Become allergic to Insulin

[Sylkwood]

Hi Everyone
I wonder if some of you can relate to my problem which to me sounds unlikely but a possibility. I have ben Type 1 for 36years now and since a severe hypo in April 2018 I have not been well. I keep getting these episodes like a hypo and yet my sugar is well above 6.0. I am on and have been on NovoRapid for years, do you think it is possible I have become allergic it to it?, has this happened to anybody else and if so what bolus insulin would you recommend?.
Great thanks to anyone who could offer me any information

Best Regards
Carl

 

[Pumper_Sue]

It sounds as if you need to talk to your GP or consultant. As that does not sound like an allergic reaction to me.
Welcome to the forum 🙂

 

[Inka]

Hi @Sylkwood What symptoms are you getting? People can be intolerant of certain insulins but I think allergies present with skin symptoms.

You say you haven’t felt well. In what way and have you spoken to anyone for advice?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Sylkwood

The only allergic-type reactions I can remember being discussed on the forum related to insulin not functioning properly (or at all) and/or itching, redness and discomfort at the injection site.

If you are getting hypo-like symptoms when still in-range the only other thing we sometimes see on the forum is where people have been running at much higher BG and dropping towards ‘normal’ BG triggers hypo warnings because their body has got used to much higher BG levels and the ‘glucose thermostat’ warning level needs to reset.

Speak to your DSN, clinic or GP and see what they say?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi again Carl, I have just seen your previous post..... So I am wondering if by any chance your problems are due to diabetes complications. I have heard that neuropathy can cause quite a lot of different symptoms depending on which body part is affected. Another though are you on any meds that could cause your symptoms?

Hello Everybody
My name is Carl Wood and I live in Macclesfield,Cheshire. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 36 years now and I am Severly Sight Impaired thanks to Retinopathy, I also have Neuropathy so Diabetes has had a good go at me. I am on injections aqgain now after 7 years on a pump did not really improve things so I decided to go back to the injections. I take Tresiba as my basal and Novorapid for bolus. I now have the Freestyle Libre which is pretty good too.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

Have a look at dysautonomia. I'm hoping to have tests after lockdown and present with many of the symptoms of POTS.

 

[brisr949]

I did start a thread a few weeks back about my false hypo feelings, mine occur when i am around 12 mmol and iirc there were a couple of replies from people who had the same feelings.

 

[Sylkwood]

Wow thank you so much for all taking the time to reply to me. I have brought this up many times with GP and dSN but I may as well sit down and discuss it with the cat. You will probably gen from this that I do not hav a great deal of time for some of the medical profession, ie GP, who are not great if you go to them with something but they love to try and find something wrong with you of their findings, but that is another thread.) My first thought was the Neuropathy and the Gabapentin causing it as it feels a bit like what the cold turkey of Gabapentin does to you, but I never ever miss taking these 1,200mg x3 times per day. So my next thought is whether something is stopping it getting it through but as my earlier mon I have discussed this with both gP and DSN and got nowhere. And my latest thoughts of the insulin being to blame is due to my last episode of this horrible sensation last week when I thought I was having a Hypo as I had all the usual feelings of Hypo and yet my blood sugar was 11.8 mmol, so I wondered whether the insulin was doing it.
There is only going to be me that will solve this which is why I wanted to see if other Diabetic's get these episodes and youwould be more eperienced with having the condition rather than someone telling what to do even though they have not got Diabetes. The sensations are pains through my hands and arms like a painful tingling, and then a nervous feeling in my cheest which then sends a hot /cold wave right through me.
Many thanks again for all of your time Ireally really appreciate it.

 

[Inka]

@Sylkwood Apart from some false hypos, the only time I’ve had a feeling like a hypo was when I had a trapped nerve in my neck and shoulder area. I felt a weird feeling in the back of my head, not pain, like I was just about to faint. It was very unpleasant. I didn’t feel normal until I lay down. But that was more of an ongoing feeling rather than an attack. It came and went depending on my trapped nerve and surrounding muscle tension. What you’re feeling sounds more short-lived?

I think the autonomic nervous system can cause sensations of hot and cold that wash over you. Have you spoken to a neurologist about it?

I’m intolerant of certain insulins and my symptoms of insulin intolerance were fatigue, aching muscles, etc, not hypo feelings. I didn’t have tingling pain or the hot/cold feeling you describe.

 

[Sylkwood]

The other thing it could be is Neuropathy. How many of you are on gabapentin? & amatryptiline?, I wonder if these cause it, but if they do why is it only certain times that i have bad reactions to them, you would think taking them daily would trigger these episodes daily. I eat roughly the same things all the time and do not drink alcohol anymore, so I like docs am at a total loss as to what is causing it.