July 20, 2009
Daily Care, Insulin Analogs
Question from Missoula, Montana, USA:
My six-year-old son was diagnosed with type 1 in January 2009. He has been doing well with NovoLog injections three times a day and Lantus in the evening. His A1c is 6.6. One of his doctors is suggesting that we switch to Humalog instead of NovoLog. His reasoning is that Humalog reduces high blood sugar levels immediately after eating because it is faster acting, two to three hours, versus three to four hours for NovoLog. This makes sense to me. Are their other considerations? Is there a downside to Humalog? Switching insulin feels like it’s a significant change. Can you give me some help in making the decision?
Answer:
Switching between Humalog and NovoLog typically can be done without any problem. The way those two insulins affect blood sugar is very similar.
MSB
[Editor’s comment: In fact, Humalog and NovoLog are identical in duration of action.See our page on What is Insulin? to learn more about insulins and their durations of action.
BH]
