Is levemir better than lantus
Common Questions and Answers about Is levemir better than lantus
levemir
Hi,
If this low dose of lantus twice daily is working for you without any problems, there is no reason to change it. Lantus is written as once daily but many doctors(including myself) and patients split the dose because even though it is supposed to be "peakless", it is not for some people. At low doses it works especially well as a split dose. Levemir can be used instead, and is more commonly written as twice daily.
I have had so much problem with that Lantus Opticlik that my Health Providers will switch me to the Levimere Flex Pen after I use up all the lantus cartridges. Is lantus a better insulin or is Levimere just as good as Lantus using it as a basal 24 Hour insulin???. I get my supplies from the Military Hospital because I am a retired service member and they do not have the lantus solostar flex pen but they do have the levimer flex pen.
Injecting the Lantus slowly can help for some people, but what I find the best is taking an ice cube and pressing over the skin where I will inject my Lantus for about 4-5 seconds (or however cold you want to get it, the colder, the less sting) and then inject the Lantus. The body is more concerned with the cold effects of the ice cube than the acidity of the Lantus and while it may not remove the sting entirely, I have found it reduces it drastically.
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.
Boy is it ever nice feeling healthy again. I have been off the Lantus now since the beginning of April and what a difference. The cramps are gone and other than normal aches and pains, I am not hurting from head to toe. Have not been to see the dr. yet because I have to go in with proof that it made a difference. I think I am ready now. Don't know what it is about these 24 hour insulins, but my body just does not like them.
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.
I am wondering whether this is some hormone related issue ,or whether I have developed some resistance vs humalog so it doesnt work well (and the lantus is too much). I have given up using any alcohol or doing demanding exercise(jogging) for a while becuase they make the matters worse (though i really enjoy exercising).
any suggestions to why this is happening or how i can take care of this would be greatly helpful.
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. In my case, it takes a bit less Lantus than it did NPH when I was on it. It sounds as if you do need to increase your dosage...
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.
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.
I continue to gain weight, although I eat less than I ever have before. I work at a computer all day, with little to no daily exercise. I know that growing older my metabolism has slowed, but I continue to gain weight from anywhere to 3 to 5 pounds a week! Does insulin cause weight gain? What else can I do other than signing up for an expensive gym workout session?
"Is there an insulin that doest not cause stomach pain, chills, and vomiting?"
Call your local pharmacy and schedule a consultation with the Pharmacist. Also, ask your doctor for a referral to an Endocrinologist, a diabetes specialist, as your current doctor appears to be playing you as a guinea pig; try this and if it doesn't work we'll try something until we find something that works, maybe.
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.
Carbs provide a surge of BG so a surge of insulin is needed to regulate the BG, that is the function of rapid insulin. Levemir is a Basal insulin provides a long term (24 hour) insulin supply. Levemir is NOT meant to counter BG rise due to food. eating food will raise BG for 2, 3 or 4 hours levemir lasts 24 hours a rapid insulin lasts about 4 hours so it matches the BG result from food.
Living a healthy lifestyle can take you off insulin dependency, that is, unless you have an existing immune system disorder and/or pancreatic issues that only medication and insulin can make up for. So, to answer your question, the answer is yes, it is possible not to have injectable insulin dependency. However, without knowing your medical history or having your medical records to review only your doctor can answer this.
Hi Kenai,
While none of us is a physician here, we all have lots of experience.
From what you've written, you see a definite pattern to your lows -- late morning. I am thus suspicious of your morning shot to cover breakfast potentially coinciding with your sputtering, spurting pancreas that's giving its all to try to cover breakfast carbs, just to collide with your Novolog.
As you may know, the tail for Novolog lasts about 5 hours. Many folks assume it's much shorter than that.
I notice my urine stream is weaker than it has been in the past,and my ejaculation is weak as well.
Levemir takes effect in 3 - 6 hours, peaks in 6 - 15 hours, and is gone within 18 - 24 hours. It is possible your Levemir dose is gone before you expect it to be, which is why your scores are now higher in the morning. Consult your endocrinologist about possibly changing the time that you take the Levemir, as that could change your scores.
(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.
as I never heard of these problems with Lantus. Lantus is a 24 hour basal insulin that starts to work in an hour after injected and lasts most of the day without peaking. Also, I have never heard of a Lantus pen but have a call into our local rep to ask. My teenage son has Type 1 diabetes and there is never a dull moment with diabetes, is there.
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