What Are the Side Effects of Basaglar?
Diabetes mellitus is a widespread chronic disease characterized by a high blood sugar level. As of now, it cannot be fully treated. However, the symptoms of diabetes mellitus might be effectively reduced with the help of numerous diabetes medications, such as Humalog, Humulin, Novolin, and so on.
Basaglar is one more medication used to reduce the symptoms of diabetes mellitus by means of creating a naturally low blood sugar level. According to the vast majority of healthcare providers, it is an exceptionally safe, effective, and durable analog of insulin for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
But what are the side effects of Basaglar insulin? Let’s figure it out together by going through this article!
What Is Basaglar?
Basaglar is a brand of medications that fall into the category of insulin glargine. Its main aim is to compensate for the lack of naturally occurring human insulin and create naturally low blood glucose levels. In other words, Basaglar (insulin glargine) is an effective insulin therapy that is used for glucose control.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
Basaglar should not be used to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.
Due to the fact that Basaglar is an insulin glargine medication, it belongs to long-acting solutions for the maintenance of naturally low blood sugar levels. More precisely, it starts acting in a couple of hours after its administration in the form of a subcutaneous injection. While the duration of Basaglar’s action equals 24 hours.
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ON A SIDE NOTE:
Under certain circumstances, Basaglar should be used together with other medications (especially the ones from the category of mealtime insulin). Still, it is rarely prescribed in combination with particularly rapid-acting insulins.
It is also worth mentioning that Basaglar (insulin glargine) is suitable for patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In most cases, it is applied to treat adults. At the same time, however, some healthcare providers prescribe the medication for pediatric patients over the age of 6 in order to help them maintain their normally low blood sugar levels.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
Basaglar (insulin glargine) is sold in the form of a pen or a cartridge. The most common dosage of the medication is 100 units/ml. Still, the exact insulin dose a certain patient needs should be defined by a healthcare provider.
How to Use Basaglar to Treat Diabetes?
In order to maintain normally low blood sugar levels, a patient should administer Basaglar’s insulin glargine once a day at approximately the same time. It is also essential to inject Basaglar into different body areas from time to time to minimize the risk of injection site reactions.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
Similar to other drugs that belong to the category of insulin glargine, Basaglar is a prescription-based treatment. Therefore, only a certified healthcare provider is eligible to prescribe it to a patient.
While being a long-acting insulin, Basaglar might be used in combination with hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, or short-acting insulin. It is the task of a certified healthcare provider to define what other insulins patients might be injected with Basaglar treatment in order to avoid harmful drug interactions.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
In case of any allergic reactions after repeated insulin injections of Basaglar treatment, a patient should contact a certified healthcare provider as soon as possible to schedule an appointment.
What Side Effects Might Occur After Using Basaglar?
Apart from temporary allergic reactions and injection site reactions, the administration of Basaglar’s insulin glargine might lead to an increased risk of several side effects. Below, you will be able to check out the common and rare adverse reactions that might be noticed after the administration of the medication.
Common Side Effects of Basaglar
Adverse medical conditions that might appear after the injection of Basaglar’s insulin glargine vary from one patient to another. The below-mentioned information features the list of the most common ones.
Vision Problems
Similar to other medications with the same active ingredient, Basaglar might cause certain vision problems. More precisely, it might lead to either blurred or decreased eyesight, which usually lasts for a couple of hours after the first injection.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea also belongs to temporary side effects Basaglar treatment might cause. Luckily, this unpleasant symptom tends to fade away on its own in several hours after the administration of the medication.
Nausea
Together with the above-mentioned diarrhea, the injection of Basaglar’s insulin glargine might lead to nausea. In some cases, it might be accelerated by vomiting.
Headache
Headache is one of the most common side effects Basaglar treatment might lead to. Some patients claim to experience mild headaches on a regular basis while employing Basaglar in their insulin regimen.
Fever
Patients who address their diabetes mellitus with the help of Basaglar do not experience fever as often as a headache. Still, some of them notice the rise in their body temperature after the injection of a medication.
Trouble Sleeping
Interestingly enough, some patients complain about trouble sleeping after taking Basaglar, especially when using it in a drug combination with certain short-acting insulins.
A General Feeling of Being Ill
In some cases, the intake of Basaglar causes a general feeling of being ill. A patient might experience shivers, sore throat, unusual weakness, and other factors associated with an illness.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
Sometimes, a patient might also notice a serious allergic reaction around the treatment area. In such a case, it is preferable to administer the next dose of Basaglar into a previously unaffected injection site.
Rare Side Effects of Basaglar
In rare cases, a patient might also notice several side effects after injecting Basaglar. Despite the fact that they appear pretty rarely, a patient should definitely take them into account.
Anxiety
Anxiety does not appear often after the injection of Basaglar. However, some patients who use the medication claim to feel pretty anxious without any visible reason for that.
Weight Gain
Weight gain is rather uncommon when it comes to the usage of long-acting insulin in general and Basaglar in particular. Still, there exist cases when patients have gained several kilos and slightly increased the percentage of their fat tissue after initiating their Basaglar treatment.
Increased Hunger and Thirst
In some cases, the above-mentioned weight gain is connected to the increased hunger and thirst a patient might experience when undergoing Basaglar treatment. Yet, this side effect is rather rare.
Other Rare Side Effects
Occasionally, patients who undergo Basaglar therapy might also experience an episode of severe hypoglycemia (also known as exceptionally low blood glucose levels), unusual allergic reaction (for instance, localized cutaneous amyloidosis), peripheral edema, sodium retention, or even the risk of heart failure.
Due to the fact that these side effects might be life-threatening, they require special medical attention. Therefore, a patient should contact a healthcare provider as soon as possible in case of noticing any of the above-mentioned symptoms.
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ON A SIDE NOTE:
Life-threatening complications (such as the risk of heart failure) appear exceptionally rarely after the intake of Basaglar. In order to eliminate them, a healthcare provider should run a detailed investigation of a patient’s current health condition and check out each underlying disease before prescribing Basaglar to them.
A Bottom Line
All in all, Basaglar is an advantageous treatment for patients who require regular blood glucose monitoring. It effectively addresses the symptoms of diabetes mellitus and helps a patient to keep their blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
At the same time, however, an injection of Basaglar might cause several side effects. Hopefully, the above-mentioned article has helped you to be well aware of them. So, make sure to take these side effects into account, discuss them with your healthcare provider, and stay healthy at all times!