Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug aka "Dawg" (Redneck Dawg) on March 12, 2011 at 6:54am

I was a little worried about control a few weeks ago and I talked to my Dr. about switching to Lantus, I have not been on insulin very long and I'm still not under control yet. I'm pretty heavy and I realize my weight has much to do with my BG control. He said that Lantus would not be a good choice for me because of the weight gain issue. One issue I have read about with Levemir is that is might not last as long in some patients as does insulin glargine (Lantus). Levemir is a detemir; my Dr. said that according to his reviews of the clinical studies that the time it lasts is not significant according to the manufacturer. He told me that if I needed to go over 60 units per day we might consider splitting the dose morning/evening. I am at 75 units now and I am splitting the dose. I disagree with him on the question if Levemir lasts as long as Lantus, I do not believe it does just because of the sheer number of folks that are stating otherwise that have used it longer than me. I do believe there are issues with weight to be considered. If you are under control and weight is not an issue, I believe I would stick with Lantus.

Permalink Reply by Anne on March 12, 2011 at 3:31pm

Well, I wouldn't say my control is bad (get my new A1c in 1.5 weeks) but my experience showed that Lantus does not last 24 hours for me!
Others may disagree but to me it's pretty much clear. If I have something for dinner I don't take extra insulin for , my bg goes up. So what keeps it down in the evening is just the short reacting insulin, not my Lantus as it's supposed to be. Also, the Lantus seems to lower the bg more than it should after I take it. Which is the case if your body ran out of it some time before you take the next dose.
Increasing my dose of Lantus or splitting it did not work out well, the latter caused rather the opposite. My bg went to low one dese cut across the other.

Lantus works fairly well for me - though only during the time it's actually there and only if there's not too much of it either. So I consider switching.
In my last post, I said I don't have any other reason than my weight but after that I took a closer look to my bg level durng this week and my log entries and saw that it wasn't just a temporary problem.

Permalink Reply by wildlypoetic on May 4, 2011 at 3:58pm

Great info I just saw Levemir on TV. I've had non stop weight gain with Lantus for the last 4 years about 3/4 of a pound a month. I only use 1 type of insulin and have been looking for an alternative to Lantus. What good will good numbers do me if I weigh a ton. The funny thing I really don't use more insulin with all the weight gain. I find no rhyme or reason to Lantus. I can eat more carbs and need less when doing the same things. No my Dr.s have not been helpful, maybe I need to break down and go to an endo again.
On TV they list weight gain as a side effect of Lantus. ITA. I hate it!

Permalink Reply by Zolar1 on May 4, 2011 at 8:57pm

Well, have you considered an insulin pump and use only the fast acting insulin dosed at say 2 units per 1/2 hour or similar?

Permalink Reply by msudawg85 on July 12, 2012 at 5:36pm

I've recently had to change from Lantus to Levemir because of my insurance carrier. I was taking 28 units of Lantus, now I have to take 40 units of Levemir to get the same results. My doctor said this is typical of studies he's read. So expect to have to take more Levemir, but it will do the job.

Permalink Reply by justBetsy on September 21, 2012 at 5:10am

I also had to switch from Lantus to Levemir because of my insurance. I'm suprised to hear that Levemir is supposed to be better for weight loss.
I'm currently taking 80 units twice a day and it's a real pain with the Levemir pens because they only go up to 60--so I have to take 2 shots each time (or recrank the pen while it's still in my leg)
My novolog is on a sliding scale: 1/4 for carbs and 1/30 for adjustments (BG above 120). I was on an Animas pump before my BG went haywire. On the pump my settings were 1/5 for carbs and 1/10 for adjustments. But it stopped controlling my BG and I was bleeding excessively each time I changed the canula.
I've had to switch endos and am going almost carb-free to control my sugars till my appointment. I'm pretty much living on tuna and eggs.
My body reacts inconsistently to meds and I have a lot of allergies (including some unusual food allergies) so finding a diet that works is really tough. I started out fasting on water and am adding one food at a time to see which ones trigger bad things. At one time my novolog was at 1/3 for carbs AND adjustments. I was taking doses as high as 154 units and it would take 5 hours for my BG to come down. Even fasting, an adjustment dose still takes 4-5 hours to work.

Is anyone else having such slow responses to novolog?

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