Synthetic Insulin

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What I am about to write may not be relevant to those who have been type 1 for less than 15 years, but I was looking for advice from those that can remember using beef/pork insulin's. When I was diagnosed, I was on pork insulin and although my control wasn't great, I had endless energy levels and felt alive, but over the years my energy levels have reduced and I just feel constantly tired all the time and a physical wreck. This is despite having had every investigation done by my gp and endo, and every result coming back clear and normal.
My control now has never been better on synthetic insulin, but this lethargy is grinding me down, my last hba1c was 6.3, so control wise I don't have any issues. I read on another forum, and also on a website called IDDT that other people who have had type 1 a long time have had similar experiences, and switched back to animal insulin's and recovered their health, so could I ask if any members on this forum have had similar problems? Thanks.
 
I've been diabetic for 22 years, but I've always been on human/synthetic insulins. I can't really say that I feel constantly fatigued or lethargic - any time I've felt like that there's usually been an external factor causing it, and I can explain it.

However, I have heard of people having problems with lethargy etc on Lantus, and while I don't think it's widely talked about, it was mentioned by the DSN on my DAFNE course that some people just don't get on with Lantus for that reason. They tend to find that swapping people to an alternative long-acting such as Levemir works well. Could this be something that might be happening with you?
 
Hi Toby

I've been on synthetic human/analogue insulins from the start (dx 1991). I don't currently have any of the symptoms you are describing. They sound terrible :(

The only thing which has boosted my energy levels since I turned 40 is gym membership. I used to walk a lot every day, and played quite a bit of tennis & badminton but that stopped when we had kids and I'd gradually got to the point where I was doing very little physical activity for weeks at a time. A short gym visit two or three times a week has made me feel a lot more energised, and improved my control too.

Have you spoken to your DSN/consultant about any research/anecdotal evidence they know of?

Hope you find some answers to your questions.
Mike
 
hi , yes i was on pork insulin for the first 3/4 yrs after dx in wales and my energy lvls were fine then my mum moved us to england and i was put on mixtard and have felt pants eversince, i have the lethargy and tiredness too and totally understand the feeling... bit like somethings sucking the life out of you over time and it gets worse and worse every year , im only 28 but feel sooo much older because of it , never thought it could be because of the synthetic insulin though... food for thought ... might have a dig around the web and see what i can discover 😉🙂
 
toby said:
What I am about to write may not be relevant to those who have been type 1 for less than 15 years, but I was looking for advice from those that can remember using beef/pork insulin's. When I was diagnosed, I was on pork insulin and although my control wasn't great, I had endless energy levels and felt alive, but over the years my energy levels have reduced and I just feel constantly tired all the time and a physical wreck. This is despite having had every investigation done by my gp and endo, and every result coming back clear and normal.
My control now has never been better on synthetic insulin, but this lethargy is grinding me down, my last hba1c was 6.3, so control wise I don't have any issues. I read on another forum, and also on a website called IDDT that other people who have had type 1 a long time have had similar experiences, and switched back to animal insulin's and recovered their health, so could I ask if any members on this forum have had similar problems? Thanks.
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Hi I have been type 1 for 21 yrs and I started off on pork insulin,2 syringes a day, not very good control. I was 31 at the time so had a lot of energy then, I am still busy now, but like you I feel lethargic(but that could be because I don't sleep very well) or it could be that having a long illness over the years, it might start to wear you down. I still plod on and hope one day I will wake up refreshed and energised for the day ahead. My ex father in law was on beef insulin and didn't manage very well. Hope someone comes up with some help for you. Best wishes Sheena🙂
 
randomange, mike, bex and sheena...........thanks for your speedy replies guys!🙂

As randomange says, I was looking more at the lantus I take more than the novorapid. Although lantus is widely used and most people have no problems with taking this insulin, there are cases where patients have had similar symptoms of lethargy as I have, and the opinion is that changing back to animal insulin overcomes this. I am due to see my consultant in the next few weeks and may suggest that I try and change to a alternative insulin in the short term to see if this resolves the issue. As Bex123 will no doubt agree, it is difficult to live life to the full when tiredness and lethargy hinder your everyday existence.
My only concern in changing insulin is my present control, I have good stable control using novo and lantus, and have very few hypo's/hypers at the moment, and must confess that I am a little wary of returning to unstable control should I return to animal insulin. So, are there any members out there who presently use animal insulin and have good control?, I would be grateful to hear from anyone who can offer advice or experience. Thanks again everyone!
 
toby said:
randomange, mike, bex and sheena...........thanks for your speedy replies guys!🙂

As randomange says, I was looking more at the lantus I take more than the novorapid. Although lantus is widely used and most people have no problems with taking this insulin, there are cases where patients have had similar symptoms of lethargy as I have, and the opinion is that changing back to animal insulin overcomes this. I am due to see my consultant in the next few weeks and may suggest that I try and change to a alternative insulin in the short term to see if this resolves the issue. As Bex123 will no doubt agree, it is difficult to live life to the full when tiredness and lethargy hinder your everyday existence.
My only concern in changing insulin is my present control, I have good stable control using novo and lantus, and have very few hypo's/hypers at the moment, and must confess that I am a little wary of returning to unstable control should I return to animal insulin. So, are there any members out there who presently use animal insulin and have good control?, I would be grateful to hear from anyone who can offer advice or experience. Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...

I think falcon123 is on animal insulin, and there's probably a few more forum members out there who are. Do you have to go back to animal insulin though? My DSN said they find that moving people from lantus to levemir usually does the trick, as the problem seems to be with the lantus rather than all synthetic insulins. As levemir is a long-acting insulin with a similar action to lantus, you should hopefully be able to make the switch without affecting your control. 🙂
 
Another option (maybe a longshot mind!) would be to go on a pump so you don't have to use Lantus/Levemir at all. Might have a bit of a fight on your hands to meet the pump guidelines though, with that HbA1c and relatively few hypos.

Good luck, hope you find something that suits you better.
 
randomange said:
I think falcon123 is on animal insulin, and there's probably a few more forum members out there who are. Do you have to go back to animal insulin though? My DSN said they find that moving people from lantus to levemir usually does the trick, as the problem seems to be with the lantus rather than all synthetic insulins. As levemir is a long-acting insulin with a similar action to lantus, you should hopefully be able to make the switch without affecting your control. 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks again randomange! Interesting what you have said about switching from lantus to levemir, I shall ask about this when I attend my clinic appointment. The bad publicity (albeit small) surrounding lantus mainly focuses on switching back to animal insulins to overcome the problem, but should levemir work at controlling blood glucose the same as lantus, I would be more than happy to try this first before drastically changing my whole regime back to animal insulin.

Cate, I understand how pump therapy works, and yes this would do away with the need to use a long acting insulin such as lantus, but I am unsure if I would fit the criteria for qualifying for a pump, but I can't see no harm in asking should all else fail. Thanks again for all your replies!🙂
 
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