Why Consider Insulin
Do you have difficulty controlling your blood sugar levels? For many people, diet,
exercise, and oral diabetes medications alone do not bring their blood sugar levels
under control. Adding insulin injections may help. Insulin replaces what your body
isn't making enough of naturally to help control blood sugar.
Insulin is a hormone that is naturally produced in the body that helps convert
your blood sugar (or blood glucose) into energy. When you have diabetes your body
doesn't make enough insulin and/or your body doesn't properly use the insulin it
does make. As diabetes progresses, it can get harder to manage your blood sugar.
Insulin should not necessarily be viewed as a sign of personal failure, or viewed
as a last resort.
Insulin can be an effective tool to lower blood sugar
When diet, exercise, and oral diabetes medications alone don’t bring your blood
sugar levels under control, insulin may be an effective way to help with uncontrolled
blood sugar.
Talk to your doctor about your blood sugar levels to see if insulin would be right for you.
Do not take insulin if you are allergic to insulin or any of its ingredients.
You must test your blood sugar levels when using insulin.
Indications and Usage for LANTUS® (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection)
Prescription LANTUS® is a long-acting insulin used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes
and adults and children (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes for the control
of high blood sugar. It should be taken once a day at the same time each day to
lower blood glucose.
Do not use LANTUS® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.
Important Safety Information for LANTUS®
Do not take LANTUS® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients
in LANTUS®.
You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as LANTUS®. Do not
make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your healthcare
provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical
supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix LANTUS® with any other insulin or solution. It will not work
as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. LANTUS®
must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with others.
The most common side effect of insulin, including LANTUS®, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia),
which may be serious. Some people may experience symptoms such as shaking, sweating,
fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Severe hypoglycemia may be serious and life
threatening. It may cause harm to your heart or brain. Other possible side effects
may include injection site reactions, including changes in fat tissue at the injection
site, and allergic reactions, including itching and rash. In rare cases, some allergic
reactions may be life threatening.
Tell your doctor about other medicines and supplements you are taking because they
can change the way insulin works. Before starting LANTUS®, tell your doctor about
all your medical conditions including if you have liver or kidney problems, are
pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed.
LANTUS® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin pen. Please talk to your healthcare
provider about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction
Leaflet that accompanies the pen.
Click here for Full Prescribing Information for LANTUS®.
The health information contained herein is provided for general educational purposes only. Your healthcare professional is the single best source of information regarding your health. Please consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions about your health or treatment.