Insulin

How does insulin work? Insulin is at the center of the universe for people with diabetes. While other topics are often discussed more frequently, the core of diabetes treatment is making sure you get enough insulin to function properly. Nonetheless, it is surprising to search various diabetes websites and see relatively little focus on this … Read more

Do you need rapid acting insulin? Novorapid (outside the United States) and Novolog (in the United States) are the brand names for Novodisk’s fast acting insulin product. The science behind these products is fascinating, even for a non-scientific person like me. While the benefits listed by the company are tremendous, there has been criticism about … Read more

Synthetic insulin was first made in 1978 by scientists at Genetech, Inc. and City of Hope National Medical Center. This achievement was a giant step forward in insulin production for people with diabetes. Previously, pig and cattle pancreas glands were the only viable method of production. While sufficient for most diabetics, the use of animals … Read more

Lantus insulin is the brand name of Long Lasting (24 hour) insulin marketed by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis. The key advantage of Lantus is that it is the only 24 hour insulin that is approved for a once daily injection. Meaning, it is the only insulin where you have to take one injection and … Read more

Levemir Insulin is the brand name of long lasting insulin manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Levemir is a form of insulin detemir, which a type of synthetic insulin of rDNA origin. Insulin detemir is similar to human insulin, although it has been chemically modified. The key advantage of Levemir is that it acts … Read more

NPH insulin is the abbreviation for Neutral Protamine Hagedorn Insulin, an intermediate acting insulin. However, the technical aspects of this name are not overly important for the lay person. NPH is also known as NPH Human Insulin and Humulin N (Eli Lilly and Company brand name). NPH is highly effective for the treatment of diabetes. … Read more

Oral Insulin, sometimes called inhaled insulin, has been the holy grail of diabetes management since insulin was first developed for human use in the 1920’s. While much pursued, it has been difficult, if not impossible to capture. However, this may have changed. But first, let’s take a look at why scientists are working so hard … Read more

Rapid acting insulin is 1 of 5 categories of insulin. The other types of insulin are short acting, intermediate acting, long acting and pre-mix solutions. The rapid acting typical use is to help process increased glucose levels during meal times. The three main characteristics of the insulin are as follows. The onset is very quick, … Read more

The term Sliding Scale Insulin refers to a method that insulin can be delivered to diabetic patients. This treatment is almost universally done in a hospital setting. The term “sliding scale” means that the patient is given more or less insulin on a predetermined scale, depending upon his or her blood sugar levels. Only short … Read more