Nurse Teaching Topic: Apidra and Mechanism of Action

Patient/caregiver was educated on Apidra and its mechanism of action as follows:

  1. Apidra is a rapid-acting insulin that is very fast acting and belongs to the group of insulins that have the shortest duration of action among all the insulins groups.
  2. Apidra has a very short onset of action of 15 minutes. The action of Apidra peaks in about one hour. Apidra continues to exert the action for a total duration of 2 to 4 hours.
  3. Apidra 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.