6/20/2023 0 Comments 10000 mcg to mg![]() In some patients with type 2 diabetes, more LEVEMIR may be required than NPH insulin." Levemir Package Insert Final Words The dose of LEVEMIR should then be adjusted to achieve glycemic targets. Most insulin products, in their prescribing information, discuss how to convert or switch between different types, with many recommending a one-to-one conversion (with caveats).įor example, the prescribing information for Levemir (a long-acting insulin) recommends the following if you are switching from an NPH insulin: "For patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes on basal-bolus treatment, changing the basal insulin to LEVEMIR can be done on a unit-to-unit basis. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense to quantify them all in the same way in terms of their milligram strength as it could easily cause confusion and dosing errors. These include:Ĭonversions Between Human And Analog InsulinĪlthough all insulin products are considered 'equipotent' in regard to the fact that 1 unit of each equals 0.0347 mg, as described above, they have significant differences in their onset of action, time to peak effect, and duration of action. There are also long-acting insulin analogs, with a longer duration of action than NPH insulin. Analogs are created in such a way to alter their pharmacokinetic characteristics from human insulin.įor example, there are several rapid-acting insulin analogs that have a faster onset of action than human insulin products. Insulin analogs are altered forms of insulin and are manufactured via genetic engineering. It is regular human insulin with added zinc and protamine, which causes a delay in absorption and prolongs the duration of action. NPH (Neutral Protamine Hagedorn) insulin is also known as isophane insulin and is intermediate-acting. High concentration regular human insulin (U500), have a slightly faster onset of action and duration of action. Regular human insulin products are considered 'fast-acting', with an onset of action around 30 minutes. NPH insulin (example products include Humulin N and Novolin N).Regular insulin (example products include Humulin R and Novolin R).Nevertheless, there are significant differences in the pharmacokinetic profiles of each (e.g., how they are absorbed and metabolized). Insulin analogs and human insulin technically use the same conversion (1 Unit = 0.0347 milligrams) and are considered 'equipotent'. There is also another, very important reason, why insulin products aren't listed in milligrams and that has to do with the existence of Insulin analogs. However, doing the same (drawing up to 0.5mL) with a U500 product would yield 250 units! Insulin Analogs Vs. Drawing up half-way, to 0.5 mL, on a U100 syringe will equal a dose of 50 units of a U100 insulin. If you are using syringes to draw up and inject your insulin, it is vitally important to be sure you are using the correct ones to prevent dosing errors.įor example, you cannot use U100 syringes if you are utilizing a U500 insulin product. ![]() Type in units of U100 insulin to convert to mL: Type a value in any of the fields to convert between Insulin measurements: Nevertheless, if you are so inclined to convert between units of insulin and milligrams, you can use this handy conversion tool: Insulin: Units To Milligrams (mg) Tool Similarly, when listed as a concentration, such as the commonly used U100 (which means 100 units of insulin per 1mL), units correspond tidily with a volume (e.g., 20 units is contained in 0.2 mL). Having a prescription say 'inject ten units' is easier to comprehend than 'inject 0.347 mg'. International Units are far easier to understand, especially when it comes to dosing, for insulin. The conversion factor for human insulin is: One International Unit (IU) equals 0.0347 mg of insulin. In the same vein, for Vitamin E, o ne International Unit (IU) equals: Therefore, they have been standardized with International Units as follows: Essentially, the use of International Units is a way to standardize.įor example, you may see 'Vitamin A' available in a variety of forms in 'over-the-counter' supplements, including:Īlthough they both provide 'Vitamin A', they have different biological activities (i.e., potencies) regarding how much 'Vitamin A' they actually provide. International Units are used over a conventional metric measure (such as milligrams) to make it easier to compare different forms of the same drug. The term 'units' refers to International Units (IU), which is a measure of the "biological activity" of a specific drug or substance. The insulin products you get at the pharmacy will always be labeled in units, or as a concentration in terms of units (e.g., U100 means 100 units of insulin per 1mL of liquid). It's incredibly uncommon to see insulin noted in milligrams (mg).
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