Insulin Treatment in Diabetes
Insulin Treatment in Diabetes
Insulin Treatment in Diabetes
Barriers to
the Use of
Insulin
PATIENT CONCERNS ABOUT INSULIN
• Fear of injections
• Worries that insulin could worsen diabetes
• Hypoglycemia
• Occupation
• Complexity of regimens
• Concerns about potential weight gain •
DECREASING FEARS OF INSULIN
• Short acting The disadvantages are to be injected 20 - 30 minutes before a meal. Patients
may need to snack between meals and there is a risk of hypoglycaemia.
Insulin resistance
Insulin secretion
Postprandial glucose
Fasting glucose
Microvascular complications
Macrovascular complications
Pre-diabetes Type 2 diabetes
Adapted from Ramlo-Halsted BA, Edelman SV. Prim Care. 1999;26:771-789;
Nathan DM. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:1342-1349
BEGINNING INSULIN THERAPY
6-36
WHEN ORAL MEDICATIONS ARE NOT
ENOUGH
• Watch for the following signs
– Increasing BG levels
– Elevated A1C
– Unexplained weight loss
– Traces of ketonuria
– Poor energy level
– Sleep disturbances
– Polydipsia
• Next steps
– Make a decision to start insulin
– Offer patient encouragement, not blame
Worsens
Insulin Secretion with Time
Postprandial Glucose
Normal Blood
Glucose
Risk of Microvascular Complications
Years to
Decades Typical Diagnosis of Diabetes
INITIATING INSULIN THERAPY IN TYPE 2
DIABETES
• Let blood glucose levels guide choice of insulins
– Select type(s) of insulin and timing of injection(s) based on pattern of
patient’s sugar (fasting, lunch, dinner, bedtime)
• Choose from currently available insulin preparations
– Rapid-acting (mealtime): lispro, aspart
– Short-acting (mealtime): regular insulin
– Intermediate-acting (background): NPH, lente
– Long-acting (background): ultralente, glargine
– Insulin mixtures
• Provide long-acting or intermediate-acting as basal
and rapid-acting as bolus
• Titrate every week
6-37
GLARGINE AT HS + ORAL AGENTS OR MEALTIME LISPRO
TZD lispro
Metformin Glargine
Glargine
Insulin Effect
Insulin Effect
B L S HS B B L S HS B
6-56
STARTING WITH BASAL INSULIN
• Continue oral agent(s) at same dosage (eventually stop secretegogue)
• Add single, evening insulin dose (around 10 U)
• Glargine (bedtime or anytime?)
• NPH (bedtime)
• 70/30 (evening meal) or 75/25
6-59
ADVANCING BOLUS/ ADDING BOLUS INSULIN
• Indicated when FBG acceptable but
• HbA1c not at goal and/or
• Postprandial BG not at goal (<140mg/dl)
• Insulin options
• To Glargine, add mealtime Regular or Lispro
• To bedtime NPH, add morning NPH and
mealtime Regular or Lispro
• To suppertime 70/30 or 75/25, add morning 70/30 or 75/25
• Oral agent considerations
• Usually stop secretagogue (it is redundant to be on insulin and secretagogue)
• Continue metformin and TZD for additional glycemic and other benefits
6-60
CHANGING FROM OTHER REGIMENS TO
BASAL/BOLUS INSULIN
Total Daily Dose
(~70-75% of prior insulin regimen TDD)
~50% ~50%
Basal* Bolus*
• Instead, some clinicians prefer to instead calculate the new basal/bolus doses independently of each other
• Current Basal= 0.70 x 45 u TDD = 31.5 u N
• Current Bolus= 0.30 x 45 u TDD = 13.5 u R
• Then, use 70 to 75% of prior NPH, but divide prior short acting into 3 premeal doses
• New Basal= 0.75 x 31.5 u N = 24 u Lantus
• New Bolus= 13.5 u R / 3 = 4.5 u (round up or down) premeal Humalog
SO WHICH METHOD IS BEST?
• This is where the “Art of Medicine” comes in:
Methods
EXAMPLE: 500 ÷ 34 u= 15
Benefits
Allows for variation in appetite
and preferences
Don’t!
INSTEAD OF SLIDING SCALE....
