so is it possible that levemir can, in fact, last 24 hours?
I don’t believe so, Andrea, that’s why it’s taken in two doses.
Sounds more like Lantus
When I was first diagnosed t2 18 months ago, I started on 3 shots of novalog on a sliding scale, then one shot of levemir 78 units before bed, 137lbs lost, now down to 1 shot of levemir 35units once a day and that does it…so for me it does…everyone is different…
low carb, workouts lose weight, works for me. hope all is well with you…
I keep cutting the levemir down as I go…
If you read the technical stuff on the Levemir website, with higher doses, you can get it to last 23.2 hours. With Levemir, the more you take, the longer it will last, but if you do that, you will also have periods where you are running low because you are taking more basal than what you need. I actually take mine 3 times a day – mine lasts for about 7 hours.
I copied the paragraph pertaining to how long it lasts - I have it in a PDF but don't know how to attach that here.
Pharmacodynamics
Insulin detemir is a soluble, long-acting basal human insulin analog with a relatively
flat action profile.The mean duration of action of insulin detemir ranged from 5.7 hours
at the lowest dose to 23.2 hours at the highest dose (sampling period 24 hours).
The prolonged action of LEVEMIR® is mediated by the slow systemic absorption of insulin
Here is the link from the Levemir site for the prescribing information - the paragraph I copied is also in that.
That is what works for me and apparently it works that way for most people since they have it in their prescribing information. It does seem like the people using smaller doses are the ones that are also using it 3 times a day as opposed to 1 or 2.
Yes, that is too big of a drop - you shouldn’t drop by more than 30 points. If you hadn’t eaten something, it would have been a lot more. I am noticing some consistency problems between Levemir pens that I never had a problem with before. I started a new pen on Friday and have been running low ever since, even cutting back some. The same thing happened a couple weeks ago. My basals are normally pretty steady.
A pump can help,but it is also not necessarily the answer for everyone. I had more highs on the pump than I did with MDI - the problems weren’t worth it for me. I do miss being able to sleep in and not hearing alarm clocks going off all the time to remind me to take Levemir!
Depends on the dosage. I suppose under extraordinary circumstances levemir of for that matter lantus can last exactly 24 hours.
No, it is normally pretty flat for me. When I do basal testing, I actually do it for 24 hours and I mine doesn’t go up or down very much (as long as it is set right). If you are having peaks, you might do better trying to split it.
I take Levemir only once a day, at night. Seems to work for me.
Lev didn’t work for me either - at over triple the dose I had been on with Lantus, I gave up since I was constantly chasing highs. I also had severe site reactions to injecting it - once I hit a vein and I had itchy track marks as a result, it was not fun.
I am pumping now but Lantus (@75% of my total pump basal) is my backup if something happens to my pump or I need to be untethered for a day. I also split the dose… it seems to work more reliably for me that way.
Levemir doesn’t last 24 hours, or close to it, for me. I take 10 units in split doses.
I would agree that some of the people using only one dose are probably still producing some insulin. But I also have to wonder about the control of some of the others and whether or not they would be able to do a 24-basal test without problems. I wouldn’t be afraid to bet money on the fact that they wouldn’t be able to do a 24 hour basal test and would end up going low because they are taking higher doses to get the Levemir to last the 24 hours. I can skip meals or eat late without having to worry about dropping low because of my Levemir.
I tried levemire for a month and found it has a 16 hour activity , also peaks at 10 hours ( getting frequent lows) . Lantus on the other hand has a 24 hour activity.but what ever suits your time and schedule go with it.
I’m both newly diagnosed (May) and VERY insulin sensitive, but not producing any insulin to speak of. I take Levemir only once per day and so far so good.
This was one of the reasons I went on the pump and it has really helped me. I’m definitely more stable now (although like any T1, I still have my bad days). I have found with the pump that while I still have lows, they are not as bad. Also, the ability to adjust my basal rate (rather than just having a bunch of insulin pooled under my skin and waiting for it to do its thing) has been really nice. And yeah, sleeping in…definitely LOVE sleeping in!!!
Personally, I think everyone should give a pump a try. I know it’s not for everyone and I know some people do better on MDI. But I think it should be something that every T1 should have the opportunity to try because, depending on your lifestyle, it can give you a lot more freedom.
I believe you should get a chgance to try it. I have never liked the game of your A1c is too high or low for a pump. A pump can help with control which is a major benefit but my personal opinion is that the lifestyle benefits are even more dramatic.
That’s such BS, Lynne! My A1C before I went on the pump was 6.4. Not fabulous but hardly “really out of control”! He reminds me of my mother growing up, I would ask if I could sleep over a friends and she would say no, because “you have a perfectly good place to sleep right here”. Huh? I didn’t NEED to sleep over, I wanted to because it would be enjoyable. I think MossDog makes a good point below that it does help somewhat with A1C but mainly it improves our quality of life! And if your insurance pays for it, how would it hurt the doctor for you to have it??
I have heard some people like the omnipod but have also heard a lot of negative things about it. I think if it were great as well as tubeless more people would be on it! Of my Type 1 Women’s group of 50 members, not one is on the omnipod! So I’d do some research if you haven’t already.
If you really want to be on a pump and your doctor irrationally refuses, I would get a new doctor. I kept thinking I didn’t “need” the pump but then finally realized when I saw how many women in my group were on it that it was the standard of care!
Couldn’t agree more. Food and related issues are pretty sensitive territory for some of us, especially women and if I’m happy with where I’m at, then that’s great and nobody should interfere with that.
I’m on the Ping and love it. Each pump has advantages and disadvantages. I like the Ping because it has a meter/remote and you can put your pump under your clothes and do everything from the meter/remote. Tubing isn’t as bad as it sounds. I get the longer one (43 inches) because I don’t feel as “tethered” and can put it down and still get dressed. I’m about to post a thread about how much I love my pump!