What Is Humulin 70/30 Used For?
Humulin
® 70/30 (NPH
insulin/
regular insulin) is a combination insulin medication used to help control blood sugar levels in people with
diabetes. It is a mixture of two different
types of insulins: a short-acting insulin (regular insulin) and an intermediate-acting insulin (NPH insulin). It is usually used before meals, typically just twice a day.
Most people who need to take insulin have
type 1 diabetes (sometimes known as juvenile-onset diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes). Although type 1 diabetes usually begins in childhood or adolescence, 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 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. 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. The pancreas cannot keep up with such a high demand and eventually starts to fail. Generally, people with type 2 diabetes take insulin only if they absolutely cannot produce enough insulin (even with the help of oral
diabetes medications).
