Have you had to raise your insulin doses?

Is there any difference in the amount of insulin you took when you were first diagnosed and the amount you take now? This question is for you guys that have virtually no insulin production left…
And how many units do you take per meal? + how many units of the long lasting insulin…?
I know this is very individual but i am still curious…

i started with 10 units of lantus a day. now i am taking 50 units of lantus a day and 10 units of humalog per meal. :frowning:

When I was first diagnosed I was on over 300 units of insulin a day which is why I couldn’t go on the pump but as my body quit making insulin I have now dropped down to under 100 a day, around 40-60 units a day. I was initially diagones as type 2 and since I have found out I am actually LADA.

I don’t really remember how much I took when I was diagnosed 11 years ago. But it wasn’t alot. Before I started the pump (july 08) i was on 70 units lantus (i was resistent) and my I:C was 1:7. Now that i am on the pump i only take about 55 units a day. 35 basal. I:C is: Breakfast 1 unit for 9 carbs. Lunch 1 unit for 10 carbs. Dinner 1 unit for 8 carbs. And as I keep active and lose some weight, my needs are going down! I’m very happy with it =)

Funnily enough I use less now than at the start . I’ve changed from a total daily dose of about 32u to one between 23 and 25u in spite of putting back on the weight I lost before diagnosis. I started insulin almost 4 years ago with 16 units lantus and 1unit to 10 carbs. Now I’m on a pump with a basal of about 11units a day and a bolus ratio of varying between 1-10 and 1- 12.

Dolores-

I use about 22-23 units of insulin a day total basal and bolus. My basal is up since I first started pumping. My Endo said it’s still a little part of insulin resistance. I use humalog (fast acting insulin) I haven’t used lantus in 6 months. When i did use the Lantus I would take about 28 units plus 2-5 units (humalog) w/ each meal

When I was first diagnosed I was on a lot of insulin because I was blindly following ADA & my CDE recommendations for carbs. I felt awful & researched low carb diets & immediately changed. My insulin needs were cut by more than half & I instantly felt better. But since then, I’ve seen my insulin dosages needing to be increased. Guess the honeymoon has ended, but the amount I take is still well below where I started out.

I take 8-10 basal total (morning & at bedtime) & 3-5 units with meals.

The seasons affect my insulin intake. Always need to up it in the winter and when spring hits down goes my dosage. I’m about to start a new job. Will see how that affects my insulin needs. Will it be stressful? Will it be very physically demanding? Just started a yoga class. Good exercise but also very relaxing. Have been working out only 2 times a week at the gym lately. There are so many factors that influence your insulin needs. Good luck!

The amount of insulin that I inject approximately doubled after my body stopped producing insulin. I went from 7u of Lantus per day to 14u. This change happened about 3 months after I was diagnosed. Since then, my daily insulin needs are very consistent (about 28-30u per day).

I take about 14u of basal insulin and 12-16u of insulin for meals. So it averages 3-5u per meal, depending on what I am eating.

Cherise, it’s interesting that you are taking LESS units of insulin on the pump than you were from injections! I wonder if you have less insulin resistance now??

My insulin sensitivity stayed the same for 17 years on Acctrapid and Protaphan. Then slightly the sensitivity for Protaphan increased and I experienced hypos at night for 2 years. Now I am using Humalog and Levemir for 2 years. Since then my insulin sensitivity has increased further and I could reduce my daily dosage of rapid insulin by 4 units. My basal dosage was reduced by 1 unit.

As others wrote I know seasonal changes too were high activity reduces the insulin amount. From time to time I see patterns of increased need of basal insulin (+2 units Levemir at night, every 5 months or so). Maybe these are just infectious processes and the immune system has successfully handled the situation.

I was taking 7 U Lantus in the summer and only bolusing if I was eating carbs (1U:25g carbs). Then school started (I’m a prof) and I am spending LONG hours sitting with little activity. My needs increased to 10 U/day. I split it, 6U at night and 4 U in the AM because if I do the 10 U at night I get a low around 2 AM. Now I bolus for just about every meal, 1-2 U Humalog.

I was at the low end with my C-peptide test when i was diagnosed two years ago. I’m trying to have a new C-peptide test done to see if I’m off my honeymoon or what.

Maria

My insulin requirements went through the floor. At diagnosis, was on 20U Lantus split 50-50 AM-PM and 10U Humalog with meals. Now, I’m at 2U Lantus (which I switched from PM to AM, endo concurring, as an experiment, to see if my “high” AM fastings of 105-120 were dawn effect or Symogi), because I can drop low even with 3U on board with moderate exertion, and no Humalog with meals. Haven’t taken Humalog since mid-August, appx 6 weeks post-diagnosis.

I do tend to low-carb, but when I decide not to tell my pancreas that I’m going to cheat (like the extra 2 or 3 pigs in blankets on Thanksgiving), things still work out pretty well - in fact, I find that I sometimes get better 2 hour posts with higher carb meals.

Of course, losing 50 pounds from my high weight and about 30 pounds or so since diagnosis didn’t hurt matters either. Probably got rid of a boatload of insulin resistance that way.