page_title: Subcutaneous injection
section_title: Subcutaneous insulin injections in diabetes mellitus
hierarchical_section_title: Subcutaneous injection / Subcutaneous insulin injections in diabetes mellitus
caption_attribution_description: English: mbbradford, i made this image myself
context_page_description: A subcutaneous injection is administered as a bolus into the subcutis, the layer of skin directly below the dermis and epidermis, collectively referred to as the cutis. Subcutaneous injections are highly effective in administering medications such as insulin, morphine, diacetylmorphine and goserelin. Subcutaneous injection of recreational drugs is referred to as "skin popping." Subcutaneous administration may be abbreviated as SC, SQ, sub-cu, sub-Q, SubQ, or subcut. Subcut is the preferred abbreviation for patient safety.
  Subcutaneous tissue has few blood vessels and so drugs injected here are for slow, sustained rates of absorption. It is slower than intramuscular injections but still faster than intradermal injections.
context_section_description: A person with insulin-dependent (either type 1 or type 2) diabetes mellitus typically injects insulin subcutaneously.
  The injection should be given under the skin, into the fat layer.
caption: An insulin pump with a subcutaneous injection site
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