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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Dosage Humalog Pens For Diabetes?

My husband had surgery on a psuedo cyst on his pancreas on Tuesday, jan 25th. While there they used a humalog pen to control his insulin. He was released on Saturday and has kept an eye on his blood sugar levels. Last night it went up to 255. He had no way to lower it. Today he saw his family physician and received a few Humalog pens while there. I need to find a chart that tells how many units he needs, based on his blood sugar level to bring it down. It is too late at night to talk to the doctor and Lilly, the manufacturer is closed. Can anyone make any suggestions, based on my husband s weight when he needs to use how many units based on sugar levels? His hospital won t give any information because they didn t prescribe the Humalog. He s afraid to go high again and not know how many units to use. I have searched the internet and can find nothing. Help?
Mon, 6 Oct 2014
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Internal Medicine Specialist 's  Response
Hello,
you won't find any chart! Insulin dosage is different for each patient depending on factors like one's insulin resistance and insulin production. You haven't mentioned whether your husband had diabetes before or he started using antidiabetic treatment while in the hospital. If the latter is the case then he'll probably have to use a basal-bolus regimen which means a basal insulin once or twice a day and bolus insulin (like Humalog) before the meals.
In any case insulin dosage cannot be accurately calculated and the first few days trial and error is the rule. A safe way to start is to use [body weight/3] units of insulin per day divided in fast and slow acting insulin (50% : 50%). This is the ideal case. Many patients need more insulin.
As soon as his blood sugar gets under control, your doctor can calculate an estimate on the required insulin dosage to decrease his blood sugar when it gets out of normal range. You couldn't possibly do that now and be sure that you won't cause hypoglycemia to him.
These calculations are not so simple to be presented in a single chart for everyone. He needs a careful assessment of his diet and physical activity which also play a very important role in blood sugar regulation.
If you need further guidance, I'll be glad to help him control his blood sugar.
You can ask again, stating his
- body weight
- HbA1c
- current insulin regimen (what insulins does he use and how many units per day)
- other medical problems and treatments
- glucose self measurements (early morning fasting and 2 hours after meals)
I hope I've given you some insight on his situation.
Kind Regards!
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What Is The Dosage Humalog Pens For Diabetes?

Hello, you won t find any chart! Insulin dosage is different for each patient depending on factors like one s insulin resistance and insulin production. You haven t mentioned whether your husband had diabetes before or he started using antidiabetic treatment while in the hospital. If the latter is the case then he ll probably have to use a basal-bolus regimen which means a basal insulin once or twice a day and bolus insulin (like Humalog) before the meals. In any case insulin dosage cannot be accurately calculated and the first few days trial and error is the rule. A safe way to start is to use [body weight/3] units of insulin per day divided in fast and slow acting insulin (50% : 50%). This is the ideal case. Many patients need more insulin. As soon as his blood sugar gets under control, your doctor can calculate an estimate on the required insulin dosage to decrease his blood sugar when it gets out of normal range. You couldn t possibly do that now and be sure that you won t cause hypoglycemia to him. These calculations are not so simple to be presented in a single chart for everyone. He needs a careful assessment of his diet and physical activity which also play a very important role in blood sugar regulation. If you need further guidance, I ll be glad to help him control his blood sugar. You can ask again, stating his - body weight - HbA1c - current insulin regimen (what insulins does he use and how many units per day) - other medical problems and treatments - glucose self measurements (early morning fasting and 2 hours after meals) I hope I ve given you some insight on his situation. Kind Regards!