Insulin injections

There are several types of insulin, classified by how soon and how long they act. It is helpful to know when the insulin you take starts to work, its peak (when the insulin is working its hardest), and the duration (how long the insulin works). Premixed combinations of slower- and fast-acting insulins are also available.

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• Rapid-acting insulins include aspart (Novolog), glulisine (Apidra), lispro (Humalog). They begin to act in 10 to 30 minutes and reach their peak in 30 minutes to three hours, and their effects last between three and five hours.
• Short-acting insulin is regular insulin (Humulin R; Novolin R). It begins to work in 30 to 60 minutes, peaks in one to five hours, and lasts as long as eight hours.
• Intermediate-acting insulins such as NPH (Humulin N; Novolin N) begin working in between one and four hours. They peak at between four and 12 hours, and last up to 26 hours.
• Long-acting, peakless insulins include glargine (Lantus) and detemir (Levemir), which begin working in between one and two hours, do not peak but have consistent effects, and lasts as long as 24 hours.

This section has information on:

• Inhaled insulin
• Insulin pumps
• Hints for storing and using insulin
• Weight gain