Key
Points:
- Insulin
is a hormone
normally produced
by the beta cells of the pancreas
- It
is essential for living
- For
people who have Type 1 diabetes, it is a savior
- Almost
all insulin available on the market is bio-engineered in
the labratory and is perfectly pure human insulin
- At
present, the only way to take insulin is by injection
Insulin:
|
Name
|
Type
|
Onset
of Action
|
Peak
action
|
Length
of action
|
Manufacturer
|
|
|
*Lispro
(Humalog)
|
rapid
acting
|
5
min. after injection
|
1
hour
|
3
hours
|
Eli
Lilly
|
|
*Aspart
(novolog)
|
rapid
acting
|
5
min. after injection
|
1
hour
|
3
hours
|
Novo
|
|
Regular
|
short
acting
|
30
min. after injection
|
2-3
hours
|
5-8
hours
|
Eli
Lilly & Novo
|
|
NPH
or Lente
|
Intermediate
acting
|
2
hours after injection
|
6-8
hours
|
10-12
hours
|
Eli
Lilly & Novo
|
|
Ultralente
|
long
lasting
|
6
hours after injection
|
no
peak
|
up
to 26 hours
|
Eli
Lilly & Novo
|
|
*Glargine
(Lantus)
|
long
lasting
|
|
no
peak
|
24
hours
|
Aventis
(not on market yet)
|
*Lispro, Aspart, & Glargine insulins may cause injection
site reactions and allergic reactions.
Premixed
Insulins:
| 70/30 |
Combination of 70% NPH and 30% Regular
|
Eli Lilly & Novo
|
| 75/25 |
Combination of 75% NPH and 25% Lispro (Hmalog)
|
Eli Lilly |
| 50/50 |
Combination of 50% NPH and 50% Regular
|
Eli Lilly & Novo |
Facts
common to all insulins:
- Insulin
may be kept at room temperature for four weeks or in the
refierator until the expiration date printed on the label.
Insulin kept at room temperature should be discarded after
30 days.
- Insulin
does not tolerate extremes in temperature - freezing or
above 86F.
- Insulin
is measured in Units (u). One U equals 1/100 of a milliliter
(ml or cc).
- There
are 1000 U in each vial of insulin.
- Common
side effects are hypogycemia and weight gain.
References:
American
Diabetes Association: Medical Management of Type 1 & Type
2 diabetes. 3rd & 4th ed. Alexandria, Virginia, 1998
Rubin,
Alan L: Diabetes for dummies: Your state-of-art guide to treatment
and management. Foster City, CA, IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.,
1999.
|
