads to fat deposits or lumps at the injection site.
  • Can hinder effective insulin delivery.

Preventing Lipohypertrophy

• Rotate Injection Sites:
  • Advise patients to change the injection site daily to avoid local fat buildup.
  • Important for maintaining insulin efficacy.

Summary

• Insulin is crucial for lowering blood sugar and managing hyperglycemia.
• Important to manage dosage to prevent hypoglycemia.
• Also useful in lowering potassium levels.
• Side effect includes lipohypertrophy, preventable by rotating injection sites.

Recommendations

• Check out additional mnemonic videos on specific types of insulin for detailed study.

This overview provides the general information applicable to all insulin types necessary for NCLEX preparation.