Popular Long Acting Basal Insulin Available For All Types Of Diabetes

By Author: Jessica Cristina
Total Articles: 17
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Basal insulin is nothing but a hormone secreted by the pancreatic beta cells in the human body. Insulin is very important for the body to function well. That’s because it is insulin that is responsible for transporting glucose (derived from the food we eat) to different parts of the body.

When insulin is not sufficiently produced or efficiently used, it is not able to transport glucose all over the body for energy. This leads to an accumulation of glucose in the blood, resulting in high blood glucose levels. Over time, an increased level of glucose in the blood causes an individual to develop diabetes. Read on to find all about insulin.

When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, they are advised to manage their diabetes through a balanced diet, regular physical exercises, and insulin therapy. There are various types of insulin available to combat diabetes. Long acting insulin is one of the most popular and best preferred by both doctors and patients. This type of insulin helps stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the day with only a couple of doses.

Available in animal and analogue forms, long acting insulin may be prescribed for a number of various types of diabetes. The activity of long acting insulin lasts up to 24 hours, just with the exception of bovine PZI protamine zinc insulin), which lasts up to 36 hours.

The long acting analogue insulins are suggested by the NHS (National Health Service) as well as they have no peak activity as such, through which it allows for consistent delivery of activity for an entire day. Below are some of the most popular long acting basal insulin doctors prescribe:

Lantus - Medically known as insulin glargine, Lantus is analogue insulin produced by Sanofi-Aventis. It has a consistent activity from within an hour of injecting right through up to 24 hours.

Levemir - Insulin detemir comes from the brand Levemir, produced by Novo Nordisk, it is analogue insulin similar to Lantus. As it runs for a slightly shorter time than Lantus, detemir is injected twice a day.

Tresiba - Insulin degludec belongs to the Tresiba brand. It is ultra-long acting insulin offered by Novo Nordisk. Degludec is best for type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients. It offers more flexibility for injection timings.

Hypurin Bovine Lente - As the name suggests, it is a long acting animal insulin that starts working shortly after injecting. It has a peak activity of 6 to 10 hours after injecting and lasts for over the next 12 to 16 hours.

Hypurin Bovine PZI - Hypurin bovine protamine zinc insulin is another beef insulin, which varies from other long acting insulin. It takes around 4 to 6 hours for the onset after being injected.

Long acting insulin is only more beneficial when it is injected into the body rather than being taken in pill form, as it would eventually break down during digestion. Hence, people with diabetes should opt for injecting basal insulin into the fatty tissue under the skin so that it gradually moves into the bloodstream.