First dose of Lantus tonight! Scared to death!

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Permalink Reply by AngelaC on November 4, 2009 at 8:23pm

I was completely terrified when I took my first dose of Lantus. I'm a pretty small adult (4'8" and 90 lbs) and am fairly insulin sensitive -- and even more sensitive at that time. I took my dose in the morning, but still worried about going low during the night. I set my alarm for around 3:00am to do a bg test, just to make sure. Turned out to be a good idea, since my bgs dropped into the low 60s when I caught it.

I would also recommend that you set your alarm for 2 or 3 in the morning, just to be on the safe side. And keep some goodies on the nightstand, within reach. You know, just in case.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Ricci on November 4, 2009 at 8:25pm

Thanks AngelaC. Does your BG still drop at night?

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Permalink Reply by AngelaC on November 4, 2009 at 8:49pm

In fact, Michelle, it does. However, I started doing both Lantus (long-acting) and Humalog (rapid-acting) as my dm treatment. *Most* of the time, when my bgs drop at night, it's due to "operator error" -- I've taken too much Humalog and not eaten enough carbs, for instance. I actually went down to about 50 one night, waking up in a cold sweat and from a very weird dream. But, (and I don't know how my brain actually did this), I actually said to myself in the dream state, "I think I am having a low and need to get up." I got up, grabbed one of those pre-packaged glucose drinks, and chugged the whole thing. Waited, tested again, got some peanut butter and went back to bed. I remember also thinking at the time how surreal the whole situation was, how both incredibly freaky but how incredibly banal it was. Weird.

That doesn't mean the same thing will happen to you. Most of my problems (now) are with timing Humalog and eating sufficient carbs to cover the injection. My problem earlier was in part due to the metformin increasing my insulin sensitivity to crazy levels. It didn't take much Lantus to keep my between meal bgs and my fasting bgs down -- only 2-3 units while I was on metformin. Unfortunately, neither did anything for my post-meal highs, which is why I dropped the metformin and started the Humalog.

Just remember, it's OK to be nervous, but also remember, you're not alone in this. You can do it!

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Permalink Reply by Cathy on November 4, 2009 at 8:30pm

Usually Lantus does not cause a sudden drop but through the night I would definitely keep check just to see where you are and how it is working. When I use to take it I took 320 units a day. 160 morn. 160 evening. My sugars use to run like yours. I am a pumper now.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 4, 2009 at 8:47pm

Let us know how you did.

Everyone gave you great advice, so hope you're not nervous. Many people take two doses of basal (Lantus or Levemir). I take one right before bed & another first thing in the morning. I have dawn phenonmenon (high fasting BG) & I have to take basal at night.

When I started Lantus, my doctor scared me witless about overnight lows. I barely got any sleep the first few nights because I was waking up to test constantly. All was fine. Doctors usually start us out on small doses at first, so please don't fret.

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Permalink Reply by Terry Keelan on November 4, 2009 at 9:00pm

Hey, Michelle.

You got some great advice here. Everything is going to be fine. Being nervous is normal. But everything is going to be fine.

Why not post a message telling us what your bg is at 3:00 a.m. and another in the morning when you get up for the day?

Terry

Everything is going to be fine! :)

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Permalink Reply by Marie B on November 5, 2009 at 7:17am

How did it go last night, Michelle?

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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Smith on November 5, 2009 at 6:04pm

I started on Lantus in September. For me it works slow and steady. I don't think you would get a sudden drop from it. I hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Ricci on November 8, 2009 at 9:38am

Sorry I haven't responded sooner. All went well the first night I took my first dose. I have been waking up with BG's around 115. Had a scary day where I peaked at 582. The Dr. told me to immediately take 15 units of the Novolog. Bottomed out at 43. Needless to say I felt like crap that day...and the next. My body felt totally worn out! My main problem right now is that I just don't know what I'm supposed to eat. I feel hungry all the time!! I've tried researching diet online and it's so cunfusing! I have an appointment with a dietician tomorrow. Hopefully I'll finally learn what's good for me and what's not.

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. Still not brave enough to give myself the shots but, luckily I have a fantastic husband that doesn't mind doing it for me.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 8, 2009 at 10:04am

Exhausting to go from that high to that low! Totally wipes you out.

You'll find that dieticians & doctors stress the ADA recommendations of 45-60 carbs per meal & 15 carb snacks. For many, this is too high carb to control BG. Since they stress high carb, the also push higher A1cs as acceptable. Higher carb means more insulin, of course. A higher doses insulin becomes less predictable, so it can be a roller coaster.

Like everyone else, I was given the ADA diet & felt horrible. For the first time in my life, I gained weight. I researched low carb & immediately my BG was more in control. I wasn't chasing highs or correcting lows. I wasn't hungry on low carb either.

Jenny's site is a wonderful place to start: http://www.bloodsugar101.com & her book of the same name.

Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a great book.

I thought low carb would be blah & boring, but found some wonderful recipes. I don't feel deprived at all.

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes http://genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html
The Low Carb Cafe www.lowcarbcafe.com
Low Carb Luxury http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/index.html
Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/low_carb/
Low Carb Eating http://lowcarbeating.com

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