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insulin change

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twinnie

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
hi guys i know its been a while 😱
had a appointment today with my consultant and she changed my insulin from lantus once a day to levemir twice a day just wanted to know if anyone else has had this change and did it make a difference
oh and finally going on danfe yippee prob in oct thanks guys
 
Yes, I did pre pump. I hated Lantus - it stung for starters and if you needed to change the dose you then had to wait 3 days to see if what you'd done helped or hindered.

Levemir, on the other hand doesn't sting me plus you can pretty much tell after 12 hours whether a change has done the trick.

I have a phrase I always use when talking about Levemir and extolling its virtues, ie that it's just so much more bidable than Lantus.

Once you get stuck into DAFNE, you'll realise what a help all this is, cos one of the first thing they'll do is get you doing a basal check!
 
I'm sure DAFNE will help. Never been offered it, let alone attended, so not personal experience.

However, I continue to be surprised that Humalin I is largely ignored by prescribers, who favour the more modern and roughly twice as expensive Lantus and Levemir. I use it twice daily, and recently on Mountains for Active Diabetics Facebook group, learned there are at least a couple of other mountain people who use it too.
 
I continue to be surprised that Humalin I is largely ignored by prescribers, who favour the more modern and roughly twice as expensive Lantus and Levemir.

It's because Humalin I, Insulatard and the other NPH insulins have some significant issues for some people. The peak in NPH can be extremely restrictive as it requires you to eat certain amounts at regular times (which frequently causes weight gain because you have to feed the insulin). As Lantus and Levemir don't have peaks, these are generally the first choice option as they just make blood sugar more predictable.

I agree though that NPH should be on the table as an option (along with animal-derived Lente). Lantus of course has its own set of side effects and for some people, Levemir just doesn't actually work.
 
Hope you enjoy DAFNE and it helps you a lot. When I finally did DESMOND it didn't actually tell me anything I didn't already know but it was helpful to know others were having the same or similar problems and I wasn't alone.
 
It's because Humalin I, Insulatard and the other NPH insulins have some significant issues for some people. The peak in NPH can be extremely restrictive as it requires you to eat certain amounts at regular times (which frequently causes weight gain because you have to feed the insulin). As Lantus and Levemir don't have peaks, these are generally the first choice option as they just make blood sugar more predictable.

I agree though that NPH should be on the table as an option (along with animal-derived Lente). Lantus of course has its own set of side effects and for some people, Levemir just doesn't actually work.


Don't want to derail original thread, but taking Humalin I TWICE daily largely levels out peaks, at least for me. Never have to feed this insulin, and haven't gained any weight since regaining normal weight after weight loss running up to diagnosis. It's an extra option, cheaper than either Lantus or Levemir, but most prescribers seem never to consider it. Like the other MAD members, I find twice daily Humalin I very adjustable, which suits long endurance sports, irregular patterns of activity, crossing time zones etc.
 
good luck when DAFNE starts........

i was on Lantus at the start of DAFNE and was on Levemir by the end of the week, purely because it wasn't lasting, but its much more flexible when considering the effects of activity/illness/alcohol....

so i think Lantus is a perfectly good insulin, it just doesn't always last the 24 hours in everyone.....
 
thanks guys just a little nervous when it comes to different meds
 
Hi, do you mind if I ask why they changed you from Lantus to Levemir? I have been on Lantus almost since I was diagnosed (it was the twice a day orange needles before that) and I have heard that some people have theirs split into two doses and wondered why just purely out of interest and if it would benefit me. What is the difference between Lantus and Levemir? thank you.
 
hi there my doctor said that because i do night shift i would have better control also i am starting danfe course soon i dont know what the difference is sorry
 
They are made differently for starters Sam - and work utterly differently - though they both do the same job, for those for whom they work optimally.

You would need to do a basal test to establish if you are getting the best out of any basal insulin, it's the only way you can find out and on DAFNE or another carb-counting course, you do have to learn how to do that, and do it! It isn't actually hard. See

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=120

Nobody knows how long Lantus or Levemir act either! each person is different. It was pushed originally that it lasted more or less exactly 24 hours and it released itself more or less absolutely evenly. It doesn't do either of those things for most people, in fact ! Lasts from 18 hours to 36 or any point in between, and has a peak after approx. 5 hours after which it starts to tail off.

It just depends exactly when you happen to need whatever dose of basal insulin you need.

Copepod - I may have been terribly unlucky, but I had completely irrational and no-warning hypos on Humulin I and S and I'm lucky to have survived the road accidents I had on the M42. In fact I never had a scratch, or when I practically crashed two different motorbikes by going hypo on the pillion. For me Humulin is the invention of the Devil I'm afraid ! But if it works for somebody, I'm pleased, probably LOL

Lantus stings me like hell and I sort of landed up where I don't want to touch any insulin with Eli Lilly's name on it ever again if I can help it. However I am mindful of the fact that they got insulin off the ground in the first place, for which all of us should be properly grateful and I am ! Insulin stinging and going hypo actually mean I am still alive.

Which is a GOOD thing to me !
 
hi there my doctor said that because i do night shift i would have better control also i am starting danfe course soon i dont know what the difference is sorry

I am on levemir twice a day, I also do nights (intact I finished 5 12.5 hour night shifts this morning!) Levemir doesn't tend to last as long as Lantus so for me it means I can have differing amounts am and pm to help with DP plus I find it far more flexible with night shifts, I can literally turn my day upside down with it.

Also if you need to make any adjustments you pretty much find out straight away whether you have done the right thing which for me was very useful in the hot weather we just had where I found myself dropping very low quite a lot.
 
The change from Lantus to Levemir was very smooth for me. I had the terrible stinging others have mentioned but moving to Levemir got rid of that. I found Levemir shorter-acting than Lantus and before going on to the pump, I had to take a small morning injection to cover the afternoon/evening shortfall.

I started on Insulatard but was switched on to Lantus as soon as it became available as the Isulatard gave me terrible overnight hypos.
 
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