Human insulin

For an informed discussion with your doctor or pharmacist. This information collection is not a clinically validated interaction checker. Missing data do not establish safety. Do not change or stop prescribed medicines on the basis of this information. The findings apply to the specific conditions studied; laboratory and animal studies cannot be directly extrapolated to humans.

Active substance: Human insulin

Examples of brand names: Actrapid [EU/DE]

ATC code: A10AB01

Main use (for orientation): Diabetes

Documented research summary

Historical THC–insulin and cell findings exist, but the precise insulin identity is insufficiently resolved. Therefore no structured direct pair evidence for human insulin; open source questions remain visible.

Uncertainties and limitations

No exact pair finding approved; full texts or the insulin species and preparation identity used remain unavailable. Do not independently change prescribed medicines on the basis of this research dataset.

Structured assessment

Category: Evidence gap

Cannabinoid scope: No specifically substantiated pair involving a registered cannabinoid in the material assessed; no claim that all 28 cannabinoids were comprehensively reviewed simultaneously.

Evidence status: Drug properties supported by product information; insufficient evidence for a specific cannabinoid–drug pair effect.

Mechanism / drug context: Proteolytic breakdown; insulin action does not depend on CYP activation.

Type of supporting material: Product information and documented individual literature screening; no clinical pair trial approved for use as evidence.

Clinical interpretation: Historical THC and experimental adipocyte findings cannot be reliably attributed to the present-day drug human insulin.

Context: The product information concerns regular HUMULIN R, not NPH or insulin analogues; insulin identity in older experiments remains unresolved.

Drug context and gaps in search results are not measured interactions. The source role below describes which statement the source actually supports.

Source role [VD_LABEL_D0260]: Original product information: drug context, not evidence for a cannabinoid–drug pair

Statement supported: Proteolytic breakdown; insulin action does not depend on CYP activation.

Source: HUMULIN R (INSULIN HUMAN) INJECTION, SOLUTION HUMULIN R (INSULIN HUMAN) INJECTION, SOLUTION [ELI LILLY AND COMPANY] – DailyMed SPL [VD_LABEL_D0260]

Source role [VD_MED_1270583]: Historical research evidence; insulin identity unresolved

Statement supported: Without precise preparation/species assessment, the THC/insulin context cannot be approved as a human-insulin pair.

Source: Depression of growth hormone and cortisol response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia after prolonged oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration in man. [VD_MED_1270583]

Source role [VD_MED_19345076]: Experimental context; insulin identity unresolved

Statement supported: Adipocyte experiment; no reliable attribution to the present-day human-insulin formulation and no clinical combination.

Source: Biological effects of THC and a lipophilic cannabis extract on normal and insulin resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes. [VD_MED_19345076]

Source role [VD_MED_41756709]: Research context, not an approved pair finding

Statement supported: Existing screening provides no sufficiently specified human-insulin–cannabinoid pair evidence.

Source: Substance Use, Sexual Activity Prevalence, and Knowledge Gaps in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes in a Pediatric Clinic. [VD_MED_41756709]

Scope of review: Individual research with documented title/abstract screening and targeted review of original sections. This is not exhaustive evidence that interactions are absent.

Unresolved source question: All individual review fields read. Original product information was rechecked only in the relevant pharmacokinetic/interaction excerpts; no complete recertification of all labels or worldwide full-text search. Literature access was based on the previously documented review; only the listed web sources were additionally read in this round. No exact pair finding approved; full texts or the insulin species and preparation identity used remain unavailable.

Separately recorded findings

No separately substantiated finding for this drug–cannabinoid pair is recorded within the documented scope of review. This does not prove that no such study exists anywhere or that the combination is safe.

References and access status

[VD_LABEL_D0260] HUMULIN R (INSULIN HUMAN) INJECTION, SOLUTION HUMULIN R (INSULIN HUMAN) INJECTION, SOLUTION [ELI LILLY AND COMPANY] – DailyMed SPL

Original source / bibliographic reference

Authors: Marketing authorisation holder / label provider according to the linked DailyMed product information

Year: 2026

Source type: Regulatory product information (US SPL)

Source access – 23 October 2026: Source destination was accessible when checked.

Bibliographic attribution or source identity cross-checked.

[VD_MED_1270583] Depression of growth hormone and cortisol response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia after prolonged oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration in man.

Original source / bibliographic reference

Authors: Benowitz NL, Jones RT, Lerner CB.

Year: 1976

Source type: Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Journal Article

DOI: 10.1210/jcem-42-5-938

PMID: 1270583

Source access – 23 October 2026: Automated direct retrieval was restricted; this does not establish that the link is broken.

Bibliographic attribution or source identity cross-checked.

PubMed – bibliographic reference / abstract

[VD_MED_19345076] Biological effects of THC and a lipophilic cannabis extract on normal and insulin resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Original source / bibliographic reference

Authors: Gallant M, Odei-Addo F, Frost CL, Levendal RA.

Year: 2009

Source type: Journal Article

DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2009.02.013

PMID: 19345076

Source access – 23 October 2026: Source destination was accessible when checked.

Bibliographic attribution or source identity cross-checked.

PubMed – bibliographic reference / abstract

[VD_MED_41756709] Substance Use, Sexual Activity Prevalence, and Knowledge Gaps in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes in a Pediatric Clinic.

Original source / bibliographic reference

Authors: Waterman LA, Polsky S, Akturk HK, Stewart B, Karami AJ, Taylor K, Cobry EC.

Year: 2026

Source type: research-article; Journal Article

DOI: 10.2147/dmso.s590267

PMID: 41756709

Source access – 23 October 2026: Source destination was accessible when checked.

Bibliographic attribution or source identity cross-checked.

PubMed – bibliographic reference / abstract

Research as of 23 October 2026. Not all original full texts could be reviewed in full. Source accessibility and the strength of scientific evidence must be assessed separately. An accessible link does not establish medical approval; a bibliographic record with an abstract does not replace the original full text.

Drug search and explanation of the evidence · Guide: cannabinoids and medicines · Author and responsibility