Lantus levemir conversion
Common Questions and Answers about Lantus levemir conversion
lantus
When you eat, you need the fast acting insulin like Novolog to act quickly to cover the meal. For some, Lantus and Levemir act the same. For me, Levemir seemed to work better in that it provided more consistency to my blood sugar levels. I like Levemir. I have switched to 2 shots per day (morning and night) instead of just taking the 1 shot at night, because the 1 shot at night may not cover the 24 hours.
When I started using 2u Lantus in morning, 2 weeks ago, I'd go low in the late afternoon/early evening, and then my morning sugars would be elevated ... 140s, 150s. So I split the dose: I'm now using 1.5u Lantus AM & 1u Lantus PM. It definitely works better than 2u QD, and I've checked the middle of the night - not a problem. The drug sheet for Lantus doesn't mention BID dosing, but my internet articles do. What are your thoughts, and is Levemir better for BID dosing?
It was working so well for me previously. I went to a new endo about a year ago, and he suggested I try Levemir instead of the Lantus. Once I started the Levemir, I noticed a marked improvement with more consistent bg levels. I am a Type 1 diagnosed at 33, and I am 10 years into the disease. I take sliding Humalog and 12 U Levemir at bed. I hope this helps.
I have noticed that no matter what I do the lantus stings after I inject it before I go to bed. Is this common? Is there any tricks anyone has learned that has helped them?
If you believe your are reacting badly to Lantus (or any other medications) you should ask your physician for an alternative, at least to verify it is the medication and not some other factor that is causing the problem. Lantus is popular for it's 24 hour action, but so is Levemir (Novo Nordisk). NPH insulin can also be used for long acting insulin, though two injections may be needed to get the 24 hour coverage.
I see the confusion
If I understand you, you think Levemir is used for carbohydrates. Levemir is a basle insulin, meaning it works for 24 hours. Like a background insulin. the amount of Levemir taken has nothing to do with the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat. That type of insulin is called a bolis insulin, like Apedra, Novalog... that insulin is taken according to how many carbs are eating and YOUR particular carb to insulin ratio.
Lantus works by crystalizing under ths skin. The "other" 24 hour insulin is Levemir, by Novo-Nordisk. It does not crystalize, but attains it's 24 hour effect another way. If you are haing difficulty with Lantus, you have every right to ask to try an equivalent alternitive. If your doctor has a reson why he thinks this is not advisable, he will tell you.
The switch from Lantus to Levemir for me required no dose adjustment, and it performed just as well as Lantus.
No, I am not aware of any people who have contacted us with any kind of resistance to Lantus. I do know that Lantus must be replaced at the end of a month on one bottle. The expiration date is really important, for near the end of the month, some of us find that it no longer crystallizes properly. Some people notice that when the Lantus bottle is about one month old, it doesn't work well. But if you just started the bottle, this is probably not the problem.
I have been type 1 diabetic for 24 years now (female), and I am using lantus(once a day) and humalog(3 times) for the last 5 years.
between bedtime and breakfast I am having a drop in BGs of around 10-13 mmols. and then in the mornings, after breakfast BGs shoot up, so my normal carb-insulin ratio doesnt work well.
I cannot understand why this overnight drop is happening, which is becoming scary. I tested BGs during the night and there seems to be a drop of 2 mmol/hour.
I take 40 units Lantus (long acting), and sliding scale Novolog (fast acting) insulins. My bg is always so high in the mornings, I have to take Novolog and wait for sugar to come down to eat. I've had diabetes for many years, but never knew for sure which one! My dr would switch my diagnosis all the time. But went to endo and they did a blood test, and said I'm type 1. I'm angry my dr. never did anything about this.
Hi, this is probably reflecting the peaking of the lantus. If 60s are as low as you go, it 's probably not too big a problem. Your fasting blood sugar is not low. Likely what is happening is that you are going a bit low, and then going a bit higher. You may possibly consider changing your lantus dose to the morning instead of the evening. This way the 'peak' will be happening during the day.
My daughter is 17 and is having trouble with adjusting insulin doses...how much lantus would be a good dose to start with?
I have recently started taking Lantus at night and Humalog before meals. After about a month my stomach pain was unbearable. It began with chills at night, severe dry heaves, (unable to throw up due to reflux surgery) and diahhrea. My doctor said he thought I had a virus. I could not figure out what was going on. I usually gave myself shots in the upper stomach area, so I moved the shots to my legs with no improvement. I even tried Levemir, but after two days the pains came back.
Some people do think that Lantus insulin causes some patients to gain weight, while the new Levemir insulin apparently does not do this. I read some articles about this just yesterday and was surprised, for I take Lantus and have noticed no weight gain at all. So this could be a factor.
However, a change in metabolism in middle age probably is the real culprit, along with possibly a slower metabolism because you are not eating. Exercise should help both problems. Start walking!
NPH and regular Humilin are older therapies. Something like Lantus or Levemir as the long acting and something like Novolog or another fast acting insulin are much more common these days. They give more consistent coverage with fewer spikes. Does he have hypoglycemia unawareness? If he's getting down to 19, it sounds like he may. That is a condition where he can't tell he's getting low. It is possible to correct the condition, you just have to work out a plan with his endo.
(Hopefully you take one of the newer insulins like Lantus or Levemir because it is too hard to control blood sugar with the older insulins such as Regular or 70/30). You might also need to be starting on fast acting mealtime insulins, depending on your numbers at other times. That is much too high. If you have a fast acting insulin you can also use it to correct those morning highs.
People have mixed experiences with snacks to counter DP.
Hello. I am T1 since Oct 2004, and switched to Lantus in Feb. Most of my BG numbers are very good (A1Cs 6.0 and 5.5), but since switching to Lantus, I have experienced 5 episodes of sudden and extreme drops in BG. They happen late morning, not related to breakfast, novolog dose or exercise. My BG is usually above 150 when it starts, and I must consume 150-200 grams of carbs (as juice or gel) to get it to stabilize, usually in 20-30 mins.
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