What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider Before Taking Insulin Lispro Protamine/Insulin Lispro?
- Liver failure
- Hepatitis
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Kidney disease, such as kidney failure (renal failure)
- Any allergies, including allergies to foods, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Breastfeeding
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about any other medications you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Specific Warnings and Precautions
- One of the two medications in insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro is a rapid-acting insulin that starts working very quickly. Once you inject a dose of insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro, it is essential that you start eating a meal or snack within 15 minutes, in order to avoid dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
- Different types of insulin act differently, even when used at exactly the same doses. Therefore, your insulin dosage may need to be adjusted when you switch from any other type of insulin.
- Low blood sugar is the most common (and usually most serious) side effect of insulin medications, including insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro. Make sure you and those around you know how to identify the warning signs for low blood sugar and how to respond. You must test your blood sugar levels regularly while taking insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro or any other insulin. Low blood sugar levels can be a life-threatening problem.
- Liver and kidney problems may affect your insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro dosage. Also, changes in diet or exercise, illness, or stress may affect your blood sugar levels in such a way that your dosage needs to be adjusted.
- Insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro cannot be used in pumps, injected into a muscle, or used in an IV. Also, do not mix insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro together with any other type of insulin in the same syringe.
- This diabetes medication can potentially interact with several other medications (see Drug Interactions With Insulin Lispro Protamine/Insulin Lispro).
- It is not known if insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to taking the drug (see Humalog Mix50/50 and Breastfeeding or Humalog Mix75/25 and Breastfeeding).
- Insulin lispro protamine/insulin lispro is considered a pregnancy Category B medication. This means it is probably safe for use during pregnancy (see Humalog Mix50/50 and Pregnancy or Humalog Mix75/25 and Pregnancy).
