How many units of basal insulin do you take per day?
Just curious to know what other peoples 24 hour daily basal needs are. I am LADA, been on insulin for 2 years. Started off on only 2 units basal a day! I am now up to 12 units of basal (pumping) per day. Is this a small amount? I'm 26 years old, eat pretty low carb, and weigh 100 lbs. I'm noticing my basal needs have obviously increased over the past two years is this normal and do they continue to increase over time? How many units of basal do you take?
HAPPY TUESDAY!!!
-Jenn
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Prince on -
I take 15 units of Lantus per night. I started off a little lower but, being Type 1, it was just a natural progression of the condition. So I think it's normal to have to adjust your doses once you become more dependent on insulin.
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Permalink Reply by pancreaswanted on -
im t1 since nov 2011 and was once on one measly unit of lantus. its gone up and up and was at 6 a couple of weeks ago, with very little bolus. now my D has become this monster insulin eating nightmare and im on 9 units (2 in the am, 7 in the pm) and usually a unit of novo to cover 30 CH for breakfast and another for lunch. im only eating salad for dinner now because i have some kind of freaky psycho resistance to taking more. waiting to see if my tdd goes lower as am fully recovered...
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Permalink Reply by alisasecaida on -
I don't think there is anything normal about diabetes. Insulin requirements vary so much person to person. I started off on a lower basal at the beginning of my diagnosis. I now take anywhere between 20 and 25 basal units daily. I was diagnosed almost 6 years ago as an adult onset Type 1 and have been on a pump a few months after my diagnosis. Best decision I ever made was going on the pump. I would recommend the pump to anyone who takes insulin daily and is looking for tighter control.
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Permalink Reply by LiL MaMa on -
What wonderful replies, so interesting to see how much it varies. Mine also varies now during different "times" of the month and I also run low when I'm getting sick or am sick, strange! I have been now labeled as "brittle" by my endocrinologist. I can eat the same exact thing take the same amount of insulin and be 40 one day and 300 the next. I cannot handle more than about 15 carbs at a time no matter how much insulin I take.
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Permalink Reply by Jen on
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I have also been called "brittle" and I dislike the term ... I DO appreciate that it recognizes that, for whatever reason, some of us have a MUCH harder time managing than others. But I also feel like doctors use it as an excuse for going, "Oh well, we can't help you anymore, you should just settle for the control you have ..." I'm currently working with a new endocrinologist who is very good (and has Type 1 himself!), so I'm really hoping he can help me! So far he hasn't been able to spot any patterns or make many suggestions, but he also spends about 45 minutes each appointment going over my records in detail, which is such a refreshing change from my old endocrinologist.
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on -
I agree about the term; it makes me cringe. Sounds like you've found a gem for an endo, Jen!
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Permalink Reply by Wren on -
I take 22u of Levemir split in two 11u doses. I've been T1 for almost a year and have some pesky insulin resistance due to PCOS. I've thought about adjusting my evening dose to get better coverage for DP, but I worry about lows before DP kicks in, which seems to be around 4 or 5am. Not sure how much of a concern this is, as I'd be taking the same daily dose. Maybe I'll try adjusting by 1u and see if anything happens!
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Permalink Reply by JiMMy on -
When diagnosed with Adult Onset Type 1 I weighed about 255lbs. I was taking about 26u of Levimer a day in the mornings. I didn't split the dosage and seemed fine. I was taking about 7u of Novalog per carb choice (1 choice = 15carbs). But I've lost 60lbs and those have gone down. I now take 15-16u of Levimer in the mornings. And I take about 3u of Novalog now per carb choice. I do run and have had to fight lots of lows in the 50's-60's about 3 hours afterward. I was diagnosed 4 years ago. I do find everyone seems to be very different. And I had an Endo I visited state I was Type2 without looking at any labs based only on the amount of Insuline I was taking. Yet my c-peptide shows I'm almost totally depleted of my own production. So just know that we all are as different as we look.
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Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on -
You were the victim of eyeballism. (I just made up that word). That is, the doc LOOKED at you and decided you were T2 because of your weight, and the fact that you were an adult (I don't know how old you were). Maybe you had a gradual onset, which feeds into the misconception as well. I wish that that kind of medical professional realized that not all T2s are fat, and not all T1s are skinny. But they were probably taught that in medical school. I'm also pretty well depleted in insulin production, but still, I have an apple shape, and it took going into a coma to convince the medical folks that I'm T1. It's the pits!
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