There has long been interest in the use of insulin to provide a peaceful death. Reasons for this are easy to understand. In most developed nations, there is a huge growth in the number of people with Type 2 diabetes. There is, therefore, a corresponding increase in the number of people with ready access to this drug. An additional factor is the common chronic complications that often accompany severe forms of this disease. These symptoms can often so limit a person’s quality of life, that the option of a peaceful death is sought. This may also drive interest in the use of this drug.
What is Insulin & is it Effective?
Insulin is a substance produced in the pancreas that controls sugar levels in the body. If the pancreas fails (type 1 diabetes), or if the insulin produced fails to have the expected effect (type 2 diabetes), blood sugar levels (BSL) will rise, and disease will result. Synthetic insulin is used to drive down the BSL to normal levels. However, if an overdose of this drug is taken, the blood sugar can be pushed dangerously low, and diabetic hypoglycemic coma and death result.
A hypoglycemic death from an insulin overdose (where the brain is starved from sugar) can be relatively peaceful. Initial symptoms
