Category

• Antidiabetic agent—Buffered Insulin Human; Extended Insulin Zinc; Extended Insulin Human Zinc; Insulin; Insulin Human; Insulin Zinc; Insulin Human Zinc; Isophane Insulin; Isophane Insulin Human; Isophane Insulin Human and Insulin Human; Prompt Insulin Zinc; Buffered Insulin Human; Insulin; Insulin Human
• Diagnostic aid, pituitary growth hormone reserve

Description

Insulin (IN-su-lin) 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 in the following dosage forms:

Parenteral
• Buffered Insulin Human (a regular insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Extended Insulin Zinc (an ultralente insulin)
  • Injection
• Extended Insulin Human Zinc (an ultralente insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Insulin (a regular insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Insulin Human (a regular insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Insulin Zinc (a lente insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Insulin Human Zinc (a lente insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Isophane Insulin (an NPH insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Isophane Insulin Human (an NPH insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Isophane Insulin Human and Insulin Human (an NPH and a regular insulin)
  • Injection (U.S. and Canada)
• Prompt Insulin Zinc (a semilente insulin)
  • Injection

Brand Names

Some commonly used brand names are:

In the U.S.—

• Humulin 50/50 ¹⁴
• Humulin 70/30 ¹⁴
• Humulin 70/30 Pen ¹⁴
• Humulin L ¹⁰
• Humulin N ¹³
• Humulin N Pen ¹³
• Humulin R ⁷
• Humulin R, Regular U-500 (Concentrated) ⁷
• Humulin U ⁵
• Lente Iletin II ⁸
• Lente ⁸
• Novolin 70/30 ¹⁴
• Novolin L ¹⁰
• Novolin N ¹³
• Novolin N PenFill ¹³
• Novolin N Prefilled ¹³
• Novolin 70/30 PenFill ¹⁴
• Novolin 70/30 Prefilled ¹⁴
• Novolin R ⁷
• Novolin R PenFill ⁷
• Novolin R Prefilled ⁷
• NPH Iletin II ¹¹
• NPH Purified Insulin ¹¹
• Regular (Concentrated) Iletin II, U-500 ⁶
• Regular Iletin II ⁶
• Regular Insulin ⁶
• Velosulin BR ¹

In Canada—

• Humulin 10/90 ¹⁴
• Humulin 20/80 ¹⁴
• Humulin 30/70 ¹⁴
• Humulin 40/60 ¹⁴
• Humulin 50/50 ¹⁴
• Humulin-L ¹⁰
• Humulin-N ¹³
• Humulin-R ⁷
• Humulin-U ⁵
• Lente Iletin ⁸
• Lente Iletin II ⁸
• Novolin ge 30/70 ¹⁴
• Novolin ge Lente ¹⁰
• Novolin ge NPH ¹³
• Novolin ge NPH Penfill ¹³
• Novolin ge 10/90 Penfill ¹⁴
• Novolin ge 20/80 Penfill ¹⁴
• Novolin ge 30/70 Penfill ¹⁴
• Novolin ge 40/60 Penfill ¹⁴
• Novolin ge 50/50 Penfill ¹⁴
• Novolin ge Toronto ⁷
• Novolin ge Toronto Penfill ⁷
• Novolin ge Ultralente ⁵
• NPH Iletin ¹¹
• NPH Iletin II ¹¹
• Regular Iletin II ⁶
• Velosulin Human ¹

Other commonly used names are:

• Lente insulin, L
• NPH insulin, NPH
• Regular insulin, R
• Semilente insulin, S
• Ultralente insulin, U