Moving forward with insulin

Patient stories

You’re not alone in wondering what taking insulin is like. In fact, you’re in good company. Many people have been where you are now, and it may help to learn from the experiences of others and see how they gained confidence in their treatment with long-acting insulin. You can, too.

Join Michelle and Tony as they take you through their real-life transitions to long-acting insulin for their type 2 diabetes, how they overcame their concerns about insulin, and how they’re living now.

Patient story video: Type 2 diabetes (female)

Patient story video: Type 2 diabetes (male)

PURPOSE AND SAFETY SUMMARY

Important Facts About Basaglar^® (bāz-a-glar). It is also known as insulin glargine injection.

Basaglar is a long-acting insulin that is only available with a prescription. It is used to control high blood sugar in:

adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
children with type 1 diabetes

It is not known if Basaglar is safe and effective in children with type 2 diabetes or in children younger than 6 years with type 1 diabetes. There were no studies done with Basaglar in these groups of children. If your doctor decides to give your child Basaglar, he or she may give you special instructions.

Basaglar is not used to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.

Warnings

Do not take Basaglar if you have:

symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
an allergy to Basaglar or any of its ingredients

Do not reuse needles or share your Basaglar prefilled pen with other people. You or the other person can get a serious infection. This can happen even if you change the needle.

Do not change the insulin you use or your dose, unless your doctor tells you to. This could cause low or high blood sugar, which could be serious.

Basaglar may cause serious side effects. Some of these can lead to death. The possible serious side effects of Basaglar are:

Low blood sugar. This can lead to:
- dizziness or light-headedness
- sweating
- confusion
- headache
- blurred vision
- slurred speech
- shakiness
- fast heartbeat
- anxiety
- irritability
- mood change
- hunger
Severe allergic reaction.
Get emergency help right away if you have:
- a rash over your whole body
- trouble breathing
- a fast heartbeat
- swelling of your face, tongue, or throat
- sweating
- shortness of breath
- extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or confusion
Low potassium in your blood. This can lead to severe breathing problems, irregular heartbeat, and death.
Heart failure. Taking diabetes pills called thiazolidinediones /thIE-uh-zOH-li-dEEn-dIE-OHns/ (TZDs) with Basaglar may cause heart failure in some people. This includes people who do not have any heart problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse if you take TZDs with Basaglar. Tell your doctor if you have any new symptoms of heart failure, or if they get worse. These are: shortness of breath, swelling of the ankles or feet, and sudden weight gain. Your doctor may need to change or stop treatment with TZDs and Basaglar.

Common side effects

The most common side effects of Basaglar are:

low blood sugar
allergic reactions
minor reactions where you have injected Basaglar
changes in fat tissue where you have injected Basaglar
itching
rash
swelling
weight gain

These are not all of the possible side effects. Tell your doctor if you have any side effects. You can report side effects at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Before using

Talk with your doctor about low blood sugar and how to manage it. Tell your doctor:

 about all of the medicines you take, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

 about any other prescription medicines you take, especially ones called TZDs.

 about all of your medical conditions, including if you have heart failure or other heart, liver, or kidney problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Basaglar.

 if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Basaglar may harm your unborn or breastfeeding baby.

How to take

The Basaglar prefilled pen is a disposable insulin delivery device for use by a single patient to inject Basaglar. Read the Instructions for Use that come with your Basaglar prefilled pen. These instructions provide details on how to prepare and inject a dose of Basaglar, and how to throw away used Basaglar prefilled pens and needles.

Be sure to check your blood sugar levels and use Basaglar exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your doctor may tell you to change your dose because of illness, increased stress, or changes in your weight, diet, or level of physical activity or exercise. He or she may also tell you to change your dose because of other medicines you take.

Before injecting your Basaglar
You can inject Basaglar yourself, or you can have a trained caregiver inject it for you. Make sure you or your caregiver:

Check your insulin label each time you give your injection. This will help you make sure that you are using the correct insulin.
Use a new needle for each injection. You can get a serious infection or the wrong dose of insulin if you re-use needles.

When you are ready to inject

Take Basaglar once a day, at the same time each day.
Change (rotate) where you inject your insulin with each dose. This can help reduce your chance of getting pits, lumps, or thickened skin where you inject your insulin. Do not inject your insulin into the exact same spot or where the skin has pits or lumps. Avoid injecting into thickened, tender, bruised, scaly, hard, scarred, or damaged skin.

Staying safe while taking your Basaglar
To stay safe while taking Basaglar, be sure you only use Basaglar that is clear and colorless and does not have any particles.
Be sure you do not:

mix Basaglar with any other type of insulin or solution.
drive or use heavy machinery until you know how Basaglar affects you.
drink alcohol or use other medicines that contain alcohol when taking Basaglar.

Learn more

For more information, call 1-800-545-5979 or go to Basaglar.com.

This summary provides basic information about Basaglar but does not include all information known about this medicine. Read the information that comes with your prescription each time your prescription is filled. This information does not take the place of talking with your doctor. Be sure to talk to your doctor or other health care provider about Basaglar and how to take it. Your doctor is the best person to help you decide if Basaglar is right for you.

Basaglar^® is a registered trademark owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates.

BV CON BS 25NOV2019

For more information, please see Full Prescribing Information, Patient Information and Instructions for Use.

References
1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The A1C test and diabetes. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/tests-diagnosis/a1c-test. Accessed February 27, 2020. 2. American Diabetes Association. Understanding A1C: A1C does it all. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/a1c/?loc=lwd-slabnav. Accessed February 27, 2020.

Moving forward with insulin

Patient stories

PURPOSE AND SAFETY SUMMARY

BV CON BS 25NOV2019

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