NovoLog Dosage

There is no standard NovoLog dosage that will work for all people or even for the same person in all situations. Since smaller doses of the insulin are needed after meals with a low carbohydrate content (and larger doses are needed for a high carbohydrate content meal), your healthcare provider may recommend carbohydrate counting to help determine your NovoLog dose.

 

NovoLog Dosage: An Introduction

The dose of NovoLog® (insulin aspart) that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • How you respond to NovoLog (especially as measured by your blood sugar levels)
  • The carbohydrate content of your meals
  • Your current dose of other insulins
  • Other medications you are taking, including other diabetes medications
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so. This article refers to plain NovoLog. NovoLog is also available in combinations with an intermediate-acting insulin (NovoLog Mix 70/30 or NovoLog Mix 50/50).
 

NovoLog Dosing Guidelines

NovoLog is dosed like any other rapid-acting insulin.
 That means there is no "standard" dose that will work for all people or even for the same person in all situations. NovoLog is generally used to control blood sugar after meals. Because NovoLog starts to work very quickly, you must start eating within 5 to 10 minutes after injecting NovoLog in order to prevent dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
 
You may be asked to measure your blood sugar before and after meals, and your healthcare provider may recommend carbohydrate counting. Both of these things can help you and your healthcare provider know how to dose your NovoLog. In general, smaller doses of NovoLog are necessary after meals with a low carbohydrate content, while larger doses are necessary after meals with a high carbohydrate content.
 
If you use NovoLog in an insulin pump, your healthcare provider will instruct you about how exactly to use it with your particular pump.
 
(NovoLog Dosage Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;