insulin detemir vs lithium
According to this portal's Publishing Organization, this page was last reviewed in August 2026 against our methodology. Figures and extracts on this site, including tables above 1,000 rows when the corpus is that large, are the publisher's responsibility.
Side-by-side comparison of insulin detemir and lithium. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Drugs That May Increase or Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of LEVEMIR Drugs: Alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, and lithium salts.
Levemir
Lithobid, Eskalith
Levemir is a long-acting insulin that helps control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. It works slowly over about 24 hours to keep your blood sugar stable.
Lithium is a mood stabilizer medicine. It helps to balance mood swings.
Levemir is used to improve blood sugar control in adults and children with diabetes. It helps manage high blood sugar levels. However, it is not used to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious condition with very high blood sugar and ketones.
Lithium is used to treat bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration. Lithium helps to control the extreme highs (mania) and lows (depression) of this condition.
Levemir is a long-acting form of insulin. It works by helping your body use sugar from the blood for energy. This lowers your blood sugar levels and keeps them more stable over time.
Lithium affects the flow of sodium in nerve and muscle cells in the body. This helps to stabilize your mood. It may also affect other chemical messenger systems in the brain.
- • Upper respiratory infection
- • Headache
- • Sore throat
- • Flu-like illness
- • Abdominal pain
- • Tremor (shaking)
- • Nausea
- • Increased weight
- • Fatigue (feeling tired)
- • Vomiting
- Blood Glucose Increased 6,220
- Nausea 1,972
- Blood Glucose Decreased 1,568
- Fatigue 1,534
- Diarrhoea 1,399
- Toxicity To Various Agents 2,179
- Drug Interaction 1,526
- Tremor 1,462
- Nausea 1,344
- Weight Increased 1,153
Never share your Levemir FlexPen, needle, or insulin syringe with anyone else, even if you change the needle. Sharing these items can spread blood-borne diseases. Changes in your insulin regimen can cause high or low blood sugar. Always check the insulin label before injecting to avoid medication errors. Low potassium can occur, monitor potassium levels. Heart failure can occur when taking Levemir with thiazolidinediones (TZDs).
Lithium levels in your blood need to be monitored closely by your doctor. Too much lithium can be toxic and cause serious side effects. Make sure to attend all scheduled blood tests.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Good control of diabetes is important during pregnancy for both you and your baby. Levemir can be used during pregnancy.
Lithium can harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Lithium can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you are taking lithium.
Also Compare, Nearby Drugs
Compare insulin detemir with
How to Read This insulin detemir vs lithium Comparison
insulin detemir is classified in the Long-Acting Insulin drug class, while lithium sits within the Mood Stabilizer class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, insulin detemir has 12,693 submissions while lithium has 7,664. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to lithium can cause your blood sugar to go up or down in ways that are hard to predict. this happens because it changes how your body reacts to insulin.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for insulin detemir or lithium.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.