Insulin degludec overdose may lead to long-lasting hypoglycaemia through its markedly prolonged half-life.
J UchidaYoichi OikawaT KatsukiH TakedaA ShimadaT KawaiPublished in: Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association (2018)
Although the reported half-life of insulin degludec in the body is ~25 h when administered in standard doses (0.4-0.8 units/kg), no study has investigated its half-life after overdose. In the present case, the half-life of insulin degludec was ~1.6 times longer than that observed with standard doses, probably leading to long-lasting hypoglycaemia. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of unexpected long-lasting severe hypoglycaemia resulting from insulin degludec overdose.