After administering regular insulin, when is a client at high risk for hypoglycemia?

Regular insulin has a quick onset of action, typically starting to lower blood sugar within about 30 minutes after administration, peaking around 2 to 3 hours later. Because of this rapid action, a client is at high risk for hypoglycemia approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour after the administration of regular insulin, when insulin levels peak and begin to lower blood glucose effectively.

At this time, if the client does not consume an appropriate amount of carbohydrates to match the insulin effect, their blood glucose could drop significantly, leading to hypoglycemic symptoms. Thus, the timing of hypoglycemia risk must be closely monitored to prevent adverse effects.

The other options represent times when the risk is lower. For instance, administering insulin 30 minutes before a procedure or immediately before eating doesn't align with the peak time for insulin effectiveness, which explains why these scenarios are less of a concern for immediate hypoglycemia risk.