Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Jacobs on November 20, 2011 at 5:57pm

Hi there, I'm Kathleen and I have been taking symlin for a couple of years now. I started out at 15 and am now on the pen @ 60.

When I first started I would get nausea really bad but it has subsided. How far in advace of eating do you take the symlin? I take it about 30-45 minutes before I eat and the nausea has passed. I am able to eat a sensible mean and I stay full for quite a while. I work where I live so I always around the fridge and I don't feel like eating between meals.

I know that if you take it right before you eat it doesn't work well. That is just what I have found to be the case with me. I hope that it starts working for you.

Keep us updated.

Permalink Reply by andrea on November 24, 2011 at 8:00pm

i have been on symlin for a year now. i did not experience any nausea and my doctor pushed me up to 60 within the first few weeks. symlin is great. my pen only goes as high as 60 but i am noticing that people say their dose is 120. do some pens go up to 120 or are do you guys do double? might help me out!

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Jacobs on November 27, 2011 at 7:51pm

Andrea, I know that my 60 own also has a 120 setting. You have to turn the dial that has 60 in the window. It goes without saying but check with your md before upping your dose. Although I want to up my dose my md days no.

Permalink Reply by MaureenH on January 9, 2012 at 10:08am

I am actually finding that since using symlin (April 2011) my needs have changed. I mentioned the total insulin I need is down from 30 units a day to about 25 u/day. When I started symlin with the pen, first at 15 mcg and then up to 30 and now 60, I would go low before the two hour window of the symlin action was complete. I have the CGMS so I watch this very carefully. At 2 hours my BG would rise. So I had to give only 50% of the insulin up front and the rest at 2 hours. Now things have changed and I really think it is because my body has gotten accustomed to the insulin. Remember I have only been using symlin 10 months. Now I do need more insulin upfront, and I am actually using my bolus wizard again. Before I could not do that or I would go very low! Now I am only giving a little insulin boost at the 1 1/2 hour mark. This actually keeps me under 160 all the time. (That is if I avoid the extra cheese cake and fried spinach turnovers I have been eating during the holidays.) I really feel that on a normal day with my life style I can keep the BG below 170 with the symlin. I could never, never do this with the insulin alone. that is the reason I am so interested in this topic. I am going to send this to the group because I think symlin is great. I think most of the people on it dropped off because of the nausea at the beginning. Thanks for your help.

Permalink Reply by katliwidia on January 20, 2012 at 10:24am

So I gave up on symlin a while ago and jumped ship, but today I have decided to give it one more go. I am just going to have to get over the whole nausea thing. It seems that everyone has a different method on how far in advance to take it to still be able to eat. I think I am going to try to mess with this factor. I really enjoyed my blood sugars being more stable. In the end I think it has to be worth it. After I ate cereal this morning and watching my blood sugar sky rocket to 300, I have decided that a little bit of nausea is no worse than the feeling of high blood sugar.

Permalink Reply by MaureenH on January 20, 2012 at 12:28pm

If you start the symlin at the 15 mcg and keep it there a couple of weeks the nausea is not bad. I also do the shot right before I eat. Yes, with cereal I marveled when it did not go up to 300 in an hour. but remember that symlin delays this so it will go up 1/1/2 hours later. for me I only give part of the insulin food bolus up front and the rest at the later period. I went up gradually to 60 mcg. where I am now. It is easier with the pump and the CGMS.