I started insulin in December, you can read about my story here. I feel relieved with insulin, finally after years of feeling unable to control my blood sugar, I can do something about it. Despite repeated claims, I’ve not gained any weight and although I’ve had a few moderate hypos, I’ve never had one serious (requiring assistance).
I’ve come to the conclusion that most doctors make decisions about first prescribing insulin based on official guidance and managing liability. The guidance (such as the ADA stepwise therapy) says to evaluate every possible combination of oral medication before starting insulin, and only you start insulin when your blood sugar gets really, really bad. And the primary reason doctors told me that they wouldn’t prescribe insulin, that I would get fat and die from a hypo. Of course, once I started insulin on my own, no doctor has expressed any concern about weight gain or hypos.