Modern pharmacology offers patients with diabetes a huge selection of insulin preparations. And today we will talk about what types of insulin are.
Insulin: types
All available insulin preparations are divided into three types (depending on the time of action and the onset of the therapeutic effect):
- "short";
- "medium";
- "long".
"Short" insulins
Short-acting insulins are the most commonly prescribed for patients with blood sugar problems.
After the product enters the human body, it begins to work in thirty minutes. This translates it into the category of highly effective drugs used in the treatment of diabetes. Quite often, this type of insulin is prescribed simultaneously with long-acting insulins.
To make a choice, you need to take into account the following factors:
- general condition of the patient;
- injection site;
- dosage.
Insulin preparations are the most popular, starting to act already during the first15 minutes after administration. These are Apidra, Humagol and Novorapid.
Features
Among the fast-acting human insulins, it is worth highlighting the preparations "Homorap" and "Insumad Rapid". There is practically no difference between them. The only difference is in the amount of residue of amino acids present in its composition.
"Fast" insulins of animal origin also include drugs "Insulrap SPP", "Iletin II Regular" and others. They are most often prescribed for type II diabetes. Means from this category contain proteins with a different structure, and therefore are not suitable for all patients. For example, "rapid" insulins of animal origin should not be given to people whose bodies cannot process animal lipids.
Reception, dosage, storage of "short" insulins
Take the drug just before meals. In this case, it is food that accelerates the absorption of insulin, the effect occurs almost immediately.
"Fast" insulins can be taken orally, after diluting them to a liquid state.
If subcutaneous administration of the drug is practiced, then the injection should be done approximately 30 minutes before the planned meal.
The dosage for each person with diabetes is selected individually. For adults, the dose will be 8-24 units per day, and for children - no more than 8 units.
Store drugs attemperature +2-+8 degrees. A shelf in the refrigerator door is suitable for this.
"Average" insulins
Diabetics are forced to take medications to maintain normal blood sugar levels. But each type of diabetes needs a certain type of insulin. So a drug that has an average duration is used when glucose needs to be gradually broken down. It can also be used if "short" insulin is currently not available.
Features of "medium" insulins
Drugs have several features:
- they begin to act within 10 minutes after administration;
- It takes a long time for the product to fully break down.
Insulins in this category may have a different active base, in particular insulin zinc or isophane. The following drugs have proven themselves especially well:
- among human insulins - Protafan, Humulin, Monotard and Homolong;
- among the animal products are the medicines "Berlinsulin", "Monotard HM" and "Iletin II".
"Long" insulins
It is the timely introduction of the drug that allows diabetics to enjoy life without experiencing the discomfort caused by high blood sugar. How does this type of insulin preparations differ from others and what types of long-acting insulin exist - aboutlet's talk about it.
The main difference between insulin in this case is that the action of the drug lasts sometimes more than 24 hours.
In addition, all types of long-acting insulin contain chemical catalysts that ensure long-term operation of the drug. They also delay the absorption of sugars. The therapeutic effect occurs after about 4-6 hours, and the duration of action can be up to 36 hours.
Long-acting insulins: what types exist
The most commonly prescribed drugs are Determite and Glargine. Their main difference is a uniform decrease in blood sugar levels.
Ultratard, Ultralente-iletin-1, Huminsulin, Ultralong, etc. are also long-acting insulins
Medications are prescribed by the attending physician, which further helps to avoid various troubles in the form of side effects.
Medicine use and storage
Insulin of this type can only be administered by injection. Only after entering the body in this way, it begins to work. The injection is placed in the forearm, buttock or thigh.
Before use, the bottle must be shaken so that the mixture inside it acquires a uniform consistency. After that, it is ready to use.
Store the drug under the same conditions asshort acting insulins. Such a temperature regime prevents the formation of flakes and granulation of the mixture, as well as the oxidation of the drug.
Inject insulin once, sometimes twice a day.
Origin of insulin
Insulin differences - not only in the time of action, but also in the origin. Animal preparations and insulins identical to human are isolated.
The pancreas of pigs and cattle is used to obtain drugs from the first category. The biological structure of porcine-derived insulins suits humans the most. The difference in this case is quite insignificant - just one amino acid.
But the best drugs are, of course, human insulins, which are the most commonly used. Production of the product is possible in two ways:
- The first way is to replace one mismatched amino acid. In this case, semi-synthetic insulin is obtained.
- The second method of producing the drug involves E. coli, which is capable of synthesizing protein. This will already be a biosynthetic agent.
Preparations similar to human insulin have a number of advantages:
- to obtain the desired therapeutic effect requires the introduction of smaller doses;
- development of lipodystrophy is relatively rare;
- drug allergy is almost non-existent.
Degree of cleaning
Depending on the degree of purificationdrugs are divided into:
- traditional;
- monopic;
- monocomponent.
Traditional insulins are among the very first insulin preparations. They contained in their composition a huge variety of protein impurities, which became the cause of frequent allergic reactions. Currently, the production of such drugs has been significantly reduced.
Mono-peak insulin products have a very small amount of impurities (within acceptable limits). But monocomponent insulins are almost perfectly pure, since the amount of unnecessary impurities is even less than the lower limit.
Main differences between "short" and "long" insulins
| "Long" insulin | "Short" insulin | |
| Injection site | The injection is placed in the thigh, because in this case the drug is absorbed very slowly | The injection is placed in the skin of the abdomen, as in this case, insulin starts working almost immediately |
| Timing | Introduced at the same time (morning and evening). Simultaneously with the morning dose, an injection of "short" insulin is given | Take the drug 20 - 30 minutes before meals |
| Tethered to meals | "Long" insulin is not associated with food intake | After the introduction of short insulin, food must be taken without fail. If this is not done, then there is a possibility of developing hypoglycemia |
As you can see, the types of insulin (the table clearly shows this)differ in key parameters. And these features must be taken into account.
We reviewed all available types of insulin and their effect on the human body. We hope that the information was useful. Stay he althy!
