Basal adjustments

[Sally71]

Does anyone know why it is that when you make an adjustment to your basal rate, it takes 2-3 days for the effect to kick in? That makes no sense to me, I would have thought that if you are putting more or less insulin in straight away, you should see the effect straight away. But that isn't what happens!

Just curious 🙄

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I don't always find that (on a pump that is... I *always* did on MDI)

The usual 2-3 day thing on MDI is related to what I always called Lantus Lag. People I know on Levemir used to find it much more responsive and could even change basal dose one day for a change the next - eg if exercising in the morning. Lantus has a reputation for sluggishness in changing and it may well be down to the crystalisation that happens when you inject it. Perhaps fragments of some of those doses hang around longer (from days previously) muddying the waters.

On the pump I seem to find basal tweaks responsive day-to-day. Make a change to a time slot one day and see some effect the next. However often when my basal is 'on the move' my requirements are also changing from one day to the next so I don't always expect one tweak to set me right again.

In fact I'm more or less constantly in a state of basal tweakery.

Fun eh!

 

[Redkite]

We don't find that - basal changes take effect straight away for us. What does sometimes happen though is that after a few days of higher levels, then a basal increase, then a couple of days of target levels, then this in itself results in greater insulin sensitivity and before long hypos start to creep in....🙂

 

[AlisonF]

I don't see any such lag on the pump either. Lantus was a different story.

 

[Hanmillmum]

Hi, not found any lag with the pump and changing the basal, must be frustrating! - no experience with MDI prior to pump. Suppose everyone is just a little different in responses 🙂

 

[Sally71]

We must be weird then! 🙂 Have definitely noticed when doing basal tweaks that we get a couple of days where there seems to be no difference and then on the third day we finally get the required effect. DSN has implied that this is normal too, but I see perhaps not! Temp basals have a more instant effect, perhaps because they are bigger changes; they would be fairly pointless though if they didn't work immediately

 

[bev]

Hi Sally71,

We see the change happening within hours if we change basals. We dont always see the required drops in levels if doing a correction but think this is down to insulin resistance/growth hormone due to being a teenager!🙂Bev

 

[Pumper_Sue]

If I have 3 bad spots in a row then I change that spot and see the result the following day. If still not right have a look further along the line.
I have the pleasure of a sensor at the moment and the difference is amazing. I can actually see where my main problem spot is 4pm in the afternoon. Have seen exactly where the drop starts so have bought a basal section back 30 mins. It was like oh wow when not going towards hypo at 4 pm.