Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by tonilynn20 on May 7, 2011 at 3:51am

That's a good question. I'm going to ask my doc more about it next week. They told me ANYTIME I'm going to eat 30 carbs and at least 250 calories. I like to eat 3-4 smaller meals a day. For example, my breakfast is 20 carbs and I take symlin, lunch is yogurt and fiber bar with symlin, dinner varies and sometimes I use it with a bedtime snack if it's 30 carbs.

Permalink Reply by Kaayle on May 7, 2011 at 8:26am

Thanks for the info!

Permalink Reply by andrea on May 21, 2011 at 8:53pm

i was curious about when to take symlin in terms of pre-meal numbers. i find that if i am in the 200's and i take symlin before a meal it only stabilizes that number rather than fixing it. 240 and i take my symlin, and my correction, and eat a carbless meal, i may remain 240 even a few hours after eating. anybody else find this?

Permalink Reply by tonilynn20 on May 22, 2011 at 3:36am

Hmmm, no I haven't experienced this, sorry I don't have any tips for you, Andrea. That's frustrating. Does this happen often? When I'm pms-ing my symlin is pretty much powerless, and I need a lot of insulin. Would this have anything to do with it?

Permalink Reply by Sharon on May 22, 2011 at 8:32am

Hi Andrea,

I have the same problem too. My numbers start to stabilize after 3-4 hours. It's very frustrating:) Are you cutting back on your bolus when you take your symlin? I've heard that some people have to reduce their dose by 20-50%.

Permalink Reply by Kaayle on May 23, 2011 at 12:03pm

I haven't noticed that, but I have noticed that it keeps my sugar stabilized for a while then shoots up and I have to do a BG correction... But it could be that I am still ramping up my dosage... I'm at 45 now, but the pens are only for 60, I'm not sure if he's going to want me on a higher dosage later on or not. Overall, I have noticed a difference using Symlin for lower bgs, so not sure why you would be hovering at 240... Maybe check with your endo?

Permalink Reply by Kaayle on August 14, 2011 at 4:29pm

Andrea, Sorry I'm just now responding, I haven't been on in a while... But I feel your pain... Although, for me, if I am high, it tends to drop my bg and stabilizes the bg if I am on the low side... Yes, I learned that one the hard way... It was not fun treating a low for 1 1/2 hours... so now I do not use Symlin if I am below 90... but if I am beween 90 and 100 I usually won't "shoot up"...

Permalink Reply by Kaayle on August 14, 2011 at 4:30pm

And now, I realize, that I did reply already... DUH! LOL... Sorry...

Permalink Reply by Phishery on December 5, 2011 at 7:34pm

Are you on a pump or MDI? Either way, I tend to be pretty picky about staying in a tight range (as close to normal as I can get). When I have a high excursion I will sometimes shoot an injection into the muscle of the shoulder. If you are using a fast acting insulin and shoot into the muscle there it will speed up the action of the insulin by 10-15. Have you calibrated your carb/insulin/bg ratio lately? I know that in the morning one unit drops me 20 mg/dl, after about 9 AM (after dawn phenomenon is over) I get about 40mg/dl per unit of insulin. I wonder if your ratios are different then what you think. I know a lot of diabetics don't count protein and fats (only carbs) and so their carb ratio presumes a certain amount of proteins and fats (which also end up raising blood sugar to one degree or another--see the TAGGERS United group).