Levemir, or Insulin Detemir works just like naturally occurring insulin does, only longer. It is a long-acting human insulin analog used for maintaining your basal level of insulin. It is taken as a subcutaneous (under the skin) injection under the skin and lasts up to 24 hours with a flat and predictable mode of action.
Like naturally occurring insulin, which is a naturally occurring hormone produced in the pancreas, Levemir works by regulating the breakdown of food such as sugars, fats and proteins. It stimulates the absorption of sugar from the blood into fat, liver and skeletal muscle cells. It also blocks the liver’s ability to produce and release sugar into the blood. Once the sugar is out of your blood, your blood sugar levels decrease and when the sugar is inside your cells, it gives you more energy. Clinical trials with people who have type 2 diabetes have shown that those who took Levemir gained less weight than those taking other insulin analogs.
If you have type 1 diabetes the recommended initial dose of should be about 1/3 of your total daily insulin needs. A short-acting or rapid-acting, mealtime insulin should be added used to meet the rest of your daily insulin needs. If you have type 2 diabetes which hasn’t been controlled by oral antidiabetic medications, your recommended starting dose is 10 Units (or 0.1 to 0.2 Units/kg) taken once a day in the evening or split up into two times a day.
