An Overview of Insulin Aspart Uses
Insulin aspart (
NovoLog®) is a form of
insulin used to help control blood sugar in people with
diabetes. This medication is rapid-acting and is used to control blood sugar after meals. It starts working more quickly, produces a higher peak, and stops working more quickly than regular human insulin.
Insulin aspart can also be used in an
insulin pump or can be given by IV.
This article refers to plain insulin aspart. Insulin aspart is also available in combination with an intermediate-acting insulin (
NovoLog Mix 70/30 or
NovoLog Mix 50/50).
Insulin Aspart Uses for Type 1 Diabetes
Although
type 1 diabetes usually begins in childhood or adolescence, this is not always the case. With this type of diabetes, the
pancreas stops producing insulin. This means that people with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin on a regular basis to help keep their blood sugar at the right level.
In healthy people without diabetes, insulin levels do not stay the same throughout the day; instead, they fluctuate in response to changes in blood sugar levels. In order to mimic the natural insulin changes that help keep blood sugar safely controlled, many healthcare providers recommend "basal-bolus" insulin regimens. These regimens often involve a rapid-acting insulin, such as insulin aspart, to provide the bolus (a quick, fast-acting, short-lived dose of insulin) to handle the sudden rise in blood sugar levels that follows each meal. A longer-acting insulin is added to provide a basal insulin level (a relatively steady background level of insulin throughout the day).
If you use insulin aspart in an insulin pump, you do not need to take a long-acting insulin.
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