What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Insulin detemir and lithium
Insulin detemir's FDA label of October 9, 2024 names lithium in its drug interactions section; the lithium labels PlainMeds reads (4) do not name insulin detemir. The insulin detemir label: “Drugs That May Increase or Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of LEVEMIR Drugs: Alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, and lithium salts.”
Check it at the source: the insulin detemir FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 9, 2024); the lithium FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 23, 2025, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA).
What does the insulin detemir label say about lithium?
Insulin detemir label, drug interactionsDrugs That May Increase or Decrease the Blood Glucose Lowering Effect of LEVEMIR Drugs: Alcohol, beta-blockers, clonidine, and lithium salts.
Source: FDA drug label (Levemir), A-S Medication Solutions, effective October 9, 2024 (SPL set 82192527-99aa-4b53-8ce9-9173668d309c), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the lithium label say about insulin detemir?
Lithium's label (effective December 23, 2025) and its 3 other brand-application labels do not name insulin detemir in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Lithium Carbonate), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA, effective December 23, 2025 (SPL set 63b3790f-a9b5-47f4-bae1-ddf8b43c13c1), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Insulin detemir | Lithium | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetes | Bipolar disorder |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | n/a | $0.104 per capsule 300 mg capsule |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once