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of Consumer Guide, the Editors. "Insulin." 23 February 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/insulin-drug-profile.htm> 13 May 2008.
Insulin
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Insulin Overview
Insulin is a hormone that is normally produced by the pancreas; it functions in the regulation of blood sugar levels. This medication is used to treat diabetes mellitus (type 1 diabetes), a disorder that results from an inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. Injectable insulin is used only to treat those patients whose blood sugar levels cannot be controlled by diet and/or by oral antidiabetic medications. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about this drug, including treatments, side effects, interactions, and warnings. We'll get started with some general information about insulin.Brand names (manufacturers):
Humulin L (Lilly); Humulin N (Lilly); Humulin R (Lilly); Humulin U (Lilly); Iletin II (Lilly); Novolin (Novo Nordisk); Novolin L (Novo Nordisk); Novolin N (Novo Nordisk); Novolin R (Novo Nordisk); Velosulin (Novo Nordisk)
Type of drug: Antidiabetic
Ingredient: Insulin
Dosage forms: Injectable (all types) (100 units/mL); injectable (regular) (500 units/mL)
Storage: After opening, keep most forms (except 500 units/mL strength) at room temperature if used within one month. Refrigerate unopened vials of insulin, but never freeze this medication. This medicine should not be exposed to extreme temperatures or direct sunlight.
On the next page, you will learn how insulin is used to treat diabetes.
For more informatioin about insulin and diabetes, try the following links:
- Regular insulin was the first type of injected insulin to be created. Since that time there has been many advances in the drug. Learn more at our Diabetes Medications page.
- To find out more about insulin, including how to inject it and how to use it, visit our main Insulin page.
- Visit our main Type 1 Diabetes page to learn more about the diagnosis, symptoms, causes, and treatment of this disease.
- Whether you want to learn about type 1, type 2, or any other form of diabetes, you can find all the answers at our main Diabetes page.
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Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
of Consumer Guide, the Editors. "Insulin." 23 February 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/insulin-drug-profile.htm> 13 May 2008.
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