Regular insulin
Short-acting recombinant human insulin, injected before meals or given by IV infusion in hospital, as in diabetic ketoacidosis.
Also called soluble insulin (UK name), neutral insulin (UK name) or insulin human (official name of the substance).
Drug card
- Class
- Insulin
- How it works
- Activating insulin receptors, so muscle and fat take up glucose
- Used for
- Type 1 diabetes (adults and children)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis (IV infusion in hospital)
- Known for
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- Low potassium (hypokalemia), especially when given IV
Study it as a flashcard, and it comes back before you forget it.
Mechanism of action
How does regular insulin work?
Regular insulin has the same amino acid sequence as the body's own insulin and is made by recombinant DNA technology. Under the skin it starts to work in about 30 to 60 minutes and lasts up to about 8 hours, so it is injected about half an hour before a meal. It can also be infused intravenously under close supervision.
Like other insulins: Insulins bind insulin receptors, mainly on muscle and fat cells, which then take up more glucose from the blood. Insulin also stops the liver releasing glucose from stored glycogen, blocks the breakdown of fat and protein, builds protein, and moves potassium into cells. Preparations differ mainly in how fast they are absorbed and how long they act.
See its molecule in 3DPDB 1MSOUses
What is regular insulin used for?
- Type 1 diabetes (adults and children)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis (IV infusion in hospital)
- High potassium (hyperkalemia), IV with glucose
Side effects
Side effects of regular insulin
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)Known forSerious
- Low potassium (hypokalemia), especially when given IVKnown forSerious
- Weight gain
- Fat lumps or hollows where injected (lipodystrophy)
- Redness, itching or pain where injected
- Swelling from fluid retention (edema)
- Itching
- Rash
- Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)Serious
- Short-lived blurred vision as glucose control improves
- Worse diabetic retinopathy after rapid tightening of controlSerious
- Painful nerve flare (acute neuropathy) with rapid control
Known for marks what an exam expects you to know it for.
Watch for
Cautions and what sets it apart
- IV infusion only under medical supervision, with close checks of blood glucose and potassium.
- Injected about 30 minutes before eating; a late or skipped meal can bring on hypoglycemia.
- Insulin mix-ups cause serious dosing errors: check the product label before every dose.
Good to know: Starts more slowly under the skin than rapid-acting analogues; by IV infusion it treats ketoacidosis and, with glucose, hyperkalemia.
Remember it
A way to remember it
Insulin opens the door for sugar and potassium.
Insulin moves both glucose and potassium into cells. Too much causes low blood sugar and low potassium, and the same effect is why IV insulin with glucose brings a dangerously high potassium down.
Written for biofideX
Its class
Insulins
Other insulins with a card:
Easily mixed up with sulfonylureas and GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Sources
Checked against
Written for biofideX in plain words, after checking these references:
- Insulin human injection (short-acting): label (DailyMed)
- Insulin human injection (Novo Nordisk): label (DailyMed)
- Insulin, Regular (NCI Thesaurus)
- About short-acting insulin (NHS)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis (NHS)
- Soluble insulin and glucose infusion for acute hyperkalaemia (Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust)
For learning pharmacology, not for treatment decisions: no doses are given, and a prescriber, pharmacist or the product's own label is the word on any one patient. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll correct it.
Diabetes
Regular insulin is one of 14 drugs practiced together here: their classes, how they work, what they treat and what they're known for.
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