Deaths and paradoxes after intentional insulin overdosage.

Deaths and paradoxes after intentional insulin overdosage Deliberate self poisoning with insulin is uncommon and documented mainly as case reports.1-3 During 1978-81 we managed 20 episodes of insulin self poisoning; two of the patients died. Of 15 patients (eight men, seven women, aged 16-43), 12 were insulin dependent diabetics and three non-diabetics (two were wives of diabetics and one a nurse). Twelve episodes of self poisoning were due to injection of one insulin alone and the remaining eight to injection of mixtures of insulins with different durations of action.