Human insulin

[vikki]

Anyone find this good

 

[AlisonM]

Did you have any particular form of human insulin in mind?

 

[Redkite]

It's the best kind, lol! The kind made by a working pancreas. Injectable human insulin is a genetically modified product, basically a synthetic copy of natural human insulin. I gather some folks who've been using older (animal) insulins, e.g. bovine or porcine, have experienced problems with the synthesised human ones, but can't comment on that as my son has always used human insulin.

 

[vikki]

Its insuman basal and insuman and insuman bolus Alison
Redkite you have reassured me a little as two books written by diabetics say its not good but running out of options for basal so x fingers

 

[AlisonM]

Its insuman basal and insuman and insuman bolus Alison
Redkite you have reassured me a little as two books written by diabetics say its not good but running out of options for basal so x fingers

Ah, I see. Those are new to me. I was on Humulin I for years, but it was all wrong for me, not because it's human derived but because it's profile was all wrong, peaking at all the wrong times and leaving me either high or hypo. I'm on Lantus/Novorapid now and much better off.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Its insuman basal and insuman and insuman bolus Alison
Redkite you have reassured me a little as two books written by diabetics say its not good but running out of options for basal so x fingers

What have you tried and what problems did you have?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Have been on protaphane and insulatard in my time. Not quite sure what the difference is between those and NPH (isophane) or humulin N though.

As a rule these will have a shorter duration and be more peaky than insulin analogues, but they work well for some people if you can get the peaks in the insulin to marry up with increases in basal need.

 

[vikki]

Plan given to me by dns is 15 units 1 hour before breakfast and then 2 units per meal .I am assuming thats just a rough start because i really want to match carbs to insulin
Probs with levemir -just does not work and lantus seizes my ankles up weird but true insulatard did much the same and i know insuman is lantus tweaked a bit so really hoping that this is okay and perhaps it was just reacting to beta blockers which im no longer taking. Cant see why i have to wait an hour between basal and breakfast though

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hi Vikki

Not sure I'm understanding that right...

When you say 15 units at breakfast and then 2u at meals are you talking different insulins? Or is your nurse suggesting small basal doses through the day alongside flexible meal doses?

2 units doesn't seem enough for much of a meal, and with the likely short duration of the human basal replacement I'm not sure how your basal need is being covered overnight. Even if it's more of a mixed insulin set-up (which would be unusual) the splits between the doses seem odd.

What has your nurse said about meals?

Waiting an hour might be to give insult an time to get going... Except that in basal:bolus the basal part shouldn't be covering meals at all! #confused

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Are you seeing a nurse at your GP surgery or a DSN at the hospital? There is a marked difference in the two.
If you are seen at the GP surgery then ask for a referral to a hospital team.

Here's a chart of how your insulin should be used https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Magazines/Insulinwallchart.pdf

 

[trophywench]

When I was on Humulin, it was I for basal and S with meals. Nightmare when the S peak met the I peak head on. Usually whilst I was riding pillion on the back of an Africa Twin ........ or driving a firm's car on the M42 .... Tra La La ......

 

[vikki]

Its basal 15 units and 2 units rapid at mealtimes. I know 2 units wont cover lunch and dinner but am guessing its to ensure that i dont go hypo and bolus to be tweaked shortly.Dns is ringing later so i can ask her to explain the one hour wait before basal as its a bore waiting to eat breakfast ,can understand 30 min wait for bolus but can see no reason for the delay in basal. As far as i can tell basal has six hour peak and bolus four hour peak so will be alert for drops from eleven to one pm.Tested two hours post breakfast and up from 7.6 fasting to 13.5 .This is going to be an interesting day LOL

 

[Pumper_Sue]

@vikki did you look at the link I gave you it shows the duration of insulin, it also says your basal needs to be taken before bedtime not before breakfast.

 

[vikki]

Thanks sue dns took into account that unlike most people my bloods lower overnight and they wanted it in morning to avoid night hypo especially as mirtazapine knocks me out at night and possibly would be unaware of hypo. Knowing my bloods i think basal at 10 -11 am would suit the meals to peak times better plus highest readings are always from midday to bedtime and as i see it the insuman basal peaks at 6 hours so with the 7am basal it will peak at 1 pm then diminish untill its gone in apx 12 hours total which will leave me high in the evening !however time will tell .
7.6 fasting 0ne hour later 13.5 two hours later 9.2 and im feeling weird with heart feels odd and bit swimmy just hope its false hypo feeling as its dropping me lower

 

[DeusXM]

Inusman isn't a 'tweak' of Lantus - it's basically another version of Insulatard.

I'm trying not to create more confusion but a once a day basal needs to be taken at the same time every day, regardless of when you eat.

I would also suggest that if you've had issues with Lantus, Levemir AND Insulatard, you are a perfect candidate for an NHS-funded insulin pump.

 

[m1dnc]

It's the best kind, lol! The kind made by a working pancreas. Injectable human insulin is a genetically modified product, basically a synthetic copy of natural human insulin. I gather some folks who've been using older (animal) insulins, e.g. bovine or porcine, have experienced problems with the synthesised human ones, but can't comment on that as my son has always used human insulin.

To be boringly pedantic, the injectable insulins which most of us use are not genetically modified products as such, but are produced in a process whereby genetically modified micro-organisms (usually bacteria or yeasts) are used to help synthesise a human insulin analogue. The analogue is almost, but not quite, the same as natural human insulin. Insulin is a polypeptide i.e. a chain of amino acids linked together (actually it's two amino acid chains, themselves linked together), and the synthetic analogues are slightly modified by replacing one or two of the amino acids in the chain by different ones so as to alter its properties subtly, For example, in the case of Humalog or Novorapid the change produces rapid adsorption, whereas with Lantus (and the like) the change makes it long acting. These changes are desirable because because we cannot (yet!) precisely mimic the way in which the healthy body operates. Here endeth the lesson.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for that explanation David 🙂

 

[vikki]

Deus the criteria here for a pump begins with being type 1 so thats me counted out
M1dnc crikey i thought polypeptides were for plumping up skin for faces LOL, seriuosly thanks for that

 

[Northerner]

Deus the criteria here for a pump begins with being type 1 so thats me counted out
M1dnc crikey i thought polypeptides were for plumping up skin for faces LOL, seriuosly thanks for that

Vikki, I would recommend getting in touch with Input - although Type 1 might be a general condition, specific and rare cases like yours also need to be considered - do contact them, they are very good! 🙂

 

[Redkite]

To be boringly pedantic, the injectable insulins which most of us use are not genetically modified products as such, but are produced in a process whereby genetically modified micro-organisms (usually bacteria or yeasts) are used to help synthesise a human insulin analogue. The analogue is almost, but not quite, the same as natural human insulin. Insulin is a polypeptide i.e. a chain of amino acids linked together (actually it's two amino acid chains, themselves linked together), and the synthetic analogues are slightly modified by replacing one or two of the amino acids in the chain by different ones so as to alter its properties subtly, For example, in the case of Humalog or Novorapid the change produces rapid adsorption, whereas with Lantus (and the like) the change makes it long acting. These changes are desirable because because we cannot (yet!) precisely mimic the way in which the healthy body operates. Here endeth the lesson.

Fab explanation, thanks! I think somewhere I'd seen a very basic cartoon picture of a bacterium cell with all its DNA removed, and other stuff being put in! Not very scientific