Humalog

Humalog is a prescription medication used to treat type 1 diabetes. It can also be used to treat some patients with type 2 diabetes.

Humalog is a fast-acting form of insulin and is often used with other forms of insulin. Humalog is administered with meals.

Insulin is naturally produced by the body to control the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. In patients with type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin and must be replaced by injections of insulin. In patients with type 2 diabetes, the body makes insulin but does not use it efficiently or appropriately.

Common side effects of Humalog include redness, swelling, or itching in the place where you injected Humalog or changes in the feel of your skin such as skin thickening or a little indentation in the skin.

Humalog can also cause low blood sugar, which can cause drowsiness and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Humalog affects you.

Humalog is a prescription medication used to treat type 1 diabetes. It can also be used to treat some patients with type 2 diabetes. It is a fast-acting form of insulin.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take Humalog exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication

The recommended dose of Humalog is based on the route of administration, a patient’s blood glucose goals, physical activity levels, meal patterns, and changes in kidney or liver function.

Serious side effects have been reported with Humalog including the following:

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Low blood sugar can occur with changes in insulin regimens or dose miscalculations. Monitor blood glucose levels regularly. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar include:

• sweating
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• shakiness
• hunger
• fast heart beat
• tingling of lips and tongue
• trouble concentrating or confusion
• blurred vision
• slurred speech
• anxiety, irritability or mood changes
• headache

Humalog may also cause the following side effects. Tell your doctor right away if you experience any of the following signs and symptoms:

• rash and itching
• difficulty breathing
• hives
• wheezing
• fast heartbeat
• sweating
• weakness
• muscle cramps
• abnormal heartbeat
• shortness of breath
• large weight gain in a short period of time
• swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

Humalog can cause low blood sugar, which can cause dizziness and drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Humalog affects you.

Do not take Humalog if you:

• are allergic to Humalog or to any of its ingredients
• have low blood sugar

Serious side effects have been reported with Humalog. See the “Humalog Precautions” section.

Common side effects of Humalog include the following:

• hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• allergic reactions
• injection site reactions
• changes in the feel of your skin such as skin thickening or a little indentation in the skin (lipodystrophy)
• itching
• rash

This is not a complete list of Humalog side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril, (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and trandolapril (Mavik)
• angiotensin receptor blockers such as azilsartan (Edarbi),candesartan (Atacand, in Atacand HCT), eprosartan (Teveten, in Teveten HCT), irbesartan (Avapro, in Avalide), losartan (Cozaar, in Hyzaar), olmesartan (Benicar, in Azor, Benicar HCT), telmisartan (Micardis, in Micardis HCT), and valsartan (Diovan, in Diovan HCT, Exforge)
• beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), labetalol (Normodyne), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), and propranolol (Inderal)
• certain cholesterol-lowering medications such as fenofibrate (Antara, Lofibra, TriCor, Triglide), gemfibrozil (Lopid), and niacin (Niacor, Niaspan, in Advicor); certain medications for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) including atazanavir (Reyataz), darunavir (Prezista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), lopinavir (Kaletra), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir), saquinavir (Invirase), and tipranavir (Aptivus)
• clonidine (Catapres, in Clorpres)
• danazol
• digoxin (Digitek, Lanoxin)
• disopyramide (Norpace)
• diuretics ('water pills')
• fluoxetine (Prozac, Serafem, in Symbyax)
• hormone replacement therapy
• isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid)
• lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
• medications for asthma and colds
• medications for mental illness and nausea
• monoamine oxidase inhibitors including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl) and tranylcypromine (Parnate)
• octreotide (Sandostatin)
• oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
• oral medications for diabetes such as pioglitazone (Actos, in Actoplus Met and others) and rosiglitazone (Avandia, in Avandamet and others)
• oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone)
• pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam)
• pentoxifylline (Trental)
• pramlintide (Symlin)
• reserpine
• salicylate pain relievers such as aspirin, choline magnesium trisalicylate (Trisalate), choline salicylate (Arthropan), diflunisal (Dolobid), magnesium salicylate (Doan's, others), and salsalate (Argesic, Disalcid, Salgesic)
• somatropin (Nutropin, Serostim, others)
• sulfa antibiotics
• thyroid medications

This is not a complete list of Humalog drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X - are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Humalog falls into category B. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with Humalog. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Humalog crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Humalog.

Insulin lispro should be injected just under the skin, 15 minutes before or after meals.

Insulin lispro can cause low blood sugar. Make sure you know the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar. Follow your healthcare provider's instructions for treating low blood sugar. Talk to your healthcare provider if low blood sugar is a problem for you.

Only use insulin lispro that is clear and colorless. Do not use if your insulin lispro is cloudy, colored, or has solid particles or clumps in it.

Inject insulin lispro under your skin (subcutaneously) in your upper arm, abdomen (stomach area), thigh (upper leg), or buttocks. Change (rotate) your injection site with each dose.