Diabetes Brand Generic Drug Match Quiz (Injectable)
Mnemonic to remember Injectable Diabetes Drugs
“HALT BLOOD SUGAR, NOW!”
(Helps recall major insulin and non-insulin injectables for diabetes.)- H – Humalog (Insulin lispro)
- A – Apidra (Insulin glulisine)
- L – Lantus (Insulin glargine), Levemir (Insulin detemir)
- T – Tresiba (Insulin degludec)
- B – Byetta (Exenatide)
- L – Lixisenatide (Adlyxin, though not listed)
- O – Ozempic (Semaglutide)
- O – Novolog (Insulin aspart)
- D – Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
- S – Semaglutide (Ozempic again, also Wegovy for weight loss)
- U – Humulin R/N/70:30 (Regular/NPH/Mixed insulins)
- G – Glargine (Lantus/Basaglar)
- A – Apidra (reiterated for fast-acting)
- R – Rybelsus (oral semaglutide, though not injectable)
GLP-1 Agonists (Non-Insulin Injectables):
“VOT MB”
- V – Victoza (Liraglutide)
- O – Ozempic (Semaglutide)
- T – Trulicity (Dulaglutide)
- M – Mounjaro (Tirzepatide – dual GLP-1/GIP)
- B – Byetta (Exenatide)
Drugs Categorization:
- Rapid-acting insulins (Humalog, Novolog, Apidra)
- Long-acting insulins (Lantus, Levemir, Tresiba)
- Premixed insulins (Humalog/Novolog Mix, Humulin 70/30)
- GLP-1 agonists (Victoza, Ozempic, Trulicity, Byetta, Mounjaro)
Insulin Types Comparison Table (Injectables)
- R = Regular = Rapid-ish (short-acting, clear) e.g. Humulin R, Novolin R
- N = NPH = Not fast (intermediate, cloudy) e.g. Humulin N, Novolin N
- Long-acting (like Lantus, Levemir, Tresiba) = long, steady insulin with minimal peak
| Feature | Insulin R (Regular) | Insulin N (NPH) | Intermediate-Acting Insulin | Long-Acting Insulin |
| Brand Names | Humulin R, Novolin R | Humulin N, Novolin N |
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| Generic Name | Regular insulin | Isophane insulin (NPH) | Isophane insulin (NPH) | Glargine, Detemir, Degludec |
| Type | Short-acting | Intermediate-acting | Intermediate-acting | Long-acting |
| Appearance | Clear | Cloudy | Cloudy | Clear |
| Onset of Action | 30–60 minutes | 1–2 hours | 1–2 hours | 1–4 hours |
| Peak Action | 2–4 hours | 4–12 hours | 4–12 hours | Minimal to no peak |
| Duration of Action | 6–8 hours | 12–18 hours | 12–18 hours | 20–42 hours |
| Dosing Frequency | Usually 2–3 times daily | Once or twice daily | Once or twice daily | Once daily (some may be every 2–3 days) |
| Mixable? | Can mix with NPH | Can mix with Regular insulin | Yes (with short/rapid-acting) | Not usually mixed |
| Use Case | Mealtime control or sliding scale | Basal insulin | Basal insulin | Basal insulin (24-hr+ control) |