Think Supplementation or Correction Scale…
6-53
THE FUTURE OF INSULIN
• Inhaled Insulin: Exubra, others
6-54
ORAL AGENTS + MEALTIME INHALED INSULIN: EFFECT ON
HBA1C
Oral Agents +
Oral Agents Alone Inhaled Insulin
10
2.3%
HbA1c (%)
8
*
5
Baseline Follow-up Baseline Follow-up
(0) (12) (0) (12)
Weeks
*P < .001
Weiss, et al. Diabetes. 1999;48(suppl 1):A12.
6-55
SUMMARY: INSULIN THERAPY
• Replaces complete lack of insulin in type 1 diabetes
Normal
Type 2 Diabetes
Glucose Insulin
400 120
100
300
80
U/mL
mg/dL
200 60
40
100
20
0600 1000 1400 1800 2200 0200 0600 0600 1000 1400 1800 2200 0200 0600
B L S B L S
Time of Day Time of Day
6-17
THE GOAL OF INSULIN THERAPY:
ATTEMPT TO MIMIC NORMAL PANCREATIC FUNCTION
B L S HS
160
140
PLASMA 120
GLUCOSE
100
m g/dl
80
60
75
60
PLASMA FREE 40
INSULIN
30
u/m l
15
0
330 1130 1530 1930 2330 0330 0730
HOURS
Schade, Skyler, Santiago, Rizza, “Intensive Insulin Therapy,” 1993, p. 131.
RAPID-ACTING INSULIN ANALOGUES: LISPRO AND ASPART
6-28
COMPARISON OF HUMAN INSULINS AND ANALOGUES
Insulin Onset of Duration of
Preparations Action Peak Action
Lispro/Aspart 5-15 minutes 1-2 hours 3-5 hours
Human
Regular 30-60 minutes 2-4 hours 4-8 hours
Human
NPH/Lente 1-4 hours 4-12 hours 10-20 hours
Human
Ultralente 6-8 hours Unpredictable 16-20 hours
Glargine 2-3 hours Flat ~24 hours
The time course of action of any insulin may vary in different individuals, or at different times in the same individual. Because
of this variation, time periods indicated here should be considered general guidelines only.
6-
IMPACT OF DIABETES MELLITUS
Diabetes
Baseline
After Insulin
100
87
% of Matched Control Values 80
80
67
Glucose Disposal
60 57
53
40
40
20
0
Scarlett Andrews Garvey
Scarlett, et al. Diabetes Care. 1982;5:353-363; Andrews, et al. Diabetes. 1984;33:634-642; Garvey, et al. Diabetes.
1985;34:222-234.
6-9
REASSURANCE ABOUT COMMON CONCERNS
Insulin Therapy in Type 2 DM
6-15
TWICE-DAILY SPLIT-MIXED REGIMENS
Regular
NPH
Insulin Effect
B L S HS B
6-23
MULTIPLE DAILY INJECTIONS (MDI)
NPH + REGULAR
Insulin Effect
B L S HS B B L S HS B
6-24
THE BASAL/BOLUS INSULIN CONCEPT
• Basal Insulin
• Suppresses glucose production between meals and overnight
• Nearly constant levels
• 50% of daily needs
• Bolus Insulin (Mealtime or Prandial)
• Limits hyperglycemia after meals
• Immediate rise and sharp peak at 1 hour
• 10% to 20% of total daily insulin requirement at each meal
• Up to 12 hours’ duration
• Increased at higher dosages
• Potential for late postprandial hypoglycemia
6-26
RAPID-ACTING ANALOGUES: CLINICAL FEATURES
• Insulin profile more closely mimics normal physiology
• Convenient administration immediately prior to meals
• Faster onset of action
• Limit postprandial hyperglycemic peaks
• Shorter duration of activity
• Reduced late postprandial hypoglycemia
• But more frequent late postprandial hyperglycemia
6-27
MULTIPLE DAILY INJECTIONS (MDI)
NPH + MEALTIME LISPRO
NPH at AM and HS + Lispro AC NPH at HS + Lispro AC
Lispro Lispro
NPH NPH
Insulin Effect
Insulin Effect
B L S HS B B L S HS B
6-29
LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN NPH, LENTE, AND ULTRALENTE
• Do not mimic basal insulin profile
• Variable absorption
• Pronounced peaks
• Less than 24-hour duration of action
6-30
THE QUEST FOR BASAL INSULIN REPLACEMENT
Mealtime Lispro + NPH and NPH at HS
Lispro
NPH
Insulin Effect
B L S HS B
6-31
THE IDEAL BASAL INSULIN . . .
