| Medication name | Onset | Peak | Duration |
Insulin glulisine (Apidra®)
Insulin aspart (Novolog®)
Insulin lispro (Humalog®)
|
10-20 minutes
|
1-3 hours
|
3-5 hours
|
|
Regular insulin
|
30-60 minutes
|
2-4 hours
|
5-8 hours
|
|
NPH insulin
|
50 minutes
|
5-7 hours
|
13-18 hours
|
|
Insulin detemir (Levemir®)
|
60-90 minutes
|
3-14 hours
|
6-23 hours
|
|
Insulin glargine (Lantus®)
|
90 minutes
|
No peak
|
Up to 24 hours
|
Pre-mixed insulin
70/30 (70% N and 30% R)
50/50 (50% N and 50% R)
|
½ hour
½ hour
|
2-12 hours
2-12 hours
|
18-24 hours
18-24 hours
|
Pre-mixed insulin Humalog® mix 75/25
(75% NPL and 25%
insulin lispro)
Humalog® mix 50/50
(50% insulin lispro
protamine suspension and 50% insulin lispro injection)
NovoLog® mix 70/30
(70% insulin as part protamine suspension and 30% insulin as part injection)
|
10-15 minutes
10-20 minutes
|
1-12 hours
1-12 hours
|
18 hours
18 hours
|
How it works:
- Injection in abdomen, legs, arms--insulin directly lowers
glucose levels by increasing uptake into muscle and fatty tissue,
and reducing release of glucose from the liver.
Side effects:
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Local allergic reaction (rare)
Comments/special instructions:
- Insulin may lead to weight gain.
- Humalog®, Novolog®, and Apidra® may be taken 15
minutes before eating and may be mixed with NPH.
- Regular insulin is taken 30 minutes before eating and may be
mixed with NPH.
- NPH is taken twice a day before meals or in the morning and at
bedtime.
Insulins made by different manufacturers should not be mixed,
e.g., Humulin-R® (Eli Lilly) should not be mixed with
Novolin-N® (Novo-Nordisk). Manufacturers use different
processes to produce their insulins, and different preservatives.
Their interactions have not been studied.
Insulin helps control blood sugar levels in people whose bodies
do not produce enough insulin.