Insulin Degludec: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Insulin Degludec is an insulin analog sold in the U.S. under one brand, for type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Insulin Analog
- Treats
- Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hyperglycemia
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- Tresiba
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $11 per ml — not your price
How insulin degludec is dosed
From the FDA label for Tresiba (application BLA203314). Other insulin degludec products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
See Full Prescribing Information for important administration instructions ( 2.1 ). • Inject TRESIBA subcutaneously into the thigh, upper arm, or abdomen ( 2.1 ). • Rotate injection sites to reduce risk of lipodystrophy and localized cutaneous amyloidosis ( 2.1 ). • For pediatric patients requiring less than 5 units of TRESIBA each day, use a TRESIBA U-100 vial ( 2.1 ). • In adults, inject subcutaneously once daily at any time of day ( 2.2 ). • In pediatric patients inject subcutaneously once daily at the same time every day ( 2.2 ). • Individualize dose based on type of diabetes, metabolic needs, blood glucose monitoring results and glycemic control goal ( 2.2 ). • The recommended days between dose increases are 3 to 4 days ( 2.2 ). • See Full Prescribing Information for recommended starting dose in insulin naïve patients and patients already on insulin therapy ( 2.3 , 2.4 ). 2.1 Important Administration Instructions • Always check insulin labels before administration [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 ) ] . • Inspect visually for particulate matter and discoloration. Only use TRESIBA if the solution appears clear and colorless. • Inject TRESIBA subcutaneously into the thigh, upper arm, or abdomen. • Rotate injection sites within the same region from one injection to the next to reduce the risk of lipodystrophy and localized cutaneous amyloidosis. Do not inject into areas of…
Insulin Degludec side effects
The following adverse reactions are also discussed elsewhere: • Hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] • Hypoglycemia due to Medication errors [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] • Hypersensitivity reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] • Hypokalemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] Adverse reactions commonly associated with TRESIBA are: • hypoglycemia, allergic reactions, injection site reactions, lipodystrophy, pruritus, rash, edema and weight gain ( 6.1 ). To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novo Nordisk at 1-800-727-6500 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trial Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The safety of TRESIBA in subjects with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes was evaluated in nine trials of 6-12 month duration in adults and in one trial of 12-month duration in pediatric patients 1 year of age and older with type 1 diabetes. The cardiovascular safety of TRESIBA was evaluated in one double-blinded, event-driven trial of 2-year median duration in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of cardiovascular events [see Clinical Studies ( 14 )]. The data in Table…
Who shouldn’t take insulin degludec
TRESIBA is contraindicated: • During episodes of hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] . • In patients with hypersensitivity to insulin degludec or any of the excipients in TRESIBA [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] . • During episodes of hypoglycemia ( 4 ). • Hypersensitivity to insulin degludec or any of the excipients in TRESIBA ( 4 ).
Insulin Degludec drug interactions
Table 5 includes clinically significant drug interactions with TRESIBA. Table 5: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with TRESIBA Drugs That May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analogs (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics, GLP-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitors. Intervention: Dosage reductions and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when TRESIBA is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs That May Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of TRESIBA Drugs: Atypical antipsychotics (e.g., olanzapine and clozapine), corticosteroids, danazol, diuretics, estrogens, glucagon, isoniazid, niacin, oral contraceptives, phenothiazines, progestogens (e.g., in oral contraceptives), protease inhibitors, somatropin, sympathomimetic agents (e.g., albuterol, epinephrine, terbutaline), and thyroid hormones. Intervention: Dosage increases and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when TRESIBA is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs That May Increase or Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of TRESIBA Drugs: Alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, and lithium salts. Pentamidine may cause hypoglycemia, which may sometimes be followed by hyperglycemia. Intervention: Dosage adjustment and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when TRESIBA is co-administered with these drugs. Drugs That May Blunt Signs and Symptoms of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine Intervention: Increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when TRESIBA is co-administered with these drugs. • Drugs that Affect Glucose Metabolism: Adjustment of insulin dosage mey be needed. ( 7 ) • Antiandrenergic Drugs (e.g., beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine): Signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia may be reduced or absent. ( 5.3 , 7 )
Every insulin degludec product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Tresiba.
Combination products containing insulin degludec
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
What people report to the FDA about insulin degludec
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,920 reports naming insulin degludec, and the FDA flagged 92% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- nausea276 reports
- vomiting256 reports
- general physical health deterioration224 reports
- stress210 reports
- abdominal pain209 reports
- ascites201 reports
- hyponatraemia200 reports
- sepsis197 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean insulin degludec caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is insulin degludec?
Tresiba (Insulin Degludec) is an insulin analog used to treat Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperglycemia.
What kind of drug is insulin degludec?
The FDA classifies insulin degludec as an insulin analog. Insulin analogs are lab-modified versions of human insulin engineered to be absorbed faster or last longer. Like natural insulin, they lower blood sugar by helping muscle and fat cells take up glucose and by telling the liver to stop releasing its own sugar. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take insulin degludec with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run insulin degludec against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does insulin degludec come in?
Across the brands we track, insulin degludec is currently marketed as injectable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic insulin degludec?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled insulin degludec product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Insulin Degludec: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/insulin-degludec
- MLA
- “Insulin Degludec: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/insulin-degludec.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for insulin degludec on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.