I’ve noticed i retain a lot of water, and i’ve seen a lot of discussions about lantus vs. levemir, which i’ve never even heard of. does anyone know the difference btwn. the two? why one would be prescribed over the other?
I’ve been on Lantus since May 2008 and I can’t say that its had an effect on me, granted its been hard to get the weight off but I also have PCOS so that effects weight loss to start with as does being in menopause. I’m down 6 pounds from the start of this year or 10 pounds since May of 08, but hay it might be a slow loss at least its going down in the right direction.
I was told when I was put on Lantus that I might gain weight till the right dosage was found for me, but I started on 10 unit and now am on 50 units and its not had an effect on my weight that I know of (might be part of the reason for it being harder to get it off or it might not, I don’t really know).
hmmm… i feel like i retain water easier. especially in my legs. i take 12 units a day now. i was never told anything about weight gain, but it seems like there are quite a few postings regarding lantus and weight gain. thank you for your response 
Hmmm I find this very interesting, I have gained enormous amount of weight, fluid, am on Furosemide for fluid retention, have been on Lantus twice daily for two years now since heart surgery, leg breaks etc I am also menopausal, but unable to exercise due to my right leg not healing properly and now is twisted out!!!
Weight is a major factor for me, and has also increased my depression! What a sad sack I am !!!
It’s hard for me to tell as I noticed I retain some water weight now after the birth of my child 5 years ago (also in my legs, it seems), and I am now 43… so it could be a perimenopausal thing. However, the one thing I have noticed since my diagnosis as T1 almost a year ago (anniversary June 7th) is that I’ve gained 15 lbs! Granted I was a pretty thin when I was diagnosed, but my diet is not high carb at all and it helped me bring my A1C down quickly. So… I’m not sure what is going on but I do hate both the water retention and whatever weight I’ve gained. Hoping to get a handle on this because I DON’T want to get any larger.
All insulins can cause weight gain. I am given to understand by reading that excess insulin is stored as fat - a problem I had before I became diabetic. I have a large cyst on my pancreas and that used to cause hyperinsulinism (I was producing way too much insulin when eating - causing hypos after and it was years before this was diagnosed - I had to go to Latvia to find this out because doctors would not test here in the UK) The answer was to eat more slow release carbs and follow a diabetic diet (namely no sweets, eat healthy and more of it!) and I got a lot better and lost weight. They did warn me that I would become diabetic, which stupidly I ignored and then about 8 or 9 years later I began to lose weight so fast that I went down to 6 stones! I looked emaciated. Doctors again missed it for 10 years and I was diagnosed by accident while in hospital for another cyst on my spleen!
I was put on lantus and then levemir and being over sensitive to the human insulins (and therefore forever hypo) and put on some weight, but not a lot.
As for why they prescribe? Who knows. I suspect it is for financial gain.
Big hugs! I do understand.
No! I’ve been on Lantus since the Fall of 2006 and haven’t gained any weight from using it. I was on a month supply of Levemir recently that my Endo gave me to try out. It worked Well for me also. I switched back to my Lantus to use the rest of it up. Lantus treated me pretty Good and I prefer not to waste. I filled my prescription for Levemir, so I’ll be going back on it soon.
Hard to tell since we’re all individual.
For me, personally, I must say that I started to believe that Lantus causes weight gain. Or at least it inhibits weight loss.
I’ve been trying to lose weight for a very long time and never succeeded. That was until I switched to Levemir, and then suddenly I could.
Though I can’t tell if this is generaly the case or if it’s just an effect the 2 insulins have on me. Maybe it’s not so much about choosing the one insulin that you read causes the fewest weight gain but to choose the one that is right for you. I’ve noticed several positive effects with Levemir, so it works better for me than Lantus. But I’ve also heard the exact opposite from others.
I gained weight on lantus, albeit just a little (3-5 pounds), but enough to be noticable to me. Lantus and levemir both have a similar long and steady duration of action. Some endos prefer one over the other, and some people have bad side effects to one but not the other. I’ve tried them both and personally prefer NPH (which is what I use as a basal when I’m not on the pump). For me, NPH just works better, possibly because it’s what I’m so used to. Also, because I’m a fairly active person, I find that I have fewer lows on NPH if I divide up the doses properly. With lantus and levemir, I was far more likely to go low. Thankfully, my endo respects my preference and never hassles me about it.
Hi jlpo, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have
experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
Hi sallygreen99, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
Hi Nyxks, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have
experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
Hi latvianchick, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
Hi Anne, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have
experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
Hi MyBustedPancreas, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
Hi caprifoglio, I’m sorry you’re having a problem, please call sanofi-aventis at 800-633-1610 to report any problems you may have experienced while take LANTUS. Regards, Mandy.
It would have been enough to just post this once, repetitive messages just don’t look very good. And believe me, my fashion sense is seriously wanting, if I can tell it doesn’t look good, then it doesn’t look good.
I have been on Lantus for 6 years and have not gained any weight. I take 10 units at nite. Never tried Levemir, but some people changed to it after not being satisfied with Lantus.
I’ve used both Lantus & Levemir. I experienced terrible lows on Lantus despite lowering the dose & using split doses. Lantus also didn’t last close to 24 hours for me.
I’ve had far better control on Levemir. It’s more stable & level.