Inhaled Insulin

Researchers, doctors, and people with diabetes agree that injected insulin works well to manage the disease. They'll probably also say that getting insulin into your body through something other than a needle would be even better.

You can't get insulin in a pill, but how about breathing it in?

How Inhaled Insulin Works

The idea of inhaling insulin has been around for decades. It wasn't until the 1990s that researchers made it possible.

With an inhaler much like the ones people with asthma use, you breathe a fine insulin powder into your lungs. There, it enters your blood through tiny blood vessels.

Inhaled Insulin Today

It's not for diabetes emergencies such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Common side effects of inhaled insulin are low blood sugar, a cough, and a scratchy or sore throat.

If you have type 1 diabetes, you'll still need to take long-acting insulin, too, to help control your blood sugar.

If you smoke or you have a lung disease, such as asthma or COPD, you shouldn't use inhaled insulin.

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