I use Apidra in my pump. When you see a need to change basal amounts when do you start the basal change. Also do you get consistent action from your Apidra? Thanks for any tips. I love the Apidra but adjusting my basals is tricky. Thanks. ali
Hi Ali,
I have been using Apidra now for about 2 years. Prior to that I was using Humilog in my pump. I did not need to change any basal rates. The only thing I needed to work out was how far in advance do I bolus before eating.
My rates change not infrequently. What I wondered is when you need to adjust your rate up or down for a specific time period how far in advance do you make the change. I have use Hum. and Nov in the past and now Apidra. For me it is a different animal. More punch in first 90 minutes and a quick end by two to two and half ours post bolus. No tail as I had with Nov. and Hum. thanks. ali
It does act faster than Humilog. If I am changing my schedule around I adjust the basal rate down or up depending on the situation. I will adjust about an hour prior to any changed activity if that is possible.
Thanks to all who have responded so far. I found Novolog to be the most consistent and most stable of the insulins. I do find Apidra to start acting with a bigger punch and to have no tail after 2 1/2 hours. I always have had big problems with the other short acting insulins with the tail, even with small bolus amounts. I have been having problems lately and was hoping it was not site issues but I am thinking I have some poor sites and may need to switch to another body area. I have been on Apidra for a year and am concerned that it may be one of the reasons for what appears to be erratic absorption at some of my sites. I rotate religiously and always between 2 1/2 to 3 days max. ali
I’ve had Apidra last 4-5 days in my pump with no problems, but it hasn’t gotten all that hot here yet… things might change for me once we really get into Summer. I started on Apidra at the end of September last year, so most of the heat was well past us, and it isn’t even all that warm this year yet.
Since Apidra does seem to act faster for me, I make basal changes about an hour to hour and a half before I expect to see the result which has been working very well for me. My “normal” basal pattern only has 3 rates right now, and my PMS one only has 2.
I don’t know if it’s due to changes in my insulin needs due to using Metformin currently as well, but I’ve also noticed with Apidra that my basal needs are much ‘flatter’ than they had been with Novolog… however I suspect part of that is due to the lack of a tail and thus having less “leftover” insulin still in my system from meals… it seemed with with Novolog and a flat basal rate through the day I’d always end up going WAY low towards mid-afternoon, even if I had a light lunch or skipped lunch. On apidra I don’t seem to have that.