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Is there a faster insulin than Humalog?

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ollie1234

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello everyone,

when my blood sugar's high I want to bring it down to normal levels as fast as I can. I'm using Humalog as my fast acting insulin - is there anything quicker than this I could use?

Thanks,

Ollie
 
As far as I know Humalog, Apidra and Novorapid all have similar onset times, although some people say that novorapid is slightly quicker than humalog (10-15 mins as opposed to 15-20 mins)
 
I've been on NovoRapid and found it quite similar in profile to Humalog (though I think Humalog is a bit more reliable for me). Ive heard that Apodra is the fastest, and has the shortest duration - 10mins - 3hrs? Though if course this varies from person to person. There is a finite 'fall per hour' in the book I've just been reading, which is not that speedy.

Taking highs down more gradually is better for your system I think than lots of very rapid ups and downs. Do you know what's causing the highs? Basal level wrong? Miscounted carbs? Timing of doses? GI of food?
 
Ask about Apidra as this is said to be the fastest acting insulin available at present.
 
imtrying said:
is someone having problems with supplies of Apidra at the moment? Or is it about something else?
Click to expand...

Yes, there is a shortage of the pens/cartridges at the moment, so probably not the best time to ask for it! Actually, what Mike said earlier is worth bearing in mind - although it might seem a good idea to reduce highs as quickly as possible it is thought that this causes more stress to the system than a slower, gradual decline, which would seem to make sense.
 
Apidra is a bit faster but the prefilled pens and cartridges are not available.

Users are having to resort to syringes and bottles.

But I would be surprised if they let you have 2 different types of quick acting to sort out highs. Better to find out why you're having them and prevent them.

Have you tried varying the timing to pre-empt it ?

ROb
 
I tried Apidra as it is meant to be the quickest acting but did not find it any better than humalog for me.
 
Reducing variability is more important than getting highs down fast IMO.

According to a 2001 study cited by John Walsh one particular type of cell damage linked to retinopathy was 2.5 times more likely to occur where levels varied between 5mmol/L and 20mmol/L as when they stayed constantly at 20mmol/L!! 😱
 
ollie1234 said:
Hello everyone,

when my blood sugar's high I want to bring it down to normal levels as fast as I can. I'm using Humalog as my fast acting insulin - is there anything quicker than this I could use?

Thanks,

Ollie
Click to expand...


''Bring it down to normal levels as fast as I can'' could present problems to you if your talking about correction doses between meals. It took me a long time to realise that this wasn't the best practise after experiencing a roller-coaster ride with bg's whilst correcting highs, the tendency to overlap insulin doses can lead to more problems than they solve and it's better to address why they are elevated in the first place. Careful carb counting and working out the correct insulin ratio for that meal is preferable more than any other method, it could be possible also that the humalog isn't to blame and the increase in bg between meals is due to your basal insulin being set to low, just a couple of possibilities to explore.
 
Hi Ollie, I use Apidra and have found it faster acting than novorapid that I was on before. But there are problems with availability until January. It would be best to try to avoid having the highs in the first place (not easy!) and if you or your nurse could tweak your carb ratios it might help. I know how horrible it is to wait for your blood sugars to come down but bringing them down slowly is safer and probably will make you feel better in the long run. I find drinking warm water when high helps more with the thirst than cold water. If you find your blood sugars peak more quickly after food than you insulin can work or you struggle to do exercise because you have hypos then apidra might help.
 
Thanks everyone!

I hadn't even considered that a gradual decline would be better than a rapid one, I guess you can imaging how I'd come to assume that getting into a standard range asap was the best thing to do.

With this in mind, would you ever try to reduce your rate of decline when correcting (by eating something, perhaps?), or would you just take a unit or two and not try to 'micromanage' it?

@everydayupsanddowns "Do you know what's causing the highs? Basal level wrong? Miscounted carbs? Timing of doses? GI of food?" Some combination of all of these! ;-)

Seriously, I think most of my ups and downs are from miscounting carbs. I do ok when the food has a nutritional information label, I've worked out close-enough ratios from my testing, but I struggle sometimes to estimate other types of food.
 
ollie1234 said:
Thanks everyone!

I hadn't even considered that a gradual decline would be better than a rapid one, I guess you can imaging how I'd come to assume that getting into a standard range asap was the best thing to do.

With this in mind, would you ever try to reduce your rate of decline when correcting (by eating something, perhaps?), or would you just take a unit or two and not try to 'micromanage' it?

@everydayupsanddowns "Do you know what's causing the highs? Basal level wrong? Miscounted carbs? Timing of doses? GI of food?" Some combination of all of these! ;-)

Seriously, I think most of my ups and downs are from miscounting carbs. I do ok when the food has a nutritional information label, I've worked out close-enough ratios from my testing, but I struggle sometimes to estimate other types of food.
Click to expand...

Have you looked at the Carbs & Cals? Very useful for estimating carbs when the tables aren't to hand 🙂
 
ollie1234 said:
Thanks everyone!

Seriously, I think most of my ups and downs are from miscounting carbs. I do ok when the food has a nutritional information label, I've worked out close-enough ratios from my testing, but I struggle sometimes to estimate other types of food.
Click to expand...

Hi Ollie, have you seen the book carbs and cals http://www.carbsandcals.com/ suspect if you look on amazon it will be cheaper on there.
 
ollie1234 said:
Hello everyone,

when my blood sugar's high I want to bring it down to normal levels as fast as I can. I'm using Humalog as my fast acting insulin - is there anything quicker than this I could use?

Thanks,

Ollie
Click to expand...

Hi ollie,

On a side note, Humalog, because of its Pharmacodynamic and Pharmacokinetic properties, is said to be the nearest product to the body's own insulin ( and no don't ask me what those two words mean 😉 )
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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