First try with Tresiba-I had problems

#1

I finally tried the Tresiba last night and I had a problem. I injected it after watching the videos and reading the instructions. I dialed up 26 units (I normally take 30) and pushed the button and the pen went down to 14 and would not move. I waited about 10 seconds and gave up. Has this happened to anyone else?

I have a lot of scar tissue because I have had diabetes for 47 years. Do you think the resistance was the problem? When I give Lantus, I sometimes hit an area that has a ton of resistance but I can always get the dose in. I just have to go slow. I’m not sure whether to try again or not. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in advance!

#2

I don’t have a lot of experience with pens so I hope you’ll get responses from the many members who do. If I were you, I would try to use a place to inject that you’ve either never used before or used very little. If you’re successful at that new location then it suggests that scar tissue may be a factor. Or you could have experienced a pen malfunction. Others with more pen experience can provide better feedback on this.

I’ve had diabetes for 33 years so I understand your concern with the health of the underlying tissue. When I place a pump site, I palpate the tissue looking for a spot that feels soft and uniform underneath.

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#3

Hmm, that’s odd but sometimes you can get a pen with a bad spring or dialing mechanism. I’ve had some ridiculously bad Lantus and Novolog pens where I practically needed a wrench to get the full dose in, and some Humalog pens where without the “clicks” you’d wonder if anything happened at all.

So far with Tresiba I’ve found the pens to be quite good (never had a problem with Levemir pens either). If you remain concerned you can always call them. If your skin resistance is high you might consider drawing the insulin from the pen with a syringe and doing it that way, at least until you can get it in a vial (I don’t think Tresiba is available yet that way, at least in the US).

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#4

I have not had that exact same problem myself before I started Tresiba about two months ago I saw several close regarding Tresiba pens that have that type of issue. It was one of the only negatives I found in doing way research.

My doctor gave me several samples of both 100 and 200. I’m currently using a 200 pan. There have been two or three times with this particular parent where it has clicked down and stopped before the injection. This is the issue that I saw people talking about. All I did was release the plunger and do it over. It completed its cycle the second time. If I remember right this is also what I read.

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#5

Did you prime the pen successfully before that? Just in case the issue was the pen tip somehow, and that the insulin wasn’t coming out or something.

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#6

Thank you for the replies. Not only did I prime it with 2 units, I also did a test with the full amount just to check because this was my first time to use Tresiba and I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. I did use a different pen tonight and it worked correctly so maybe it was a fluke last night. I sure hope so! Thank you so much again for the input.

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#7

I have not had any problems with Tresiba pens. I have used Tresiba since NOV 2016.

#8

I too had problems with the delivery mechanism. of the Treciba FlexTouch pen. I dropped using it today and have gone back to my old basal insulin - Toujeo - as I have never had any delivery issues. When you take a shot, you have to have confidence htat the insulin was delivered in the right dosage. It seems poorly designed. Lost customer.

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#9

Hello
My name is Harry and I am a 61 year old male, Type 1 diabetic as a result of pancreatitis in 1989. Currently taking 30 -40 units of Humalog Kwik Pen insulin via sliding scale for each meal based on carbs & protein and ~66 units of Lantus at bedtime. Went to Doctor (GP not Endo due to location) who asked that I give Tresiba Insulin a try. She has me starting out at 10 units/night with a 1 unit adjustment up or down depending on BG readings. As I stated earlier, I am currently taking 66 units/night. The Tresiba literature that accompanied the insulin (Dr.sample) as well as the Tresiba website stated that a conversion from one type of Long Acting insulin to Tresiba should be a 1:1 conversion. Anyone have any experience with type of conversion from Lantus to Tresiba? I would be greatly interested in hearing from you.
Thanks…Hang9392

#10

The only time I’ve had this happen is when using ultra short pen needles like 4mm and not having quite gotten the needle all the way through the skin… there was a lot of resistance inside the skin and a could feel a lump after trying to inject… the shortest needles normally work fine for me but a few times I’ve encountered this if I didn’t quite get them in deep enough

#11

Yes, I switched from Lantus to Tresiba. The conversion was nearly 1:1. You may need just slightly more or slightly less.

You doctor may have other reasons for decreasing your dose. Perhaps you could reach out to her and ask her?

It generally takes a few days for Tresiba to ramp up to the full dose (because it lasts for so long), so even with a correct dose (whether it be 1:1 or 10 units) you may need to do some extra bolus corrections the first couple of days to stay in range.

#12

Ok, that’s good to know. Other than the initial switching/adjusting period, how have you BG readings been? Did you have to decrease or increase your Bolus insulin? Have you had any hypo events due to minimal activity one day and increased activity the next day or even 2 or 3 days?
Thanks for your valued input katers87.
Hang99392

#13

I also switched from Lantus to Tresiba at close to a 1:1. I find that it works much steadier than Lantus. It took me 3-4 days at each Tresiba dose to determine if it’s right or if it needs adjustment, so be patient. I also found that one unit up or down on the Tresiba dose had a pretty large affect…in other words, for me 20 units daily works a whole lot better than 19 or 21. When you think you’ve got the Tresiba dose close to the right range, a basal test is a good way to double check and see if more changes are needed.

#14

Wow, everyone seems to be taking a lot less long acting insulin than I am, I wonder why? I am averaging ~35-40 units of Humalog injections daily over 3 meals. wonder why so much for long acting insulin at night? Although, I test quite regularly and the results are like you said, 66 units most times is OK or, I wake up at 221-260 and if I take 67 units I wake up at 54-78 or have a low just before my normal wake up time and have to get and eat something for that. Usually, eating too many carbs and having to treat that. (man, I hate that low feeling!)
Hoping this Tresiba is a little (preferably a lot) mor predictable.
Thanks for sharing your experience John58.
Hang8382

#15

My bg levels have been better since switching to Tresiba. I’ve found that Tresiba’s action is more consistent and predictable than Lantus’ was.

I have experienced hypos from exercising, but that can happen on Lantus or an insulin pump as well. I generally have gatorade nearby to prevent lows if I’m exercising more often than usual. Decreasing your dose the day of a long hike can help, but because you’re stacking insulin from a couple of days that can lead to other problems. So I just feed my basal with Gatorade. If you’re going on a several day long hike, then decreasing your Tresiba dose may be worth it (similar to how you might with Lantus).

My bolus amounts have been largely unaffected by the switch from Lantus to Tresiba, but I am doing fewer corrections now. I seemed to experience a more pronounced dawn phenomenon on Lantus than Tresiba. I suspect it was because Lantus didn’t last a full 24 hours for me. I split my dose into 2 shots per day (at different times of the day), but I don’t think the doses always overlapped properly. If you’re currently doing 1 Lantus shot/day, then I suspect Tresiba will help tremendously.

#16

Great information. I will take my first injection this evening and will probably post again on Monday to share my results.
Thanks again for sharing your experience.
Hang9392

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#17

I draw up my insulins both basal and bolus with a syringe for this reason…and also b/c I take small doses 1/2 unit doses of both basal and bolus and use special ordered 1/2 unit syringes. I’ve never used an insulin pen…I like to see the insulin, all of it, actually going in,.