Which statement is true about drawing regular insulin with intermediate insulin?

Which statement is true about drawing regular insulin with intermediate insulin?

• A. Regular after cloudy insulin
• B. Clear before cloudy insulin
• C. They cannot be mixed
• D. They must be drawn together

Answer: (B)

When mixing regular (short-acting) insulin with intermediate-acting insulin, the order matters because of their appearance and onset of action. Regular insulin is clear and acts quickly, while intermediate insulin is cloudy and acts more slowly. The best practice is to draw the clear insulin first and then the cloudy insulin. This keeps the rapid-acting dose pure and prevents cloudy insulin from contaminating the clear insulin, which could alter its onset and duration. These insulins can be mixed in one syringe, but you don’t draw them together; you draw in the correct sequence. Hence, drawing the clear insulin first (before the cloudy) is the true approach.

When mixing regular (short-acting) insulin with intermediate-acting insulin, the order matters because of their appearance and onset of action. Regular insulin is clear and acts quickly, while intermediate insulin is cloudy and acts more slowly. The best practice is to draw the clear insulin first and then the cloudy insulin. This keeps the rapid-acting dose pure and prevents cloudy insulin from contaminating the clear insulin, which could alter its onset and duration. These insulins can be mixed in one syringe, but you don’t draw them together; you draw in the correct sequence. Hence, drawing the clear insulin first (before the cloudy) is the true approach.