Insulin – Information on Rapid and Basal Insulins

Understanding how insulin works can help with your control. This page has links to some great information on rapid and basal insulins and different delivery methods.

Insulin Basics

For people who use insulin to control their diabetes, it is important to know the basics. Here are some tips on how to store, draw into a syringe, and inject insulin.

Storing InsulinDrawing InsulinInjecting Insulin


Rapid Bolus Insulins

Humalog, produced by Eli Lilly and Company, was released in the U.S. in 1996. Novolog is made by Novo Nordisk and was released in 2001. Both insulins offer quicker action time than short-acting Regular insulin, which was first produced as a crude extract in 1921. Learn more about each in the following sections.

Humalog & Novolog Insulins

Kinetics vs DynamicsHeat & HumalogHumalog users report


Basal Insulins

Intermediate, long, and flat are the basal choices now available. The action times of these different basal insulins can be used to your advantage when you understand them. Learn more from the links below.

Adjusting Long Acting InsulinsLantus Insulin


Alternative Insulin Delivery Methods

Inhaled Insulin DeliveryOral Insulin DeliveryTransdermal Insulin Delivery


Miscellaneous

Insulin Action & Peak TimesInsulin Sensitivity


Pumping Insulin provides much more pump information and is the most helpful book ever written on insulin use.

Using Insulin takes you step by step toward excellent control. Whether you use one injection and pills, or six injections, you’ll learn far more from this book than from any other!