Under the name "Levemir" a hypoglycemic drug is produced, the action and structure of which is as close as possible to the insulin generated by the human body. The pharmaceutical product belongs to the class of recombinant insulin with a lasting effect. Not only Levemir is on sale, there are several analogues of the drug, and the most popular is the Lantus SoloStar drug.
general information
Most often, buyers are interested in Levemir Flekspen and analogues of this drug. The manufacturer of the pharmaceutical product offers customers acting as an alternative drug, Levemir Penfill. "Levemir Flekspen" is an independent pen containing a cartridge and a needle. Levemira Penfill is on sale represented by a replaceable cartridge that can be inserted into a reusable pen. The composition of both funds is the same, the dosage is similar, there are no differences in the ways of use.
"Levemir Flekspen" is a specialized pen with a built-in dispenser. Technical features are such that in one procedure a person receives from one to 60 units of the drug. Possible dose changes in increments of one. This medication is needed to maintain standard insulin blood saturation. It helps to control the situation without being tied to meals.
What's inside?
To understand what Levemir analogues are, you need to know what the drug consists of, because the first and most often chosen analogues are the products whose active ingredients are identical.
Levemir contains detemir insulin. This is a human product, a recombinant hormonal compound created using the genetic code of a specific strain of bacteria. One milliliter of medicine contains one hundred units, which corresponds to 14.2 mg. One unit of the drug is similar to one unit of insulin generated in the human body.
Is there anything else?
If you refer to the instructions for use of Levemir analogues or this drug itself, you can find out that manufacturers usually use not only insulin, but also various additional ingredients. They are necessary to improve the kinetic properties of the drug, dynamic features. By incorporating additional ingredients, bioavailability improves, tissue perfusion becomes better, and the ability of the main substance to bind to plasma proteins is reduced.
Additional ingredients are needed as auxiliary. Each component in the composition of the drug is responsible for some quality. Certain ingredients are needed to increase the duration of the duration, others give the tool important physical and chemical properties. Before use, you should make sure that the patient is not allergic to any product used by the manufacturer as the main or auxiliary.
About alternatives and names
As an analogue to Levemir, it is worth considering the drug Lantus SoloStar. This medicine is also packaged in cartridges. On average, one package of this analogue of the medication in question is worth a thousand rubles more. Lantus SoloStar cartridges are inserted into syringes in the form of a pen. The manufacturer of this analogue of Levemira is the German company Sanofi.
Relatively rarely on sale, you can see the drug "Lantus". It is an injectable liquid containing insulin glargine. The drug is packaged in cartridges - in one package there are five pieces. Volume - 3 ml. One milliliter contains 100 units of insulin. On average, the cost of packaging exceeds the price of the considered “Levemire” by one thousand rubles.
Previously, the drug “Ultratard XM” was offered in pharmacies. Today it is either not on sale or extremely difficult to find. The medication was in the form of a powder for the preparation of injectively injected fluid. This analogue of Levemir was manufactured by the same Danish company Novo Nordisk. One milliliter contained 400 IU, and the volume of the vial was 10 ml.
What else to consider?
If you need to choose an analogue of Levemir insulin, you should consult a doctor. In pharmacies, there are several drugs for people suffering from diabetic diseases, but not all are applicable in a particular case. On average, the price of the drug in question in modern pharmacies is about 2.5 thousand rubles, but there are places where you can buy medicine cheaper, there are pharmacies with higher prices. When choosing an analogue, one should not count on the possibility of replacing the drug with a very cheap means. Although pharmacies have several analogues, their price mainly corresponds to the drug in question or significantly exceeds it.
In addition to those previously indicated, the following drugs can be considered analogues of Levemir insulin:
- Aylar.
- Tresiba Flextach.
- Novorapid Flekspen.
- Novomix Flekspen.
- "Monodar ultralong."
In some cases, the doctor may advise you to pay attention to the medication "Tozheo SoloStar." Self-replacement of medication with an alternative is unacceptable. This can provoke adverse reactions, the strength and characteristics of which are unpredictable.
Levemir. Pharmacokinetics
All features of the effectiveness and efficiency of the tool can be found in the accompanying documentation. It should be considered so that it becomes clear how it differs against Levemir analogues. The composition of this tool, as indicated above, is quite complicated, and the main ingredient is insulin detemir. Analogues of the drug contain insulin, but in other forms. Detemir insulin is an analogue of the human hormone. It has a narrow spectrum of action. The drug is effective for a long time. The delayed result of administration is explained by associative molecular independent action.
The prolonged action is due to the pronounced self-association of detemir insulin molecules at the injection site and the binding of the drug molecules to albumin by means of a connection with the side chain. Thanks to this, the Levemir drug, which has several analogues, is considered one of the best against the background of alternative ones, because the intake of the main compound in the blood slows down. Target tissues eventually receive the volumes of insulin they need, but this does not happen instantly, which makes Levemir a more useful and effective medicine than many other insulin preparations. The combined distribution effect, processing, absorption are good indicators.
