Humalog

Humalog questions and answers

Learn more about Humalog.

Q: AS a casE OF IDDM how I can measure carbs in food?I inject lantus and humalog?
I want to know how I could measure for example carbs in a sandwich in 100 Grams bread and an apple a candy so that I adjust correctly my humalog insulin.

A: You need to determine your carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio. This may change by time of day and other factors, but a good place to start is 1:15. Many people find that 1 unit of Humalog covers 15g of carbohydrate. When you say 100g of bread, how many grams of carb are in that? A small slice of white bread has around 15--you can check food packages for more accurate size and numbers. A lot of store-bought bread has 25g of carb per slice. Sooooo.... a sandwich made with two slices of 25g carb bread = 50g. If your insulin-to-carb ratio is 1:15, you would take 3.3 units of Humalog to cover the sandwich (assuming the filling has no carbs). CalorieKing.com is a good resource. Here is what they say for a 4.5 oz apple: http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fruits-fresh-apples-w-skin-raw-edible-portion_f-Y2lkPTM3MDY4JmJpZD0xJmZpZD02Mzg3OCZlaWQ9MTA4MDg1ODc2JnBvcz0xJnBhcj0ma2V5PWFwcGxl.html A kitchen scale is valuable for items like fruit that come in varying sizes. Test two hours after meals to see if your BGs are in range. If not, adjust accordingly (by changing your insulin-to-carb ratio up or down).

Q: how long does humalog work before loosing it's power to drop your blood sugar.?
An hour and 40 minutes ago, I just took the wrong kind of insulin at a very high dose, of 35 units, I've been able to keep my bloodsugar from crashing by eating pure frozen orange juice concentrate right from the can. but my bloodsugar is still slipping. How long do I have to do this, until I know i'm out of the woods.

A: Humalog has a half life of 2-4 hours. You should really go to the hospital so that you can be monitored. If your blood sugar drops too low you won't have the cognitive ability nor the physical ability to try and correct it. Really, go to the hospital.

Q: How many mg/dl of blood suger can be corected by one unit Humalog insulin according to your experiece?
I am a case of IDDM get use of Glargine as basal and Humalog for covering the meals and extra blood sugaer .I want to know for example if before meal my blood sugar is 200 mg.dl how many Humalog is needed to correct my BSto 80mg/dl.I know for the meal I should take insulin according to the quantity of carbs I use.Thanks a lot

A: This is called a correction factor or senstitivity factor. There's a formula that you can use to figure this out. This works best for someone who has type 1, but those who are using both long acting insulin and fast acting like humalog can use it too. Everyone is different so there's not one number that works for everyone. This formula also works best for those who know that their long acting insulin is set correctly, not causing lows with too much and not causing highs from too little. First figure out how many TOTAL units of insulin you're using, both your long and fast acting insulins. Then look at how much of the total your long acting insulin makes of up of this number. Most people will use 50% of their total insulin as long acting, and the other half will be 50% fast acting, on average. If this is you, divide 1800 by your TOTAL units of insulin per day. For example, if you use 40 units total per day divide 1800 by 40 which would give you 45. One unit of insulin will lower you 45 points. If your long acting insulin makes up LESS than 50% of your TOTAL insulin per day, (but it shouldn't be less than 40%, that would mean you need to make adjustments to your insulin) you can use 1600 to 1800 to divide into. If your long acting insulin is MORE than 50% (but not higher than 60%, again, this means your insulin needs to be adjusted) you can use anything between 1800 and 2200 to divide into. You should speak to your doctor before attempting these formulas and when figuring them you should test a lot to make sure your glucose doesn't drop to low until you are sure you have the correct dose figured out. This is called the 1800 rule. You can learn more about it in a book called Using Insulin. Or for pumpers you can find it in Pumping Insulin.

