Insulin is a medication that is often used to treat diabetes because it either replaces or supplements the insulin that diabetics struggle to produce. Because insulin is a protein, it cannot be consumed orally and must be injected so that it can enter the bloodstream, where it produces its effect. Insulin is usually injected using single-use syringes, which usually come with the insulin supplies.
Step 1
Find the total volume of the syringe. This will either be on the packaging for the syringe or on the very end of the syringe. Your syringe's volume will be given in terms of milliliters or "units" (for syringes specifically designed for insulin use).
Step 2
Identify all of the gradation numbers on the syringe's barrel. For example, if the total volume of your insulin syringe is 100 units, you will probably see labeled gradations (small lines next to the numbers) every 10 units (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100). If your syringe is measured in milliliters, the gradations will be for every tenth of a milliliter.
Step 3
Look for sub-gradations. For insulin syringes, there are typically four sub-gradations in between every number. In these cases, each sub-gradation will be one-fifth of the numbered gradation. For example, in a syringe with labeled lines for every ten units, the smaller sub-gradations represent two units. For syringes with markings every tenth of a milliter, the sub-gradations represent two hundredths of a milliliter.
Step 4
Identify how much liquid is in the syringe. The amount of liquid in the syringe can be measured by matching up the front of the rubber part of the plunger (located inside the barrel of the syringe) to the line with the gradation or sub-gradation.
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