Many diabetic patients, especially new patients, always have a question when it comes to insulin therapy, and that is, if you take insulin, you have to use it for the rest of your life and can’t stop, right? This is a question that almost all diabetic patients are troubled by, and every diabetic doctor has to answer this question with great effort. Junming Hu, Department of Endocrinology and Nephrology, Baicheng City Hospital The use of insulin is an important and reliable method for the treatment of diabetic patients. It is because the occurrence of diabetes is related to the absolute or relative deficiency of insulin secretion. In other words, diabetic patients are insulin deficient! We can evaluate the pancreatic beta-cell function of diabetic patients to decide whether to use exogenous insulin supplementation and replacement therapy. If your pancreatic beta-cells only lose partial function, then some insulin supplementation is sufficient to meet the physiological requirements, if the pancreatic beta-cell function is almost completely lost, then only complete replacement by insulin is possible. Can I stop using insulin after using it for a period of time? It also depends on how your pancreatic beta-cell function is. In clinical practice, it is true that some patients who have been treated with insulin and other treatments have recovered their islet beta-cell function and their blood sugar is normal, and insulin is discontinued. It was found that this group of patients, through treatment with exogenous insulin, allowed their own depleted islet beta-cells to temporarily stop secreting insulin while recuperating and restoring their function. When the depleted islet beta-cells are rejuvenated, insulin can be stopped. In most patients, the function of pancreatic beta-cells is almost completely lost and irreversible, so insulin and other treatments must be applied to maintain the stability of blood sugar and reduce the occurrence of complications. We can illustrate this point by an analogy. When a leg is fractured due to an accident, we give him a pair of crutches along with treatment such as putting a cast or splint and limiting the movement of the injured leg. This will allow him to move and care for his injured leg, so that the function of the leg will be restored soon. At that time, he can throw away the crutches and walk normally. If his injury is so severe that the leg is amputated, even if the wound is healed, the function of the leg is completely lost, so he can only rely on crutches to maintain the rest of his life. At this point, it would be inconvenient to live without crutches. The use of insulin to treat diabetes is similar to this example. For patients treated with insulin, it must not be taboo and fearful of insulin. It can be said that the discovery and use of insulin is a major achievement in the course of mankind’s struggle with diabetes. It is currently the most effective drug for lowering blood sugar, and as long as it is used wisely, it does not have any side effects. The only inconvenience is that it requires subcutaneous administration instead of the convenient oral administration. However, its merits in the treatment of diabetes are inextinguishable and can be used by diabetic patients with confidence.