Mixing lantus with other insulins
Common Questions and Answers about Mixing lantus with other insulins
lantus
The only insulin that I am aware of that cannot be mixed with others is Lantus -- it ALWAYS must be given as a separate shot. But the other insulins can be given by themselves or mixed. It shouldn't change a thing. The reason that they are usually mixed is so the diabetic person only has to have one shot rather than two. Giving them separately should not change the dosage in any way. It is wonderful that your daughter can have this special time with her grandma.
If you are a type 1 than you most likely be on lantus with another fast acting insulin. The premixed insulins (such as 30/70 and mix30) are more targeted for type 2 diabetics who dont need as much flexibility with their dosing and are not on a more intense therapy. 30/70 is a fixed dose system, meaning if you test and you're a little high right now you can add more 30/70, however you are also adding more longacting insulin as well... ie.
m not a medical professional, just the parent of a kid with diabetes. So have you already switched to Lantus and are seeing the gain? That isn't clear, but I presume that's the case.
Yes, switching insulins can cause weight gain, as the body reacts differently to different insulins. Insulins can stimulate the body into causing fat production, and when the body has to learn to deal with a new insulin, it may very well react that way.
Wow! I cannot believe the amount of mis-information on this site. First, I would like to address the general issue of Lantus, Humulog (Novolog) and other insulins that do require a prescription. The FDA requires that new pharmacological products developed by Eli Lilly & Novonordisk, etal be filled in US pharmacies with a prescription. In the early '90's a congressional law was passed to allow insulins on the market at that time to be available without prescriptions.
Lantus is very slow-acting and really rarely causes severe hypoglycemia, in my experience, for warning symptoms occur long before it gets severe. However, if the warning symptoms are not listened to, I have personally noticed that the hypoglycemia that eventually happens makes me feel worse than some of the quick-acting insulins do.
Doctors who specialize in Diabetes tend to keep up on the latest insulins and may know of something that works better than your current insulin with the schedule you want to live on.
I don't know if you do any blood testing, but that's another good tool for figuring out how much insulin to take when you eat. If your insulin is peaking at dinnertime, that means it's at it's strongest level and then it's downhill from there.
I have to pay for the insulin myself, is there any help out there to pay for Lantus SoloStar for those who don't have prescription insurance?
Hi jchitty,
There is actually a really simpe reason to why Lantus stings when coming into contact with the body. The reason lies back to the pH value of the Lantus and the pH value of your body. Values of pH simply describe how acidic or how basic a solution is, the closer to 1 the solution is more acidic and the closer to 14 the solution is, the more basic.
About a month ago I started taking 36 Units of Lantus at bedtime using the Opticlik Cartridge Delivery System and during the day I use Novolog Insulin throaway Flex Pen and that is 12 units before I eat anything. 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 too use a jet injector, an advantajet. I have been using jet injectors for more than 15 years and recomend them also. My endocronologist has suggested I use Lantus in place of Ultralente as it is being discontinued by Lilly very soon. I was wondering, since Lantus can't be mixed with other insulins whether there have been any problems with it when injected using a jet injector.
My wife has since filed for divorce, i am now on new insulin, Lantus, and i cant even talk with her. There are more things that were going on because of the NPH since my doctor had instructed me to take a third shot at lunch time. I love this Lantus, things are great since ive been on it but still having trouble understanding the things abou tthe NPH, any help would be apperciated.
The insurance company and the pharmacy say its because of the wording of the dosage. His dosage on his lantus only went up 4 units a day. I get the same exact box as I always did but now its costing me double. His Humalog also went up $10.00 for no reason anyone can think of. Instead of paying $95.00 like I thought it ended up costing $255.00. We live paycheck to paycheck and since moving to a small town I haven't been able to find a job.
I personally have not heard specifically of allergies to Lantus, but I have heard of people having allergies to other insulins. The allergy is not to the INSULIN, but to the agents that it is suspended in. The cases I remember from other people who have written in to ask about this kind of thing were usually hives in areas near where the insulin is injected, but I seem to remember one or two that just had hives in unrelated areas.
You might talk with your endo about using Lantus -- a very long acting insulin that has almost no peak. 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...
The Lantus / insulin glargine is a very good well-tolerated product. The injections are painless. It is often prescribed together with metformin.
Other options include both pumps (yes, for kids as young as 10 years old) or injections of long-lasting insulins like Lantus to provide a stable rate of ongoing insulin delivery (different for each person) plus either Novolog or Humalog at meals to cover the meals only. It sounds as if the mix is not doing the job properly for your son -- nowadays, you shouldn't have to keep forcing food to catch up with insulin nor should he have to live with high glucose levels several times a day.
(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.
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.
Lantus works by crystallizing after injection and the crystals slowly release all day. But in small print in the paperwork that comes with a bottle of Lantus, there is the warning that it should be replaced every 30 days. Unlike other insulins, that work the same until we use them up, the Lantus insulin does seem to lose its 24-hour release capability after about a month. And I have occasionally had to replace it a few days before one month.
It pays to shop around, if Walmart were much more there are probably other pharmacies at lower prices for generic insulins, but I suspect you may have meant Walmart's price is much less.
I don't know what 'flat' means in terms of insulins. Perhaps you meant 'fast'?
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