Long haul travel - managing insulin

[Gillk16]

I've used a website recommended by my clinic in the past (diabetestravel@sansum.org). This has been brilliant in helping to work out time differences and insulin control using flight numbers etc while actually travelling. But now it doesn't appear to be there any more although I have emailed them but so far to no avail. Has anyone found anything similar they could recommend? I'm shortly going to New Zealand and need to get my insulin dosages etc right. I'm not sure I've explained it well enough but here goes!

 

[eggyg]

I’m not quite sure what you mean about getting insulin doses right. Do you just mean your basal? When I go abroad I leave my watch on UK time and obviously my phone automatically changes to local time. Would that help initially, ie first few days, until you align? if you stick to UK times you’ll be getting up through the night to inject. I don’t have set times for my basal, I use Levemir which I split into AM and PM. I was told on my DAFNE course “ rise and retire” as long as there’s at least 7 hours between the two. As for bolus just use as normal, before you eat.
I’m not sure if that’s the answer you require.

 

[Gillk16]

I’m not quite sure what you mean about getting insulin doses right. Do you just mean your basal? When I go abroad I leave my watch on UK time and obviously my phone automatically changes to local time. Would that help initially, ie first few days, until you align? if you stick to UK times you’ll be getting up through the night to inject. I don’t have set times for my basal, I use Levemir which I split into AM and PM. I was told on my DAFNE course “ rise and retire” as long as there’s at least 7 hours between the two. As for bolus just use as normal, before you eat.
I’m not sure if that’s the answer you require.

I didn't think I'd explained it well enough! No, that simply doesn't work when you're looking at such extreme time differences. With the States, I manage to simply stretch my day going out and condense it coming back, which works. This schedule worked out when to have for example half the normal dosage of long-acting insulin. When we've visited Australia, by the next morning I was up and running at Australia time. This is just that bit further and therefore more difficult. Thanks for your help though.

 

[Eternal422]

I found this website :
https://www.theblondeabroad.com/crossing-time-zones-with-type-1-diabetes/

which suggests this formula to use for basal insulin dosing (not sure which way you are travelling to New Zealand, but if from UK eastwards this would help?)

A shortened day (traveling West to East) may mean that you need to reduce your pre-flight insulin. These are some general guidelines:

• Before you leave your original country, take your usual scheduled dose amount at the normal time.
• Maintain the same timezone as your departure country once you have taken off.
• At your next scheduled dosage time take a reduced dose of insulin in line with this formula:

Reduced travel dose = Normal dose x (0.9 – [#of time zones you cross ÷ 24])​

Hope this helps!

 

[Gillk16]

I found this website :
https://www.theblondeabroad.com/crossing-time-zones-with-type-1-diabetes/

which suggests this formula to use for basal insulin dosing (not sure which way you are travelling to New Zealand, but if from UK eastwards this would help?)

A shortened day (traveling West to East) may mean that you need to reduce your pre-flight insulin. These are some general guidelines:

• Before you leave your original country, take your usual scheduled dose amount at the normal time.
• Maintain the same timezone as your departure country once you have taken off.
• At your next scheduled dosage time take a reduced dose of insulin in line with this formula:

Reduced travel dose = Normal dose x (0.9 – [#of time zones you cross ÷ 24])​

Hope this helps!

Thank you, I've looked at this site and it's semi-helpful! It doesn't really matter which way you travel but it's impossible to switch straight to NZ timezone - 13 hours ahead - without some jiggery pokery in the middle. Thank you for looking and it does help.

 

[helli]

When I have travelled long haul, I move my basal time by a couple of hours each day coming up to and after my travel to bring it in approximately the time zone of the destination.
I used Lantus which typically lasts 20 to 22 hours so I have some leverage for that time.