Question:
How does an insulin shot help in the case of insulin resistance? It is my
understanding in the cases of diabetes because of IR, one can actually have
enough insulin production, but the body is not using it. How would
injecting *more* insulin help? Wouldn't this just add to insulin
resistance?
I'm asking in the context of GD, where IR medications are not used.
Sorry. This is probably a basic premise, but it has somehow escaped me.
Answer:
It's like "water resistant" and "water repellant." If a coat is "water
resistant" it'll keep you dry in a mist or a light shower, but if a
thunderstorm comes through, you're drenched. If that coat is "water
repellant," however, you'll stay dry even in the thunderstorm. (Well,
OK, your feet will still get wet, but you get the point.)
Insulin resistance is not insulin repellence. If you've got *enough*
insulin, you can overcome it, which is why people with "pre-diabetes"
show as making massive amounts of insulin. The problem in T2 is that
eventually we lose the ability to make enough insulin to overcome it.
Then we can either lower the insulin resistance or get some more insulin
from outside.
