Insulin Aspart (Systemic)

Brand Names : NovoLog

Before Using This Medicine

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 aspart, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to insulin aspart. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - The amount of insulin or insulin aspart you need changes during pregnancy. It is especially important for your health and your baby's health that your blood sugar be closely controlled before you become pregnant and throughout pregnancy.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether insulin aspart passes into human breast milk. Although most medicines, including human insulin, pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are taking this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of insulin aspart in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - This medicine has been tested in a limited number of patients 65 years of age or older and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other 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 aspart, it is especially important that your doctor and pharmacist know if you are taking any of the following:

• Beta-adrenergic blocking agents (acebutolol [e.g., Sectral], atenolol [e.g., Tenormin], betaxolol [e.g., Kerlone], bisoprolol [e.g., Zebeta], carteolol [e.g., Cartrol], labetalol [e.g., Normodyne, Trandate], metoprolol [e.g., Lopressor], nadolol [e.g., Corgard], oxprenolol [e.g., Trasicor], penbutolol [e.g., Levatol], pindolol [e.g., Visken], propranolol [e.g., Inderal], sotalol [e.g., Betapace], timolol [e.g., Blocadren]) or
• Clonidine (e.g., Catapres, Duraclon) or
• Guanethidine (e.g., Ismelin) or
• Reserpine (e.g., Serpasil) - These medicines may hide symptoms of low blood sugar (such as fast heartbeat). Thus, a person with diabetes might not recognize that he or she has low blood sugar and might not take immediate steps to treat it

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of insulin aspart. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) - If you have low blood sugar and take insulin, your blood sugar may reach dangerously low levels
• Kidney disease or

• Liver disease - Effects of insulin aspart may be increased or decreased; your doctor may need to change your insulin dose