Insulin – Short Acting (Regular) Nursing Considerations

Okay guys, let’s take a look at short-acting insulin or regular insulin also known as Humulin R or Novolin . This is an injectable medication, as you can see here. Okay. So remember when we talk about the therapeutic class of a drug, we’re talking about how the drug works in the body while the pharmacologic class is the chemical effect of the drug. So for short-acting insulin, the therapeutic class is an antidiabetic also a hormone and the pharmacologic class is a pancreatic. So short-acting insulin or regular insulin works by stimulating the uptake of glucose into muscle and fat cells. It inhibits the production of glucose in the liver and prevents the breakdown of fat and protein, which is why short-acting insulin is indicated for hyperglycemia related to type one and type two diabetes, as well as diabetic ketoacidosis. 

So with short-acting, insulin hypoglycemia is most definitely a side effect that can be seen. So things like headache, nausea, drowsiness, sweat, and confusion are all signs of this. And also because insulin is injected, it can cause redness and pain at the injection site. Some important things to remember with short-acting or regular insulin, be sure to assess your patient for symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Over time monitor the patient’s body weight as insulin may cause weight to increase. It is important to know that short-acting insulin may cause decreased inorganic phosphates, potassium, and magnesium levels. Be sure that the patient knows that blood sugar must be checked every six hours, although sometimes this can vary depending on the type of insulin, but hemoglobin A1C must be checked every three to six months. So guys with regular insulin, it’s given subcutaneously and it has an onset of 30 to 45 minutes. It has a peak of one and a half to two and a half hours and has a duration of four and a half to six hours. And guys, regular insulin is the insulin of choice. When we need to give IV insulin, that’s it for short-acting or regular insulin or Humulin R or Novolin R now go out and be your best today. And as always happy nursing.