Patient was educated on Lantus and its mechanism of action as follows:
- Lantus belongs to the long-acting group of insulins, which have the slowest onset of action and the longest duration of action than insulins belonging to any other groups.
- Lantus generally reaches the bloodstream in about 4 hours after the shot was administered and tends to lower glucose levels fair and even, with no defined peak of action and acts for a duration of over 24 hours.
- Lantus insulin helps cells in the muscle, fat, and liver absorb glucose from the bloodstream. The glucose taken up by the cells is utilized for the energy the cells need. When the glucose is transported from the blood to tissues, the blood glucose levels fall.
- Lantus is also called basal or background insulin. Lantus keeps working in the background to keep the blood sugar under control for an entire day. Currently, the popular practice is to give the patient a long acting basal insulin that will control the blood sugars steadily over a period of 24 hours. Along with this, giving a rapid-acting mealtime insulin along with a correction dose to regulate blood sugar levels after meals will be more effective.
- This is like the action of insulin normally produced by the pancreas to help control blood sugar levels between meals.
