There are so many types of insulin. What are their characteristics and what should we pay attention to when using them?

A friend left a message to Huazi, saying that there are too many types of insulin now and he doesn't know which one to choose. Huazi said that insulin is a prescription drug that needs to be injected. If it is used improperly, it is very easy to cause adverse reactions such as hypoglycemia, and even life-threatening. Therefore, insulin should be used under the guidance of a professional endocrinologist.

However, Huazi can briefly talk about the characteristics of different insulins, which can be used as a reference when choosing. In fact, the characteristics of different insulins can be summarized into two points: the first is the different ingredients, and the second is the different duration of efficacy.

1. The difference between insulins with different ingredients. There are three types of insulin currently used, namely animal insulin (porcine and bovine), recombinant human insulin, and human insulin analogs (aspart, lispro, glulisine, glargine, detemir, degludec, etc.).

Animal insulin has alloantigens and is prone to allergic reactions. It is rarely used nowadays, and the vast majority of diabetic patients use the latter two types.

Compared with human insulin analogs, recombinant human insulin has fewer adverse reactions (hypoglycemia, subcutaneous nodules, insulin resistance, etc.), so if diabetic patients need insulin treatment, it is recommended to give priority to human insulin analogs.

2. Rapid-acting and long-acting insulin 1. Classification of insulin with different ingredients

Short-acting insulin: All recombinant human insulins are short-acting insulins, and among the human insulin analogs, aspart, lispro, and glulisine are ultra-short-acting insulins.

Long-acting insulin: Glargine, detemir and degludec are long-acting insulins among human insulin analogs, and all three can be used as basal insulin. Among them, degludec insulin has the longest duration of action, no absorption peak when used, and the smallest blood sugar fluctuation.

Short-acting insulin can also exert a long-acting effect after combining with protamine.

2. The difference between insulin with "R", "N", and numbers

R: stands for short-acting insulin;

N: stands for long-acting protamine insulin;

50R or 50: represents 50% short-acting insulin mixed with 50% long-acting protamine insulin.

30R or 30: represents 30% short-acting insulin mixed with 70% long-acting protamine insulin.

25R or 25: represents 25% short-acting insulin mixed with 75% long-acting protamine insulin.

3. Indications of different insulins Everyone should understand that all insulins and insulin analogs have the same pharmacological effects and need to be used under the guidance of a doctor. It is not recommended to adjust the dosage by yourself. When using it specifically, you need to choose according to the type of blood sugar.

If fasting blood sugar is high but postprandial blood sugar is normal, you can consider using long-acting insulin to control it.

If postprandial blood sugar is high and fasting blood sugar is normal, you can consider using short-acting insulin before meals to enhance control of postprandial blood sugar.

If both fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar are elevated, you can consider using a mixed insulin to control them.

During the use of insulin, diet and exercise should be coordinated at the same time, and a regular pattern should be formed. The calories consumed by diet and exercise should be kept at a relatively stable state, and cannot be increased or decreased at will.

In particular, when using short-acting insulin or mixed insulin, you must eat on time to avoid hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is harmful to the brain, and severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening.

When using long-acting insulin, there is no mandatory requirement for meal times, but injections must be made at the same time every day to maintain stable blood drug concentrations and avoid blood sugar fluctuations.

Obesity can cause severe insulin resistance, rendering medication ineffective, so people who are overweight need to lose weight.

To sum up, although there are many types of insulin, the commonly used insulin now is actually recombinant human insulin and human insulin analogs, of which the latter is more effective. When using it, the doctor will choose short-acting, long-acting or mixed insulin according to the patient's blood sugar level.

Diabetic patients must use insulin under the guidance of a doctor and do not change the dosage without authorization. At the same time, they should also cooperate with diet and exercise. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor and pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.