From Novolog to Apidra
I've had pretty big post-prandial rises in BG after meals, mostly after breakfast. (before breakfast, my BG is fine when I bolus, then I shoot up at "double-up-arrow speed" to a BG in the mid 200s before crashing at "double-down-arrow speed" to the 60s or 50s.) My endo suggested that I was probably taking too much of a bolus (causing the crash) and that I should lower the true bolus but take advance-basal with it .... essentially a Super-Bolus. (This is described elsewhere on TuD if you're not familiar with it).
Rather than play these kinds of games with my pump, I asked about faster-acting insulins (me, thinking Humalog vs. Novolog). My doc is pretty reluctant to accept what amounts to marketing by the insulin distributors, but gave me a vial of Apidra to try out. I haven't tried it yet.
Does anyone here have experience switching from Novolog to Apidra, and what change have you seen? Did you need to change the time settings for your basals (assuming you pump) to offset the faster onset and tail-off of the Apidra? Any other advice?
Rather than play these kinds of games with my pump, I asked about faster-acting insulins (me, thinking Humalog vs. Novolog). My doc is pretty reluctant to accept what amounts to marketing by the insulin distributors, but gave me a vial of Apidra to try out. I haven't tried it yet.
Does anyone here have experience switching from Novolog to Apidra, and what change have you seen? Did you need to change the time settings for your basals (assuming you pump) to offset the faster onset and tail-off of the Apidra? Any other advice?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Scott E on -
Well, it's been about 2 1/2 days on Apidra...and I really don't know what to say yet. After over-correcting for a low on Sunday, those numbers are not valid. Monday I noticed a peak - in the high 100s - after breakfast, but not too as high as it's been. My CGM has been going haywire for the past couple of days - don't know if it's a bad calibration or a bad sensor - so I can't really compare yet. But I'm hoping for a few more steady days before making a decision.
But my new question is this: Apidra is obviously very temperature sensitive, as discussed here and in the literature which comes in the vial (that I rarely read, but thanks to your feedback, I did). It should be stored in the refrigerator and the reservoir should be changed every 48 hours. I also know that I was also told to keep an extra vial of insulin with me when pumping, in case the pump goes bad. I've taken to that advice if I was going on long trips (say, 45 minutes from home), but how can I do that with Apidra? Taking a vial in the car on a non-sweltering-hot day -- or putting one in my laptop bag when I go to work -- is one thing. Keeping it cool is quite another. Do I just keep bringing Novalog with me as a backup?
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Permalink Reply by Trudy on -
Carrying Novolog (as long as you have it) is a good idea. I either carry my Apidra in an insulated bag with a cooler, or carry my Regular (which is super-slow, but is better than nothing) in my purse or cargo pants. Hope the Apidra works out for you.
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Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on -
Normally I would say to get some pens and keep them as a backup, but Sanofi just announced last week there is going to be a shortage of the pens. If you can get a frio pack to keep it cool or take some insulin in a syringe as a backup.
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Permalink Reply by ChristaT1 on -
So. . . I am seeing my doc in a little while, and am wondering about Apidra. I've also just gone super high after breakfast on Novolog. . .superboluses, and will be going low momentarily. So, yes, or no on Apidra?
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Permalink Reply by Brian Wittman on -
I use Apidra. It has been awhile since I have used Novolog, so I can't remember what its characteristics were for me. I do shoot up after meals, especially those meals that aren't the most balanced or carb reasonable. Apidra does bring me back down, in most cases, within a reasonable amount of time- three to four hours maximum. I like Apidra. It works well in my pump, and I usually get about 2.5 days on a fill.
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