Many or few
To achieve maximum effect, you need to use the drug in the correct dosage. Analogues of Levemir require no less accuracy in this matter than the medication in question. The optimal volumes, frequency of administration are determined by the attending physician.
On average, per day, the drug is used in an amount of 0.3 PIECES for each kilogram of weight with a possible deviation of one tenth of the larger and smaller sides. Maximum performance is achievable already three hours after the receipt of funds, but in rare cases, the waiting time is up to 14 hours. The drug is administered to the patient once or twice a day.
When is Levemir needed?
Like the analogues of the drug, "Levemir" is prescribed for diabetic disease. The medication is indicated for an insulin-dependent type of disease. It is used to treat persons over two years of age. The remedy has no other indications.
It is forbidden to prescribe the drug if a person individually does not tolerate any component. This applies to the main - insulin, and auxiliary ingredients. Persons under the age of two are not prescribed Levemir, as there is no official information on the effectiveness and reliability of this group of patients.
Is it worth using?
There are relatively few reviews about the analogues of Levemire, and people rarely express opinions about this tool itself. In many responses, special attention is focused on the high cost of the drug. Although the doctor may advise the medicine to a relatively large number of people, not every patient has a family budget that allows them to purchase such a medicine. The above analogues are also quite expensive. Many of them are even more expensive than the considered “Levemire”, therefore their accessibility for the general population is lower.
Studying reviews, analogues, instructions for use of Levemir before using it, you can decide whether to buy the drug or not. Most patients who took the drug were satisfied with its effect. Diabetic disease is among the incurable, so the doctor is developing therapy based on a long course. Accordingly, one cannot expect that Levemir will heal a person. Persons who correctly understood the main function of the medication (maintaining the normal state of the patient's body) are usually satisfied with the use of the medication.
Proper use
And all the Levemir analogues (substitutes) described above, and this drug itself require the patient to be as attentive as possible to the administration procedure. The medicine is used 1-2 times a day. To reduce the risks of nocturnal hypoglycemia, the second portion is administered during the last meal or shortly before going to bed.
The dose is determined by the doctor. First, a certain amount of the drug is prescribed, the reaction of the body is monitored, then the volumes are adjusted. Choosing the right dose on the first try is almost impossible. If diabetes is complicated by other diseases, the drug program is adjusted. It is strictly forbidden to independently change the dosage, skip the dose. There is a danger of coma, retinopathy, neuropathy.
About the nuances of application
Sometimes the doctor prescribes only Levemir, sometimes several drugs for combined treatment. In multicomponent therapy, Levemir is usually used once a day. The time of administration of the drug is provided to choose the patient. Every day you have to administer the drug strictly at the same time. The medicine is injected under the skin. Other uses may provoke severe complications. In a vein, in muscle tissue, the drug is strictly prohibited. The drug is used only in an insulin pump. The manufacturer packs the product in special pens with needles, designed so that it is convenient to administer the medicine. The length of the needle is selected taking into account the features of use.
Each new injection is done in a new zone, otherwise there is a risk of fatty degeneration. Entering the tool in one area, each time a new point is selected. The most convenient way to enter “Levemir” in the shoulder, buttocks, in front of the abdominal wall, in the thigh. You can do an injection near the deltoid muscle.
Attention to detail
Before the injection, it is necessary to check whether the cartridge is intact, whether the piston is normal. The visible block should not extend beyond the wide white area of the code. If deviations from the standard form are observed, it is necessary to contact the pharmacy for the replacement of an unusable copy.
The entire period of treatment should regularly check blood sugar levels.
Immediately before the introduction, the operation of the handle is checked. Inspect the piston and cartridge, check the name of the product. Any injection is done with a new needle, otherwise there is a risk of infection. You can not use the medicine if the expiration date has passed, any element is damaged, the solution is cloudy, the concentration of glucose in the blood is below normal. Never recharge a cartridge. It is recommended to always have a spare dose on hand in case the used pen turns out to be of poor quality at the time of administration - this will eliminate the omission.
Step-by-step instruction
It is necessary to carefully use the drug so as not to blunt and bend the needle. Use begins with the release of the needle from the packaging. She is attached to a syringe. If there is a safety cap, it is removed. On the inside, remove the protective cap and check the flow of insulin. Selector set 2 units. The syringe is directed with the needle up and the cartridge is tapped, so that the air collects in one bubble, press the handle until the selector moves to zero division and a drop of the agent appears on the tip of the needle. You can repeat the procedure no more than six times. If it has never been possible to prepare the drug for administration, the product is disposed of.
After calibration, set the required dose using the selector, and inject the drug under the skin. Having entered the needle, press the start key to the end and hold until the dose indicator has shifted to the zero position. If you do not press the selector in time or turn it, this will interrupt the introduction. Care must be taken. After completing the introduction, carefully remove the needle while holding the start key. Using the cap, unscrew and discard the used needle. It is forbidden to store a handle with a wound needle, since the product may deteriorate and leak from the packaging. The syringe must be cleaned very carefully. The fall of an object, a hit on it makes the product unusable.