Types of insulin
Insulin is used to treat people with diabetes. Each type of insulin acts over a specific amount of time. The amount of time can be affected by exercise, diet, illness, some medicines, stress, the dose, and where the insulin has been injected. Insulin is made by different companies. Make sure you use the same type of insulin consistently.
Types of insulin Type
Examples
Appearance
When it starts to work (onset)
The time of greatest effect (peak)
How long it lasts (duration)
Rapid-acting
Apidra (insulin glulisine)
Clear
15 minutes
60 minutes
2 to 4 hours
Humalog (insulin lispro)
Clear
5 to 10 minutes
30 to 90 minutes
3 to 5 hours
NovoLog (insulin aspart)
Clear
5 to 10 minutes
40 to 50 minutes
3 to 5 hours
Short-acting
Humulin-R (insulin regular)
Clear
30 minutes
1 to 2 hours
4 to 6 hours
Intermediate-acting
Humulin-N (insulin NPH)
Cloudy
1 to 2 hours
4 to 6 hours
8 to 24 hours
Levemir (insulin detemir)
Clear
Within a few minutes
Medicine is absorbed into the blood slowly so that there is no time of greatest effect.
24 hours
Long-acting
Lantus (insulin glargine)
Clear
Within a few minutes
Medicine is absorbed into the blood slowly so that there is no time of greatest effect.
24 hours
Rapid-acting insulins work over a narrow, more predictable range of time. The insulin Humalog is a quick-acting insulin with a short length (duration) of action. NovoLog is now approved for use in insulin pumps.
Rapid- and short-acting types of insulin take effect and wear off more quickly than long-acting insulins. The liquid insulins are clear and do not settle out when the bottle (vial) sits for a while. Rapid-acting insulin acts most like insulin produced by the human pancreas. It quickly drops the blood sugar level and works for a short time. If a rapid-acting insulin is used in the evening instead of a short-acting insulin, it may prevent severe drops in the blood sugar level in the middle of the night.
Intermediate- and long-acting types of insulin contain added substances (buffers) that make them work over a long time and may appear cloudy. When these types of insulin sit for even a few minutes, the buffered insulin settles to the bottom of the vial. But insulin glargine (Lantus) and insulin detemir (Levemir) are clear liquids, not cloudy.
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: January 15, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism | |
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