Re: while in the hospital...

[Guest guest]

Hi jen:

This was interesting. I have been taking mph and regular insulin for a long

time. I am on social services and they won't cover the

lantis or the other ones you mentioned. Cheap cheap cheap! Fortunately they

both work quite well for me.

To keep spiritually fit, consult the Great Physician.

Love and hugs, and the furry ones.

RE: while in the hospital...

Hi Harry,

Regular and NPH insulin are different from one another. These are the two

types of insulin that I and others used before the analogues were developed.

An insulin analogue is insulin that has had its structure modified to speed

up or slow down its absorption. Analogues first began being developed and

used in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and today these insulins include

Humalog, NovoRapid/Novolog, Levemir, Apidra, and Lantus.

Regular is a short-acting insulin, it is essentially the same insulin that

your pancreas would produce, except that because it is injected it absorbs

at a different rate (since the late 1980s it is also artificially created).

It begins working after 30 minutes and lasts for about six or eight hours.

The major drawback of this insulin over Humalog or NovoRapid/Novolog is that

it must be injected half an hour before eating in order to properly match

carbohydrate timing.

NPH is an intermediate-acting insulin that begins working in three or four

hours and lasts about twelve. It is really Regular insulin that has a

substance added to delay its absorption. The major drawback of this insulin

over Lantus or Levemir is that it has a pretty dramatic peak. If it is given

in the morning this peak is drastic enough to cover carbohydrate intake at

lunch, and if given before bed it requires a substantial bedtime snack in

order to avoid overnight lows. It also has a rather inconsistent absorption

pattern, some studies showing that its absorption varies by as much as 40%

from one day to the next.

These insulins do work for some people. If your schedule is regular enough

that you can take an injection and eat half an hour later, then Regular

could be used the same way as the rapid-acting analogues are used. NPH is

useful for some people who have problems with the dawn phenomenon. And you

are right, both types of insulin are cheaper than the newer analogues.

Jen

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

The reason S. A. will not cover the lantis insulin is because it is not

covered by your provincial pharmacy program. I've heard that that's

supposed to change soon, so maybe then S.A. will change their minds.

Ruth

From: blind-diabetics

[mailto:blind-diabetics ] On Behalf Of wendy meuse

Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 11:03 AM

To: blind-diabetics

Subject: Re: while in the hospital...

Hi jen:

This was interesting. I have been taking mph and regular insulin for a long

time. I am on social services and they won't cover the

lantis or the other ones you mentioned. Cheap cheap cheap! Fortunately they

both work quite well for me.

To keep spiritually fit, consult the Great Physician.

Love and hugs, and the furry ones.

RE: while in the hospital...

Hi Harry,

Regular and NPH insulin are different from one another. These are the two

types of insulin that I and others used before the analogues were developed.

An insulin analogue is insulin that has had its structure modified to speed

up or slow down its absorption. Analogues first began being developed and

used in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and today these insulins include

Humalog, NovoRapid/Novolog, Levemir, Apidra, and Lantus.

Regular is a short-acting insulin, it is essentially the same insulin that

your pancreas would produce, except that because it is injected it absorbs

at a different rate (since the late 1980s it is also artificially created).

It begins working after 30 minutes and lasts for about six or eight hours.

The major drawback of this insulin over Humalog or NovoRapid/Novolog is that

it must be injected half an hour before eating in order to properly match

carbohydrate timing.

NPH is an intermediate-acting insulin that begins working in three or four

hours and lasts about twelve. It is really Regular insulin that has a

substance added to delay its absorption. The major drawback of this insulin

over Lantus or Levemir is that it has a pretty dramatic peak. If it is given

in the morning this peak is drastic enough to cover carbohydrate intake at

lunch, and if given before bed it requires a substantial bedtime snack in

order to avoid overnight lows. It also has a rather inconsistent absorption

pattern, some studies showing that its absorption varies by as much as 40%

from one day to the next.

These insulins do work for some people. If your schedule is regular enough

that you can take an injection and eat half an hour later, then Regular

could be used the same way as the rapid-acting analogues are used. NPH is

useful for some people who have problems with the dawn phenomenon. And you

are right, both types of insulin are cheaper than the newer analogues.

Jen

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