Basal bolus regimen

On injections, this usually means one or two long-acting injections (Basal) a day plus a rapid-acting injection with each meal (Bolus), often called multiple daily injections (MDI). An insulin pump gives the same pattern using rapid-acting insulin alone. It is the usual way people living with type 1 diabetes use insulin, and some people living with type 2 diabetes use it too.

It allows flexibility in what and when you eat, because meal doses can be matched to food. Doses are often worked out from an insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio and a correction factor set with your diabetes team. Premixed insulin is a simpler option with less flexibility.