“Do I need to take insulin forever?”

If you are a type II diabetic ( non insulin dependent), your physician may be able to wean you off insulin. Daily aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes, as well as strict adherence to a diabetic diet should help. That said, insulin is a very effective safe way to treat diabetes with less side effects when administered properly.

If you have a weight problem and go on a very low calorie diet, and the diabetes has not persisted for a long time, then it is possible but not probable. It is difficult to be on a very low calorie diet, less than 1000 calories a day. Best Dr. Norwood

Your doctor should measure your own levels but checking your c-peptide. C peptide is part of the insulin molecule not found in commercial preparations. If you make substantial c-peptide your endocrinologist can probably get you off insulin.

If you are disciplined with diet and exercise, it is possible (but not certain) that you might wean yourself off insulin.

Yes, it's possible to stop the insulin. I can't get too specific about it since I have too little information. If you have type 2 diabetes & remain in good control of your blood glucose, some of your beta cells that make insulin can rejuvenate and you could stop taking the insulin injections. To answer your question in more detail, I would need to have more information like your age, how long you have had diabetes, whether your diabetes is type 1 or 2, your HbA1c, and ,most importantly, what your weight & BMI are. Advising you to take insulin at night probably means you have an elevated fasting blood glucose. You should also test some after meal BS to see if your post-prandial glucose levels are also high & need to change daytime meds or take insulin with meals as well as at nighttime. The most important thing is to GET & KEEP YOUR BS IN CONTROL TO PREVENT COMPLICATIONS.