Adult inpatient insulin use and supply

Warning
  • Patients bringing their own supply, and able to administer their own insulin, should do so.
  • Patients who do not bring their own insulin, or who cannot administer their own, should receive ward stock as follows:

 

Duration of action Time of supply Patient's usual insulin Ward stock alternative (10ml vial)

Rapid

Up to 15 minutes before food

Novorapid

Apidra

Fiasp

Humalog

Novorapid

Short

15-30 minutes before food

Actrapid

Humulin S

Actrapid
Long

Same time every day

Lantus

Abasaglar

 

Lantus
Intermediate

Same time every day

Insulatard

Humulin I

Levemir

Insulatard
Fixed mixture

Up to 30 minutes before food

Humulin M3

Humalog Mix 25

Humalog Mix 50

Novomix 30

Humulin M3

Points to remember:

  • Boxes containing the “ward stock alternative insulins” are held in wards 4,6,7 and emergency drug cupboard
  • All insulin vials should be marked with the date of first use and within BGH, all vials expire 4 weeks after first use
  • Pen devices are for patient use only
  • Patients prescribed an alternative to their normal insulin on admission should have DSN review & follow up plan
  • Under no circumstances should insulin cartridges be used for drawing up insulin into a syringe
  • Ward stock insulin should be prescribed on a unit for unit basis (of the patient’s normal insulin dose), unless otherwise stated
  • Toujeo: can be changed to Lantus and dose should be reduced by 20% to reduce risk of hypoglycaemia, with close monitoring of blood glucose
  • Xultophy: administered as dose steps, e.g. one dose step will contain 1 unit of insulin Degludec and 0.036 mg of the GLP-1 Liraglutide
    • Patients on Xultophy can be prescribed Lantus on a one dose step to one unit basis
  • Humalog 200 units/ml: can be changed unit for unit to Novorapid (eg 80 units of Humalog 200 could be changed to 80 units of Novorapid)

 

Editorial Information

Last reviewed: 01/05/2022

Next review date: 01/05/2024

Author(s): Johnstone K.

Author email(s): kirsty.johnstone@borders.scot.nhs.uk.

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