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Insulin degludec Subcutaneous
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  • Insulin degludec (Subcutaneous)

Insulin degludec (Subcutaneous)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Apr 13, 2022.

Commonly used brand name(s)

In the U.S.

  • Tresiba

Available Dosage Forms:

  • Solution

Therapeutic Class: Antidiabetic

Pharmacologic Class: Insulin, Long Acting

Uses for insulin degludec

Insulin degludec is a long-acting type of insulin that works slowly, over about 24 hours. Insulin is one of many hormones that help the body turn the food we eat into energy. This is done by using the glucose (sugar) in the blood as quick energy. Also, insulin helps us store energy that we can use later. When you have diabetes mellitus, your body cannot make enough insulin or does not use insulin properly. This causes you to have too much sugar in your blood. Like other types of insulin, insulin degludec is used to keep your blood sugar level close to normal.

Insulin degludec is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before using insulin degludec

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For insulin degludec, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to insulin degludec or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of insulin degludec injection in children 1 year of age and older. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children younger than 1 year of age.

Geriatric

Although appropriate studies on the relationship of age to the effects of insulin degludec injection have not been performed in the geriatric population, no geriatric-specific problems have been documented to date. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related hypoglycemia, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving insulin degludec.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking insulin degludec, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using insulin degludec with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

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