Diabetes practices and regimens can vary between countries, hospitals / clinics, & specialists.  Therefore what may be encouraged in one setting may not be so recommended in another.  This insulin tutorial is not meant to provide a didactic (regimented / fixed) plan for using insulin.  Rather the tutorial intends to show some ways of doing things, and provide some explanations as to why things may be done in a certain way.  Furthermore it is hoped that this tutorial may encourage people to think a bit more about what insulin regimens are possible, & how they might be improved and / or tailored for an individual.  In all this remember that people's mileage may vary - so what works for one person may not be appropriate for someone else.  Therefore, as with all medical information on the Web, it is important that you consult your doctor or diabetes specialist before considering acting on any of the information discussed in this tutorial.


Insulin Tutorial 1-1
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1. Regular insulin


Insulin preparations can be classified depending on the duration of their action.

1. Regular insulin


2. Long-acting insulin
Regular insulin is sometimes called short-acting insulin or soluble insulin.

Long-acting insulin is sometimes called basal insulin or delayed action insulin.

1. Regular insulin
Regular insulin has an effect which comes on rapidly but lasts for only a short time.

Action characteristics:
Onset of action:
½ to 1 hour after injection.

Peak activity: 2 to 3 hours after injection.

Duration of action: 4 to 6 hours after injection.

When this kind of insulin is injected at 7 a.m., the effect will look like this.
Regular insulin is given whenever a rapid insulin effect is required.

Regular insulin is used in emergencies, e.g., diabetic ketoacidosis.

Regular insulin can also be combined with long-acting insulin.

Regular insulin can be mixed in the syringe with any other kind of insulin.

However, insulins used for this purpose should always be of the same species (i.e., either human insulin or porcine insulin) and should be from the same manufacturer.

Click here to simulate an example case using this type of insulin

Diabetes Insulin Tutorial
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The information presented at this site is for general use only and is not intended to provide personal medical advice or substitute for the advice of your doctor or diabetes specialist. If you have any questions about any of the information presented here, concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your doctor or diabetes specialist
The material in this on-line Diabetes / Insulin Tutorial has been drawn from a number of different sources.
However the original Web-based version can be found at the AIDA Website at: http://www.2aida.org/tutorial.

AIDA diabetes software simulator program of glucose-insulin interaction