• Mimics normal pancreatic basal insulin secretion
• Long-lasting effect around 24 hours
• Smooth, peakless profile
• Reproducible and predictable effects
• Reduced risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia
• Once-daily administration for convenience
6-32
PROFILES OF VARIOUS BASAL INSULINS
SC insulin n = 20 T1DM
Mean ± SEM
4.0 24
NPH
20
µmol/kg/min
mg/kg/min
3.0 Ultralente
16
2.0 CSII 12
8
1.0
Glargine 4
0 0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24
Time (h)
SC=subcutaneous; CSII=continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion
Lepore M et al. Diabetes. 2000;49:2142-2148.
LONG-ACTING INSULINS:
ULTRALENTE AND GLARGINE
Ultralente
• Injected once or twice daily
• Onset within 6–8 hours
• Peak effect within 10–20 hours
Glargine
• 24-hour, long-acting recombinant human insulin analogue
has no peak
• Cannot be diluted or mixed with other insulins or solutions
• Administered once daily
– In combination therapy, glargine given at bedtime; rapid- or
short-acting given during the day
GLARGINE VS NPH INSULIN IN TYPE 1 DIABETES
ACTION PROFILES BY GLUCOSE CLAMP
5
Glucose Utilization Rate
(mg/kg/h) 4 NPH
3
2
Glargine
1
0
0 10 20 30
Time (h) After SC Injection
End of observation period
Lepore, et al. Diabetes. 1999;48(suppl 1):A97.
6-34
BEDTIME GLARGINE VS NPH, WITH MEALTIME REGULAR
4 48
NPH Glargine
Patients (%)
3 ** 36
2 24
1 Baseline Baseline 12
8.5 ± 1 8.8 ± 1 11.1± 4 10.6± 4
0 0
1 * *
*
2
*
HbA1c FPG Nocturnal
(%) (mmol/L) Hypoglycemia
6-51
BEDTIME GLARGINE VS NPH, WITH MEALTIME
REGULAR
4 48
NPH Glargine
3 36
Patients (%)
Weight (kg)
**
2 24
1 12
*
0 0
Weight Gain Nocturnal
Hypoglycemia
*P < .0007
**P < .02 (compared to NPH)
6-52
INSULIN GLARGINE
SUMMARY OF COMPLETED TRIALS
• Glucose-insulin clamp studies of Glargine vs NPH
• Smooth, continuous release from injection site
• Longer duration of action with effect for about 24 hours
• Peakless profile
6-35
INTERMEDIATE-ACTING INSULIN
• Cloudy longer lifespan than short-acting insulin starts working within 2 - 4 hours
after injection, peaks between 4 and 8 hours and remains working for approximately
16 hours. Occasionally this insulin is given twice daily.
• ! Re-suspension is critical.
LONG ACTING INSULIN GLARGINE
(LANTUS), DETEMIR (LEVEMIR)
• Starts working within 2 hours and provides
• · Reinforce advice on diet, lifestyle and adherence to drug treatment. ·
• Individualised HbA1c target. Measure HbA1c levels at 3/6 monthly intervals .
• Base choice of drug treatment on: effectiveness, safety (see MHRA guidance), tolerability,
the person’s individual clinical circumstances, preferences ,needs, and cost (if 2 drugs in
the same class are appropriate, choose the option with the lowest acquisition cost).
• Do not routinely offer self-monitoring of blood glucose levels unless the person is on
insulin, on oral medication that may increase their risk of hypoglycaemia while driving or
operating machinery, is pregnant or planning to become pregnant or if there is evidence
of hypoglycaemic episodes.
• Person hyperglycemic & symptomtic consider SU or Insulin
• Metformin tolerated A1c >6.5 :start metformin if lifestyle measures fail to bring A1c
to <6.5
• If A1c >7.5 add second agentSU or DPP IV or Pioglitazone or SGLT 2 inhibitors aim
A1c <7
• If A1c >7.5 add third agent or insulin based regimen
• If standard-release metformin is not tolerated, consider modified–release metformin
If triple therapy is not effective, not tolerated or contraindicated, consider
combination therapy with metformin, an SU and a GLP-1 agonist for adults with type 2
diabetes with BMI of 35 kg/m2 or higher and specific psychological or other medical
problems associated with obesity or - have a BMI lower than 35 kg/m2 but who
benefits from wt loss
• If metformin not tolerated and A1c >6.5 after lifestyle intervention start with DPP IV I
• Or SU or Pioglitazone . If SU and Pioglitazone not tolerated start with SGLT 2 inhibitors