Introduction
Actrapid 40IU/ml Solution for Injection is a short-acting insulin used to treat type I and type II diabetes mellitus. It is used together with a healthy diet and regular exercise to control blood sugar levels after meals. This helps to prevent serious complications of diabetes like kidney damage and blindness.
Actrapid is a replacement insulin that is very similar to the insulin made by the human pancreas. The active substance in Actrapid, human insulin, is produced by a method known as 'recombinant DNA technology': the insulin is made by a yeast that has received a gene (DNA), which makes it able to produce insulin.
Actrapid is a fast-acting insulin. Onset of action is within ½ hour, reaches a maximum effect within 1.5–3.5 hours and the entire duration of action is approximately 7–8 hours. Insulin in the blood stream has a half-life of a few minutes.
Being a fast-acting insulin Actrapid is given 30 minutes before a meal and may be used with intermediate or long-acting insulins (Humalog or Lispro) . Actrapid may also be given intravenously (into a vein) but only by a doctor or a nurse.
Actrapid is indicated for treatment of diabetes mellitus. The potency of human insulin is expressed in international units(IU). Actrapid dosing is individual and determined in accordance with the needs of the patient.
Actrapid is administered subcutaneously in the abdominal wall, the thigh, the gluteal region or the deltoid region. Injection into a lifted skin fold minimises the risk of unintended intramuscular injection. The needle should be kept under the skin for at least 6 seconds to make sure the entire dose is injected.
Indications and contraindications of Actrapid:
Actrapid is indicated in the following cases: Diabetes.
Actrapid is contraindicated in the following cases: People with hypersensitivity to the active substance or any of the excipients of the drug.
Insulin's most common side effects are hypoglycemia, injection site reactions, and weight gain. Side effects like lipodystrophy and edema are rarer, but possible. Thankfully, most of insulin's side effects should get better with time. Talk to your healthcare provider about any concerns you may have with taking insulin.
Actrapid may also be given intravenously (into a vein) but only by a doctor or a nurse.
The difference between Human Actrapid and Human Mixtard:
Human Actrapid Injection is soluble insulin, which is short-acting insulin, while Human Mixtard is a biphasic solution containing a combination of two insulin isophane which is a prolonged acting and human insulin which is a short-acting insulin.
Fasting blood sugar (FBS) was found to improve in both groups but the percentage change in Mixtard group (14.5%) was more than Actrapid group (6.26%). Similarly postprandial blood sugar (PPBS) level also was better controlled in Mixtard group (14.4%) than Actrapid group (5.19%).
Human Mixtard 70/30 Suspension for Injection 100IU/ml is a combination of two medicines, an intermediate-acting and a short-acting type of insulin. It is used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (type I and II) to improve blood sugar control both in adults and children.
Mixtard contains both fast-acting (soluble) and long-acting (isophane) insulin:
•Mixtard 30: soluble insulin 30% and isophane insulin 70%;
•Mixtard 40: soluble insulin 40% and isophane insulin 60%;
• Mixtard 50: soluble insulin 50% and isophane insulin 50%.
Mixtard is a dual-acting insulin. Onset of action is within ½ hour, reaches a maximum effect within 2 - 8 hours and the entire duration of action is up to 24 hours.
Novomix is given 15 minutes before meals whereas Mixtard is given 30 minutes before meals as an injection into the fatty tissue under the skin. Ensure that Novomix/Mixtard appears cloudy or milky. Do not use if any white insulin substance remains at the bottom of the container or penfill.
Lantus:
LANTUS is a long-acting man-made-insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes mellitus.
Lantus contains the drug insulin glargine, which is classified as a long-acting insulin DC. Lantus is given as an injection just under your skin (a subcutaneous injection). The drug comes as a solution inside 10-milliliter (mL) vials that hold 100 units of insulin glargine per mL.
Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn) is also a long-acting insulin. It was first approved in June 2020. It became an interchangeable biosimilar to Lantus in July 2021.
Lantus lower blood sugar:
1 unit will drop your blood sugar 50 points (mg/dl) and the high blood sugar correction factor is 50.
Information compiled by:Dr. Bhairavsinh Raol
