Lantus in the morning
Common Questions and Answers about Lantus in the morning
lantus
I believe that Lantus reaches a peak after about 4 hours. This peak is happening as you sleep. Try to take your Lantus in the morning and it will wane out at night as you sleep. That is what a lot of other Lantus users do when this happens to them and it has worked. Let us know how it works for you.
So imediject has a valid point if you are taking Lantus in the morning. Many diabetics split their doses of Lantus and take some at night and some first thing in the morning so that peaking is minimal (for some of us, there IS a slight peak about 4 hours after injection) and the petering out of it as it wears off is also minimal.
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.
You did not mention what time of the day you are taking your Lantus. If you are taking it at night, then it should be peaking (about 4 hours after injection) during the night, so the Lantus shouldn't be the problem). But if you take it in the morning, then a split dose of some in the morning and some at night may be a solution, for if taking it in the morning, it may be wearing off completely as you sleep.
I use 7 units daily, 4 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. The peaks for each shot are fairly small. And I time the injections so that I am able to actively monitor my blood sugar afterwards.
The morning shot is at 6:30 am and peaks in the late morning. I normally have a snack in the late morning anyway, so it is not a problem. I take the evening shot about 12 hours later, at approx 6:30pm. And it peaks about the time I go to bed.
This has happened in early afternoon and after dinner. She is on Novalog and NPH before breakfast and Novalog and lantus in the evening. The fact that it has happened two different times in day is why I "hoped" this was a diluted reading rather than actual blood glucose reading. This is all new to me and now I'm fearing the bath. ho hum...Thanks.
This only resulted in the same 9am sugar, and a lower 1pm sugar. I have tried decreasing my Lantus the night before, thinking that its too much, because my sugars are decreasing throghout the day. This didn't change anything. On a non-school day, I didn't notice my sugars reducing during the day, so I don't believe that my Lantus dosage is incorrect.
The only thing I can think of that can cause this low sugar at 1pm is the absorbtion rate of my Novolog from breakfast.
I am back again... the pros of Lantus are the flexibility and the fact that you don't have to worry about strong peak times, although I notice that it seems to work a little stronger for me between 4-8 hours after injection than at other times of day. But this is not a strong peak like what NPH does that requires food or else. Because it is such a slow insulin, even when you start to feel low, you have all sorts of time to help yourself because the drop is very slow.
I have read about folks taking their Lantus shot in the morning or at night or a partial dose at each time. If you were taking the Lantus in the morning and "crashing" overnight, then talk to your doc about taking it at night instead -- then the timing of any drops would be while you're wide awake and able to test & treat. If you had been taking it at night (which is what I'm guessing, given the timing of your "drop"), then shift to the morning.
Since these incidents I have started dividing up my dose into two or three injections in the morning. And for the record there have been other times in the past that I have accidentally injected into a capillary and the reaction is immediate and I can tell the difference from what I am now experiencing. My Dr's have no explanation.So now I am afraid to take my insulin as I never know what will happen.
In the morning they are lower 100's for example, today was 112. Never higher than 130. I've been on my long acting plan for some time now it's 20 of Lantas around 9 p.
But taking your Lantus before meals may have been what had kept your morning blood sugars more normal in the past. Diabetics go through a period in the morning known as the dawn phenomenon which raises the blood sugar. And using the pump as i do it calls for increasing the basal rate during that time period. Which is why you should check with your doctor as he may have you take a little extra humalog for it instead of increasing your Lantus.
Take your lantus at night (instead of in the morning), if you are not already taking it at night. This way, at least it will be fully active over night.
2. Split the lantus into 2 doses to get better coverage. The doses may not necessarily be the same. ie. You may need a higher dose at night than in the morning.
3. Try levemir (a different long acting insulin), which is typically dosed twice a day.
4. Ask your dr to prescribe you the new insulin Tresiba.
Hi again Tumtum,
I'm not a Lantus user, but I've read a fair amount (from other users) so I hope I can be of some help. Since Lantus is commonly used today, I hope others will chime in with their tips 'n' tricks, too. The process of finetuning can be so frustrating.
As I'm sure you know a cold or flu can wreack havoc on our control in very unpredictable ways. Even with a well-honed routine during healthy times, our control often cannot be tight during those times.
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?
Years ago when I went to a diabetic team--endocronologist, dietician, nurse and was serious about getting my blood sugars on track that team told me that many times when your sugars are in good control after a period of time when they have not been the best there will most likely be some weight gain. I was not in the best control and decided to get myself together. I was already about ten pounds heavier, but I didn't gain any more weight. I eventually lost weight.
Some of us prefer to split the Lantus dose, taking some in the morning and some in the evening to equal the complete dose. That way, only half is petering out after 20 hours, and the sugar levels stay more even throughout the day.
The Lantus shouldn't work quickly, for it crystallizes in the injection site and slowly dumps tiny bits of insulin into the body all day. So the quick-acting insulin is what you want to use to lower a high reading.
I have been on Metformin, Januvia and Glimeperide for a few years. They are not controlling my diabetes. She wanted me to try Victoza and give up the Januvia. I got over fear of giving myself the shot, but on the 3rd day I began to get sick. On the 4th and 5th days I couldn't even go to work. Changed shot to before bed instead of morning and it made no difference. After a little over a week I stopped it. Lost 5 lbs cause I couldn't eat anything.
I have just switched from Mixtard/Actrapid to Lantus/Actrapid 3 days ago due to very poor blood sugar control at night and in the morning. The current dosage of Lantus is 15 units in the morning with additional 15 units of Actrapic before evety meal i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Blood sugar level in the morning shoots up to 15-16mmol (fasting), by noon it will remain at 9-12mmol (before lunch) and will gradually comes down to 4-5mmol before dinner.
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