Hi 
I have always split my levemir - 12 units am and only 2 units pm. My blood sugar has been dropping in the early hours around 2am so my endo has suggested skipping the night levemir and see how I go.
Anyone else only take levemir once a day ?
I know it’s pretty unusual as most people split doses.
Just interested if it lasts the claimed 24 hours for some people.
Depending on how much you take, Levemir can last anywhere from 6 hours to almost 24.
The nice thing about Levemir is that the duration is very predictable, based on the number of units per kilogram you are taking.
The more you take, the longer it lasts.
Based on the amount you are taking (14 units), I doubt it would be anywhere near 24 hours for you.
Here are Levemir durations based on units per kilogram of body weight. You have to convert your weight to kilograms, otherwise all of these durations will not be correct for you!
| Dosage amount (units / kilogram) | Average duration |
|---|---|
| 0.1 units/kg | 5.7 hours |
| 0.2 units/kg | 12.1 hours |
| 0.4 units/kg | 19.9 hours |
| 0.8 units/kg | 22.7 hours |
| 1.6 units/kg | 23.2 hours |
Here is a link.
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Thanks for that info. I weigh 51kg. It doesn’t appear it would last the full 24 hours.
One of the things I miss about Levemir (as opposed to Tresiba, which I now use as basal), is that you can utilize the relatively shorter duration to your advantage in some circumstances. This sounds like one of those situations - good luck to you figuring out the timing of it all.
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Thank you. Yes that’s true. Sometimes the shorter duration is a bit easier to manage once the doses and timing are sorted.
I’m T2, and I take Levemir only once a day, early in the morning when I get up (actually currently I’m trying NPH). I seem to produce enough insulin to cover when I don’t eat, and with Tresiba, I was going low at night. So injecting Levemir only once in the morning works for me. I do the same with NPH.
If I just stopped eating altogether I’d be fine without insulin.