What does What? (insulin)

[Stuboy]

Ok, i've heard so many different type of insulins for bolus and basal.

Just wondered if we could have an explanation of the different names and what those different insulins' 'characteristics' generally are?

THANKS :D

[spike]

Have you looked at the Lilly and Norvo Nordisk sites?

[DeusXM]

Here's a (brief) rundown of the ones most commonly used on the NHS.

BOLUS (Fast acting)

Humalog - made by Eli Lilly. Fits into the Humapen. Starts working in about 15 minutes, stops after 3 hours but mostly burnt out after 2 hours.

Novorapid - made by Novo Nordisk. Fits into the Novopen. Has a slightly more aggressive action profile, starting work after about 10 minutes. Similar burn-out to Humalog.

Basically these insulins are near-identical - some people find Humalog more aggressive, others find Novorapid more aggressive. Personally I'd go with Novorapid purely because your bolus insulin is the one you'll be using the most, so you'll need a sturdy pen.

BASAL (Long-acting)

Insulatard - made by Novo Nordisk. Fits into the Novopen. Lasts for around 14 hours or so, with a peak after about 4 hours which can prove problematic. Needs to be taken twice a day for effective coverage. Not really used anymore on the NHS because of its hypo-causing risks and weight gain issues.

Humalin I - Made by Eli Lilly. Fits into the Humapen. Basically, everything I've said about Insulatard applies here too.

Both the Humalin and Isulatard can also be known as NPH or isophanes.

Lantus - made by Sanofi Aventis. Fits into the Autopen. Lasts for about 24 hours, doesn't really have a peak.

Levemir - made by Novo Nordisk. Lasts for about 18 hours, doesn't really have a peak. Currently usually taken twice a day. The NHS seems particularly keen to promote Levemir over Lantus (in my PCT, anyway) which leads me to suspect there may be some sort of deal in place, especially since Novorapid seems to be used a lot more than Humalog.

If you go onto MDI, you will probably be put on Novorapid and Levemir.

[Stuboy]

perfect! Exactly the info i was looking for, Thanks Deus :D

[JediSkipdogg]

When I get home tonight I'll post a link of a cool PDF file that has everything Deus said in it. It's something I found one time that talks about all the insulins out there, their peak, duration, etc.

[Stuboy]

i'd be interested to see that, thanks!

[JediSkipdogg]

Got bored at work, so I found it again....This is a great section of the DiabetesHealth website to find simple comparison tables....

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/charts/

The insulin one is June 06

[sofaraway]

The NHS seems particularly keen to promote Levemir over Lantus (in my PCT, anyway) which leads me to suspect there may be some sort of deal in place, especially since Novorapid seems to be used a lot more than Humalog.

If you go onto MDI, you will probably be put on Novorapid and Levemir.

In my trust everyone gets put on novorapid as their bolus insulin, but lantus is preferred as the basal. I was given the choice and i chose lantus as there was more chance of only 1 injection needed to cover me the 24hours.

[Funnygrl]

My clinic prefers Lantus to Levemir, since Lantus only has to be given once a day, so it saves you one shot a day. It's also cheaper on my insurance. I don't think they care about bolus insulin. I asked for Novolog and was given a sample and a script for Novolog.