Lantus - stinging injection

[mum2westiesGill]

Last year (September then December) when i last saw my dsn she spoke to me about making sure i rotate my injection sites & also to make sure i do the two different insulins in two different places. Since around that time i do my humalog (bolus / qa) rotated in a smiley face on my stomach & my lantus (basal / bi) on either my right or my left thigh. The humalog injection is great but the lantus injection even when i rest the needle without any force on my thigh/s then inject seems to really sting 😡. Does anybody have any advice / help, please?

 

[Northerner]

Last year (September then December) when i last saw my dsn she spoke to me about making sure i rotate my injection sites & also to make sure i do the two different insulins in two different places. Since around that time i do my humalog (bolus / qa) rotated in a smiley face on my stomach & my lantus (basal / bi) on either my right or my left thigh. The humalog injection is great but the lantus injection even when i rest the needle without any force on my thigh/s then inject seems to really sting 😡. Does anybody have any advice / help, please?

I'm afraid lantus can sting because of the way it is formulated. The active part is actually dissolved in an acidic solution which then forms crystals when it encounters the fluids in the skin/flesh. I've sort of got used to it, but there are occasions when I get a real stinger!

There's a fuller explanation here:
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/07/17/5316/lantus-and-levemir--whats-the-difference/

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I'm afraid lantus can sting because of the way it is formulated. The active part is actually dissolved in an acidic solution which then forms crystals when it encounters the fluids in the skin/flesh. I've sort of got used to it, but there are occasions when I get a real stinger!

There's a fuller explanation here:
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/07/17/5316/lantus-and-levemir--whats-the-difference/

Cheers, thanks for the reply, i was wondering if i may have been doing something wrong. I'll keep injecting my "loveable" lantus into my thigh/s and long may the stinging continue!

 

[Northerner]

Cheers, thanks for the reply, i was wondering if i may have been doing something wrong. I'll keep injecting my "loveable" lantus into my thigh/s and long may the stinging continue!

No, I asked exactly the same question when I was first diagnosed and put on it. I do find now though, 3 years after starting it, that it doesn't sting anywhere near as much, but that may also be due to the fact that I'm now on 2 units instead of the 20 back then!

How many units do you inject?

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I'm now on 2 units instead of the 20 back then!

How many units do you inject?

Wow!

I'm on and have to wait for 30 units to be injected! It was 34 units so i suppose it's come down a little 🙂

 

[Medusa]

ah so thats what it is then, i am on 14 units of lantus and my thought was that the stinging i sometimes got was from hitting a nerve

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I always found buttocks the least stingy place for Lantus. A bit awkward to do, but not too bad if you have one of those spring-loaded Autopens.

 

[trophywench]

I only did about 20, and hated it. Apart from that didn't last me 24 hrs, and I was SO glad to change to Levemir, even though it was 2 jabs instead of 1.

I loved Levemir! - so biddable and doesn't keep you waiting for 3 days!

 

[lauraw1983]

I only did about 20, and hated it. Apart from that didn't last me 24 hrs, and I was SO glad to change to Levemir, even though it was 2 jabs instead of 1.

I loved Levemir! - so biddable and doesn't keep you waiting for 3 days!

Waiting for what? I realise that may be a daft question but still learning here!

Yeah lantus often stings me, sometimes worse than others - ouch!

 

[Northerner]

Waiting for what? I realise that may be a daft question but still learning here!

Yeah lantus often stings me, sometimes worse than others - ouch!

Changes to lantus doses usually take 2-3 days to filter through completely, so it's usually recommended that you don't change the dose more regularly until you are sure of the effect of the previous dose 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Exactement, M. du Nord !

Whereas Levemir I could inject the new dose pre brekkie and know by teatime whether it had 'done the trick' or not.

I'm not saying that would be the same for everyone - but a lot of people find it t be so.

 

[imtrying]

I always found buttocks the least stingy place for Lantus. A bit awkward to do, but not too bad if you have one of those spring-loaded Autopens.

agree with you there Mike. That's where I used to do mine (and now where I do my Levemir), plus I knew during the day I was pretty much 100% unlikely to be using that site for any bolus!

 

[Catharine]

Last year (September then December) when i last saw my dsn she spoke to me about making sure i rotate my injection sites & also to make sure i do the two different insulins in two different places. Since around that time i do my humalog (bolus / qa) rotated in a smiley face on my stomach & my lantus (basal / bi) on either my right or my left thigh. The humalog injection is great but the lantus injection even when i rest the needle without any force on my thigh/s then inject seems to really sting 😡. Does anybody have any advice / help, please?

Sometimes it stings so much it brings tears to my eyes and I have to leave the room so I don't swear in front of my daughter!!! x

 

[PhilT]

Lantus does tend to sting sometimes. I inject 38 units and occasionally the sting is really intense.

 

[Paul]

Lantus does tend to sting sometimes. I inject 38 units and occasionally the sting is really intense.

I am on 36 units and it stings like heck some times then again no pain no gain!

 

[lauraw1983]

Changes to lantus doses usually take 2-3 days to filter through completely, so it's usually recommended that you don't change the dose more regularly until you are sure of the effect of the previous dose 🙂

Ahh I see, thank you! I put mine up one more unit last night so will wait another couple of days to see if that brings down my morning reading or not!! Still think it's gonna have to go up by more again

 

[Multicat]

Well thank you I have learnt why Lantus stings & t how it is formulated. Great thank You! when I asked before about the stinging I was told it does with some people & now I know why.

 

[Northerner]

Well thank you I have learnt why Lantus stings & t how it is formulated. Great thank You! when I asked before about the stinging I was told it does with some people & now I know why.

We are a collective fount of all (diabetes-related!) knowledge! 😉 🙂