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Types of Insulin
Types of InsulinTo keep your blood glucose in a healthy range, you may be prescribed insulin. There are several differenttypes of insulin used to manage diabetes.They are: Rapid Acting, Short Acting, Intermediate Acting, and Long Acting.Insulins are grouped into one of these types based on their actions. How quickly they begin to lower your bloodglucose is called onset.The time they are working the hardest to lower your blood glucose is called Peak.And how long they work to lower your blood glucose is called Duration.It’s important to know which kind of insulin you use and understand how it works.Rapid acting insulins begin to work very quickly, usually within 15 minutes. They peak at 30 minutes to one anda half hours, and their duration is a total of 3-4 hours.Since Rapid acting insulin begins to lower your blood glucose almost immediately, you must be ready to begineating your meal before you take it. Otherwise, your blood glucose could drop too low.The only type of Short Acting insulin is Regular. Its onset is in about 30 minutes to an hour after injection. Itspeak is at two to three hours and its duration is three to six hours.The only intermediate acting insulin is NPH.Its onset is in about two to four hours, its peak at 4-10 hours and its duration is 10 to 18 hours.There are three long acting insulins: Determir, Degludec and Glargine. Long-acting insulin onset happens in alittle more than an hour, and it works at the same level for up to twenty-four hours with no peaks. It’s importantto take long-acting insulin at the same time everyday.Many factors will help you and your diabetes care team determine which insulin, or insulins, will work best tohelp you achieve your blood glucose goals. These factors include the type of diabetes you have, your age,your weight and your lifestyle.Sometimes using more than one insulin achieves the best blood glucose restults.Taking more than one insulin can even out your blood glucose level throughout the day. You may take a longeracting insulin to provide a steady dose of insulin throughout the day and inject a rapid acting insulin just beforeeach meal.Some people inject 2 insulins in the same syringe at the same time; a shorter acting and an intermediateacting insulin.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG10158B EN TypesOfInsulin.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2Types of InsulinThese are called mixed doses, and may be mixed by hand, or they may come premixed.Be aware, however, that Long-acting insulins Detemir and Glargine cannot be mixed with other insulins.Remember the goal of using insulin is to keep your blood glucose in your target range throughout the day. Thismay help you avoid complications from diabetes in the future.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG10158B EN TypesOfInsulin.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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