Lantus and hypoglycemia
Common Questions and Answers about Lantus and hypoglycemia
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Because excess heat can activate Lantus post injection, patients are being warned against things such as saunas and hot tubs due to the possibility of severe hypoglycemia. But I've also seen 'hot showers' included as well. I've been wondering - how hot is 'hot'? In the winter I'm always freezing, and a hot shower was great before bed. I've been hesitant to enjoy such a pleasure since starting Lantus though.
I believe this is because it happens so slowly that the body is without necessary sugar for a long time, and lengthy periods of hypoglycemia are harder on the body than when it is caught quickly and fixed.
All that being said, I suggest that you encourage him to start testing every 2-3 hours. I find that it is pretty much impossible to drop severely low in that period of time with Lantus, if the dosage is correct and the last blood test was normal.
The main concern I would have about the addition to Lantus 20 units daily would be the risk of low blood sugar, especially in combination with glimepiride. Both Lantus and glimepiride can cause low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Just make sure you're watching for the signs of low blood sugar, which are, sudden headache, feeling shaky, and weakness. There are many more signs of hypoglycemia and I encourage you to research it more yourself.
When you start to grow a little, you start to reflect on things that are fleeting and pass you by, showing you the impermanent and quickness of living and consciousness as we know it.
And as for the sweats about a half hour after taking Lantus, there IS a slight peak action with Lantus, although this peak action for most people is several hours after taking the Lantus. In my case, I usually take my Lantus at about 6 am, and I notice a peak that causes my glucose levels to drop by about 8 am. This happens even if I have not taken any Novolog or eaten breakfast (sometimes I wait until I get to work to take Novolog and eat breakfast), so it has to be the Lantus peaking.
I visited emergency 5 times immediately but they could detect hypoglycemia. Diamicron and Metformin still harming. My family physian, Zuzana gross, sent me to heart specialist. But found nothing, After two months she stopped Metformin and dia micron. I was feeling little better, Now sugar wnt high, 10 to 16 MMOL. She could not not give any medicine lower sugar. I was eating ½ Roti, vegetable and one piece chicken leg.
If you are having a lot of hypoglycemia you need to talk to your doctor and reduce your insulin doses and also learn to carb count, figure out an Insulin:carb ratio to match your Novo Rapid doses to what you eat.
Lantus, Humalog, and Novolog ALL require prescrptions because 1) they have not been out on the market as long as the conventional porcine/bovine insulins (Humulin N, R, L, 50/50, 70/30, etc), 2) The onset of actions for Humalog, Novolog, and Lantus are quite fast (anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes), and although these insulins generally do NOT cause hypoglycemia episodes (low blood sugar), if patients do not know how to use them properly, they can lapse into a hypoglycemia episode and this can
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.
Some folk take split doses and others take one dose a day. A potential disadvantage to Lantus is that it CANNOT be mixed in a syringe with short acting insulin. This characteristic requires taht folks take more shots usually. If the results are good and if you can afford the additional syringes, it is often a good treatment plan.
Good luck & let us know how you're doing...
73 mg/dl, a little over twice the normal daily average. At 83 yo and with his current ailments Lantus may be required. A second opinion, especially from an endo, would not hurt.
If you decide to go with Lantus, his insulin glargine may come in cartridges [not vial], the medication will already be inside. He must only use the OptiPen One Insulin Delivery Device with the cartridges. Before he use the device for the first time, read the written directions that come with it.
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.
I myself used to have lows when sleeping often enough to frighten me and my husband when I was taking NPH. I switched to taking a 24-hour insulin called Lantus, and this solved the problem for me. So if he is not interested in switching to a pump, beautiful control without severe lows can be acheived with this newer-than-NPH insulin.
I agree with the previous postings that stress can cause lows, and of course being a newlywed is a stress, even though a GOOD stress.
Steve, here is what I know about insulins and insulin pumps. Please consult your doctor for more details:
Insulins:
Novolog (aspart),onset 5-10 mins, peak 1-3 hrs, duration 3-5 hrs
Humalog (lispro), onset <15 mins, peak .5-1.5 hrs, duration 2-4
Regular, onset .
I, too, am a long-timer who uses Lantus. I am prone to hypoglycemia and my endo recommended right away when I started the Lantus insulin that I take it in the morning instead of at night. My reading about this insulin tells me that it does peter out some in between 20-24 hours, which makes sense, for it has no timer that automactically turns off a switch at the 24-hour mark.
I started taking Lyrica due to nueropathy pain in my arms that made it difficult to sleep. Since I have started Lyrica ( i take one 50mg capsule before bedtime) I have noticed a very large spike in my blood sugar levels in the early hours of the morning. I have been monitering these changes and have done nothing different in regards to diet and insulin dosages. Last night when I went to bed my glucose level was 140, that was at 11:00 P.M., 4 hours after I ate a light dinner.
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