Insulin Uses

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• Insulin indications
• Insulin description
• Insulin dosage
• Insulin interactions
• Insulin side effects
• Insulin contraindications

What is Insulin?

Insulin is one of many hormones that helps the body turn the food we eat into energy. Also, Insulin helps us store energy that we can use later. After we eat, Insulin works by causing sugar (glucose) to go from the blood into our body's cells to make fat, sugar, and protein. When we need more energy between meals, Insulin will help us use the fat, sugar, and protein that we have stored. This occurs whether we make our own Insulin in the pancreas gland or take it by injection.

Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) is a condition in which the body does not make enough Insulin to meet its needs or does not properly use the Insulin it makes. Without Insulin, glucose cannot get into the body's cells. Without glucose, the cells will not work properly.

To work properly, the amount of Insulin you use must be balanced against the amount and type of food you eat and the amount of exercise you do. If you change your diet, your exercise, or both without changing your Insulin dose, your blood glucose level can drop too low or rise too high. A prescription is not necessary to purchase most Insulin. However, your doctor must first determine your Insulin needs and provide you with special instructions for control of your diabetes

Insulin can be obtained from beef or pork pancreas glands. Another type of Insulin that you may use is called human Insulin. It is just like the Insulin made by humans but it is made by methods called semi-synthetic or recombinant DNA. All types of Insulin must be injected because, if taken by mouth, Insulin is destroyed in the stomach.

Insulin is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although this use is not included in product labeling, regular Insulin is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:

• Growth hormone deficiency testing
• Prevent complications of diabetes, including eye problems (retinopathy), kidney disease (nephropathy), and nerve damage (neuropathy)
• Treat high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) in low birth weight infants

Insulin indications

Intramuscular

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Adult: As soluble Insulin, initial loading dose of 20 units, followed by 6 units/hr until blood glucose drops to 10 mmol/l, when the dose is given 2 hrly.

Intravenous

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Adult: As soluble Insulin, given in concentration of 1 unit/ml using an infusion pump: Initially infuse at a rate of 6 units/hr, double or quadruple the rate if blood glucose concentration do not decrease by about 5 mmol/l/hr. If blood glucose concentrations have decreased to 10 mmol/l, reduce the infusion rate to 3 units/hr and continue with 5% glucose to prevent hypoglycaemia, until the patient can eat orally. Do not stop the Insulin infusion before SC Insulin is started. Ensure adequate fluid replacement and include potassium chloride in the infusion to prevent Insulin-induced hypokalaemia.

Child: As soluble Insulin, given in concentration of 1 unit/ml using an infusion pump: Initially infuse at a rate of 0.1 units/kg/hr, double or quadruple the rate if blood glucose concentration do not decrease by about 5 mmol/l/hr. If blood glucose concentrations have decreased to 10 mmol/l, reduce the infusion rate to 0.05 units/kg/hr and continue with 5% glucose to prevent hypoglycaemia, until the patient can eat orally. Do not stop the Insulin infusion before SC Insulin is started. Ensure adequate fluid replacement and include potassium chloride in the infusion to prevent Insulin-induced hypokalaemia.

Subcutaneous

Diabetes mellitus

Adult: Admin according to requirements; inject into thighs, upper arms, buttocks, or abdomen.

How should I use Insulin?

Use Insulin powder as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.

• Insulin powder comes with an extra patient information sheet called a Medication Guide. Read it carefully. Read it again each time you get Insulin powder refilled.
• If you are using Insulin powder with meals, use your dose within 10 minutes before the meal begins unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
• A health care provider will teach you how to use Insulin powder. Be sure you understand how to use Insulin powder. Follow the procedures you are taught when you use a dose. Contact your health care provider if you have any questions.
• Be sure that you have blisters that contain the correct amount of medicine that you need. Do NOT use three 1 mg blisters in place of one 3 mg blister. If you need a 3 mg blister and do not have one, use two 1 mg blisters unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
• Do NOT open the medicine blister or swallow Insulin powder. Insulin powder is a powder for inhalation into the lungs. Use it only with the inhaler device provided. Do not use it with any other type of inhaler device.
• To prepare the inhaler device - Hold it so that the words " Exubera Inhaler" face you. Pull the black ring at the bottom of the base to pull the base out of the chamber. You should hear a click when the inhaler device is fully extended. The bottom of the chamber must be above the gray button.
• To load the inhaler device - Hold a medicine blister with the printed side up and the notch pointed toward the inhaler. Insert it into the slot on the inhaler device. Push it in as far as it will go. Make sure the mouthpiece is closed. Pull the blue handle out from the bottom as far as it will go, and then squeeze the blue handle until it snaps shut.
• To use Insulin powder - Stand or sit up straight. Hold the inhaler upright, with the blue button facing toward you. Push the blue button until it clicks and watch for the Insulin cloud to fill the chamber.
• After the cloud appears, breathe out normally and turn the mouthpiece so that it is facing toward you. Place the mouthpiece fully in your mouth and form a seal around the mouthpiece with your lips. Do NOT blow into the mouthpiece. Do not block the opening with your tongue or teeth. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your mouth to inhale the Insulin cloud and then take the inhaler device out of your mouth. Close your mouth and hold your breath for 5 seconds, and then breathe out normally.
• Turn the mouthpiece to the closed position. Press the gray button, pull out the used medicine blister, and throw it away. Do not reuse a medicine blister. If you need to inhale another blister to complete your dose, repeat the steps above. Inhale only one blister at a time.
• To store the inhaler device - Squeeze the 2 chamber release buttons on the side of the base at the same time. Push the base back into the chamber.
• Carefully follow the instructions for cleaning and caring for the inhaler device. Replace the Exubera release unit every 2 weeks to ensure that the inhaler device will work properly.
• Insulin powder begins to lower blood sugar about 10 to 20 minutes after you use a dose. The peak effect occurs about 2 hours after you use a dose. The effect of Insulin powder lasts for up to 6 hours.
• If you also use bronchodilators or other inhaled products, they may increase the risk of high or low blood sugar. It is important to time your doses consistently with regard to Insulin powder. Ask your doctor how to use bronchodilators or other inhaled products with Insulin powder.
• It is very important to follow your Insulin regimen exactly. Do NOT miss any doses. Ask your doctor for specific instructions to follow in case you ever miss a dose of Insulin.

Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use Insulin powder.

Insulin description

Insulin is a hormone that is central to regulating energy and glucose metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle.

Insulin stops the use of fat as an energy source. When Insulin is absent, glucose is not taken up by body cells and the body begins to use fat as an energy source, for example, by transfer of lipids from adipose tissue to the liver for mobilization as an energy source. As its level is a central metabolic control mechanism, its status is also used as a control signal to other body systems (such as amino acid uptake by body cells). In addition, it has several other anabolic effects throughout the body.

When control of Insulin levels fails, diabetes mellitus will result. As a consequence, Insulin is used medically to treat some forms of diabetes mellitus. Patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus depend on external Insulin (most commonly injected subcutaneously) for their survival because the hormone is no longer produced internally. Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus are Insulin resistant, and because of such resistance, may suffer from a relative Insulin deficiency. Some patients with Type 2 diabetes may eventually require Insulin if other medications fail to control blood glucose levels adequately, though this is somewhat uncommon.

Insulin also influences other body functions, such as vascular compliance and cognition. Once Insulin enters the human brain, it enhances learning and memory and in particular benefits verbal memory.

Insulin is a peptide hormone composed of 51 amino acids and has a molecular weight of 5808 Da. It is produced in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The name comes from the Latin insula for "island". Insulin's structure varies slightly between species of animal. Insulin from animal sources differs somewhat in "strength" (in carbohydrate metabolism control effects) in humans because of those variations. Porcine (pig) Insulin is especially close to the human version.

Insulin dosage

Adult : IV Diabetic ketoacidosis As soluble Insulin at a concentration of 1 u/mL via an infusion pump: Initial: Infuse at a rate of 6 u/hr, double or quadruple the rate if blood glucose concentration do not decrease by about 5 mmol/L/hr. If blood glucose concentrations have decreased to 10 mmol/L, reduce infusion rate to 3 u/hr and continue w/ 5% glucose until the patient can eat orally. IM Diabetic ketoacidosis As soluble Insulin: Loading dose: 20 u, then 6 u/hr until blood glucose drops to 10 mmol/L, when the dose is given 2 hrly. SC DM Dosage should be individualised and adjusted based on patient's glycaemic response.

Insulin interactions

Possible absence of hypoglycaemic warning symptoms with β-blockers. Decreased hypoglycaemic effect with corticosteroids, danazol, diazoxide, diuretics, glucagon, isoniazid, phenothiazine derivatives, somatropin, sympathomimetic agents, thyroid hormones, oestrogens, progestins (e.g. in oral contraceptives), protease inhibitors and atypical antipsychotic (e.g. olanzapine and clozapine). Increased hypoglycaemic effect with oral antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, MAOIs, pentoxifylline, propoxyphene, salicylates and sulfonamide antibiotics. Decreased Insulin resistance with octreotide and lanreotide. Increased risk of wt gain and peripheral oedema with pioglitazone, rosiglitazone. Decreased effect of sermorelin.

Insulin side effects

See also:
What are the possible side effects of Insulin?

Hypoglycaemia, Insulin resistance, lipoatrophy, hypokalaemia, blurred vision.

Insulin contraindications

See also:
What is the most important information I should know about Insulin?

Hypoglycaemia.

Active ingredient matches for Insulin:

Insulin

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Information checked by Dr. Sachin Kumar, MD Pharmacology