Q: Any diabetics know about Humalog insulin?
My boyfriend accidentally took 55 units of Humalog instead of Lantus. When I arrived at his house, it was a regular fiasco between his ignorant mooching daughter and me. I called the ER of the hospital where I work and asked them whether we had enough time to make the 26 mi trip or if I should wait for an ambulance. The ER physician told me to wait for an ambulance and they would start an IV and administer a stat amp D-50. When the ambulance arrived, the EMT told him to eat a snack and that would take care of it. What would you have done? I will fill you in on the rest later.

A: holy cow 55 units???? that is a huge amount! I would have definately called 911 immediately! 55 u of Lantus is an awful lot even - that is his required dosage?? I can't believe the EMT said to have a 'snack' - did they know it was Humalog when he said that? Actually, before calling 911 I would have given him a shot of glucagon - did you or he or daughter test him? Seriously, I'm surprised he isn't dead! I'm glad also, but that is just amazing! what was his blood sugar? I hope it all turns out ok

Q: if i took lantus then 2 hrs later put diluted humalog in the same spot is that dangerous?
wat can happen my 2 yrs old has type 1 diabetes my husband gave him 2 units of lantus and 2 hours i gave him 15 units of diluted humalog in the same spot is that dangerous

A: no you just cant mix them in the same syringe im a type 1 on lantus and Also humalog,but always call your doc when concerned since your child is young and may not be able to tell you when he feels something that is off!

Q: IS it better to inject humalog before meal or after it?
As a case of IDDM I usually take humalog after meal because I know how much carb I exactly have consumed what is your comments as a diabetic in this regards?

A: It depends. Reasons to wait until after a meal: -Your blood sugar was low prior to your meal -Your meal is mostly low GI foods (i.e. brown rice, beans, etc.) -You're not sure how much will be eaten (this is common in young children, I suggest parents do this with all toddlers) -You have gastroparesis (nerve damage that can slow digestion). -You are not absorbing your food properly due to illness or are having unpredictable low blood sugars that day. -You do not have the food in front of you (assuming you use analogues). Reasons to not wait: -Your blood sugar is already high and/or your meal is high GI (potatoes, certain cereals, bananas, etc.) -You know exactly how much you will eat, and your food is right in front of you. -Your absorbtion of insulin sometimes takes longer than most people (i.e. you have scar tissue). There is no real right or wrong way, your needs are individual, and will most likely change from meal to meal. It's easy for me to crank out suggestions, but it's much harder to manage in real life. The best thing I can say is to use trial and error, and see what generally works for you. If you don't know about the GI index, you can search for more info on the 'net, and/or see a dietitian. I say, whatever works, stick with it!

Q: How do you pronounce Humalog and Humulin, Lantus?
how do you pronounce these drugs?

A: Pronunciation [hyoo-myuh-lin or, often, yoo-] Show IPA Pharmacology, Trademark. a brand of human insulin produced by genetically engineered bacteria http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Humulin?jss=1 No results found for Humalog :

Q: Can I have a glass of red wine. I am on humalog as needed and Lantus once daily in the morning.?
My cholesterol is just a little bit high and I read that a glass of red wine now and then is good to bring up the good cholesterol numbers. I just want like half a glass every other day. Is it okay to drink just a little when taking insulin?

A: Welch's brand grape juice is just as good for this purpose. The best food for lowing cholesterol is oatmeal. One bowl of oatmeal every day can lower your total cholesterol. If you're on any other med, be cautious about consuming alcohol with it. Ask your pharmacist.

Q: Why has my humalog insulin stopped working?
I went on vacation and brought an additional Humalog pen with me. When I started using it about a week later it was working okay at first. But last night I had to throw the insulin out because it was working at all. The temp last week didn't go above 80 deg and I kept the additional pen inside near dark. I thought the max temp was 85? I'm just not sure why it worked for the first couple of days this week, but then all of a sudden it was not affective? By not working I mean my blood glucose would not come down (until I opened a new pen).

