humulin n pen
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Q: I am confused about insulin pens.?
I would like to switch to using an insulin pen, preferably one that uses the BD Ultra Fine III Short Pen Needles (or equivalent). I want a fast-acting insulin. What I am really confused about is the difference between Humulin N and Humulin R, mainly the difference in how quickly they work. I would prefer to stick with Lilly, as they make my other pen, Byetta, and would likely use the same type of pen needle.
I have discussed this with my doctor, she just wasn’t sure which types of insulin are available in a pen. She agreed with me on using fast-acting, and it will only be used as a back-up to the Byetta. This is just a matter of finding the type of insulin we are looking for in a pen. So far, the Humalog sounds about right.
A: R is short for regular. It is equivalent to the insulin that comes from the pancreas. It starts working in 30-45 minutes, peaks at about 1-2 hours, and lasts for about 4-6 hours.
N is short for NPH. It is regular insulin suspended in a special solution to make it absorb more slowly. It peaks in about 4-5 hours, and lasts for about 8 hours. This is used for basal insulin, usually 2 times a day. It’s absorption can be very irregular leading to wide swings in sugar.
Humalog, also made by Lily, is human insulin with 2 of the amino acids switched. It starts working in 15-20 minutes, peaks in about 1 hour, and lasts for about 3-5 hours.
Lantus is a long acting, “peakless” insulin that you could take once a day for basal insulin.
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