Why Your Doses Keep Changing

People new to Type 1 often assume the goal is to find the right doses and then stop thinking about them. That is not how it works, and knowing that early saves a lot of frustration.

Insulin needs move for several ordinary reasons.

• Growth. A growing child's requirements change repeatedly, and adolescence in particular pushes them up.
• Activity. A more active week lowers what you need; a sedentary one raises it.
• Illness. Fever and infection push glucose up, so more insulin is often needed even while eating less.
• Weight change, in either direction.
• Other medicines, steroids especially.
• The early months after diagnosis, when remaining insulin production can still be contributing.

So a dose that was correct in March may be wrong in July, without anyone having done anything wrong.

The practical response is regular review rather than constant tinkering. Look at a week of readings rather than reacting daily, change one thing at a time, and agree with your doctor which adjustments you can make yourself and which need a call.

If your doses have not been reviewed in a long time and your readings have drifted, that is a reason to book an appointment, not to increase things on your own.