icon-nav-help
Need Help

Submit your question to our team of health care professionals.

icon-nav-current-questions
Current Question

See what's on the mind of the community right now.

icon-conf-speakers-at-a-glance
Meet the Team

Learn more about our world-renowned team.

icon-nav-archives
CWD Answers Archives

Review the entire archive according to the date it was posted.

CWD_Answers_Icon
March 15, 2002

Insulin Analogs

advertisement
Question from the USA:

Is there a reason I shouldn’t eat my meal, test afterward and then take the amount of Humalog needed? At restaurants, I don’t inject until the meal is sitting right in front of me. At home, I inject no more than 5 minutes before eating. It doesn’t take more than 20 minutes (at home) to eat. If I could inject afterward, I’d know the precise dose of Humalog to take and I wouldn’t find myself too low or too high later. I’m assuming my blood glucose immediately after eating would show the result of the food just eaten.

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

Humalog works best for you when it is taken 5-10 minutes prior to eating.Taking Humalog after the meal could result in having a higher postprandial blood sugar which will contribute in the long run to a higher hemoglobin A1c. Although it is okay in a pinch to give Humalog after the meal, I wouldn’t suggest doing that routinely.

MSB

[Editor’s comment: The prescribing information for Humalog says: “When used as a meal-time insulin, Humalog should be given within 15 minutes before or immediately after a meal.” I’d suggest you try to maintain consistency on the timing of the mealtime insulin — usually before, usually during, or usually after, the meal.

WWQ]