I was reading an article on this website when I came across a sentence that caught my attention. The sentence in the article was, “At this time, Humalog is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in children over age 12. Studies are ongoing to obtain approval in younger children. The sentence was very disturbing to me since my four year old daughter takes Humalog before some of her meals. Is Humalog is safe for her?

Many medications are used in children when they are not specifically approved by agencies like the FDA. Humalog is one of these medications. It has major advantages in terms of speed of action that mimic the way insulin was supposed to work when the pancreas was not damaged. It also decreases hypoglycemia in many patients.

So, you should discuss this with your child’s physicians, express your concerns, and get your questions answered. Most pediatric diabetologists use Humalog as a preprandial insulin and part of a multidose insulin regimen designed to provide maximum glucose control and to minimize hypoglycemia in the process.

SB

[Editor’s comment: At the US Humalog website, the product information now indicates that it has been studied in children as young as 3 years old, and there is no longer any mention of an age cut-off.

WWQ]