Uses for Humulin 50/50: An Overview
Humulin
® 50/50 (NPH
insulin/
regular insulin) is a combination insulin medication used for the treatment of
diabetes. It is a mixture of two different
types of insulins, 50 percent regular insulin (a short-acting insulin) and 50 percent NPH insulin (an intermediate-acting insulin).
As of July 2009, Eli Lilly and Company has decided to stop producing Humulin 50/50 due to low product demand. It is estimated that current supplies of the medication may last until April 2010. If you are currently taking Humulin 50/50, your healthcare provider will need to switch you to one of the other types of insulin.
Using Humulin 50/50 for Diabetes
Most people who need to take insulin have
type 1 diabetes (sometimes known as juvenile-onset diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes). Typically, type 1 diabetes begins in childhood or adolescence, although 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. Insulin is absolutely essential for people with type 1 diabetes.
Unlike for people with type 1 diabetes, people with
type 2 diabetes (sometimes called non-insulin-dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes) often do not need to take insulin. The problem with type 2 diabetes is that the cells of the body do not respond to insulin as well as they normally should (they become "insulin resistant"). As a result, the cells do not remove sugar (glucose) from the blood very well, resulting in high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Therefore, people with type 2 diabetes need much more insulin than is normal to control their blood sugar levels. The pancreas cannot keep up with such a high demand and it eventually starts to fail. Generally, people with type 2 diabetes take insulin only if they cannot produce enough insulin (even with the help of oral
diabetes medications).
Most people who take insulin need two different types of insulin (one short- or rapid-acting insulin and one intermediate- or long-acting insulin). Humulin 50/50 is useful for reducing the number of insulin injections per day, as it combines two different types of insulins in a single injection.