A: I use humalog insulin. When i buy the insulin, I always leave it out of refrigerator. I hate injecting cold insulin. I live here in the south and the temperature is in the 90s and heat has little effect on the insulin. Perhaps there was another reason like stress or infection or etc. You mentioned a vacation. Hhhhhmmm When I came back from my vacation, I had double the work and double the stress. Sometimes I have no idea why my blood sugar is so off but it happens

Q: what is the insulin similar to humalog from novo nordisk company?
I need the exact name of the insulin similar to ones of Novo Nordisk.This isulin has a onset of 15 minutesthe peak is 40-50 minuets and the duration of action is 3-5.if somebody address me the exact name specially which brand is avaiable in Germany?Iwant to use it with Lantus insulin as basal.

A: novolog. Remember lantus needs to be injected separately from any other insulin injection.

Q: How many seconds PER UNIT of insulin do you count for a Humalog pen injection?


A: on average about 5 to 6 sec per 10 units at least that is what i have found to work the best. otherwise the best thing to do is just trial and error!

Q: if you overdose on humalog, a fast acting insulin, can you reverse it. will i have brain damage?
please dont give me mean comments..i need to know about hypoglemic (low sugar) shock or coma and if 2 Lilly pens would cause that and if i will be salvageable - as in, complete brain function..

A: If you have made a mistake and taken too much go to your GP or hospital immediately and tell them what you ahve done. If you get hypoglycaemia it does nto automatically mean brain damage but can led to it. depends on how fast youget help. If you are like this then you can't help yourself anyway. too far gone. Brain need sugar to function so if it is in the wrong type, or the cells can't take it in then you have brain damage. If you ahev troubels now go to a hospital fast. G

Q: Taking humalog in public/at work?
I'm type I, and just started taking humalog at ever meal. Right now for breakfast and lunch I run to the bathroom stall to take my shot. Does anyone have any advice for taking shots at work? The tough part is that the cubes here at work are half height, so i really have no privacy at all.

A: Choose your injection site based on the clothing you are wearing. If you can get to your abdomen more easily by untucking or unbuttoning a button, do that. You will find that you are pretty quick about pulling up the dose, finding a spot and taking the injection. You *should* let a few co-workers know that you are a diabetic, if you haven't already. Provide the receptionist or your boss a short list of symptoms of low sugar, and emergency phone numbers. I once 'fell asleep' in a meeting, it was really low sugar. Apparently, some people were giggling, until the one who recognized the symptoms took control and had someone run for a juice. Had he not known, I would have been pretty embarassed. As it was, people realized that I have a medical condition that I keep under control pretty well, but occasionally slip if the meeting is long, or someone brought donuts that I wasn't planning for. Oh, and avoid the bathroom -- your desk is probably cleaner, especially if you wipe it off regularly. Keep a canister of disinfectant wipes in your desk, because you probably eat there frequently, too.

Q: What happens if humalog gets hot?
We traveled from Little Rock to Dallas this past weekend. My insulin got somewhat warm. On Saturday, we went to Six Flags and I felt like I was going to pass out. I was sweating and lightheaded. My stomach also hurt. Ever since then, when i've taken my insulin, I have the same reaction. Could this be because it got hot or is could it be something else?

A: Your dose of regular insulin should be injected under the skin exactly as instructed by your doctor or diabetes educator. Unopened bottles of insulin should be kept in the refrigerator until needed and may be used until the expiry date on the label. Never allow insulin to freeze. Insulin that is currently in use may be kept at room temperature for 28 days only and then discarded. Insulin must not be exposed to extremely hot temperatures or to sunlight. I would talk to your doctor about getting some new med.

Q: I found a vial of humalog in my room. It's been out of the fridge for about 5 mos.?
Will using it lower my glucose level at all? Or is it dangerous? I know it is 28 days as recommended to be thrown away after refrigeration.

A: Hi, the lifespan of insulin out of the fridge, is 28 days, so therefore I would dispose of carefully and not use it. The risks of using it are not worth taking as there is a reason why we are told 28 days out of the fridge.