Fast acting insulin, lowers blood sugar after meals and begins acting within 15 minutes of injection. Some of the advantages of taking fast-acting insulin are:
- It is absorbed quickly from your fat tissue into the bloodstream.
- It is prescribed to manage blood sugar levels during meals and snacks and to control high glucose in the bloodstream.
How Long Does Fast-acting Insulin Last?
Analogs, such as insulin aspart, insulin lispro, and insulin glulisine, have an onset of action of 5 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, they have a peak effect in 1 to 2 hours and a duration of action lasting for 4 to 6 hours.
The onset of action and the time to peak effect of fast-acting insulin are similar. The duration of it is affected by the dose. Hence, a few units may last 4 hours or less, while 25 or 30 units may last 5 to 6 hours.
For a safe medical estimate, it has an average duration of action of 4 hours.
Insulin Brands
Some of the known brands of a fast-acting insulin are the following:
- Humalog are prescribed to patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels. It is a fast-acting insulin that starts working immediately for a shorter period than regular human insulin.
- Novolog that helps control blood sugar spikes. It is effective both on children and adults. Typically, Nololog is taken together with long-acting insulin.
- Apidra used for adults and children with high blood sugar. When used as a mealtime Apidra is typically given 15 minutes before or within 20 minutes after a meal.
Side Effects
When taking any brand of fast-acting insulin, you should note some of the adverse effects you may experience shortly after injection:
- Rashes
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Fast heartbeat
- Sweating
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- Weakness
- Muscle cramps
- Abnormal heartbeat
- Weight gain
- Swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
