I am hoping for some beyond what I have read on the various discussion threads.
I am on the Tandem Tslim since Aug. 1st (formerly Animas). I am experiencing difficulty with Novolog in that it seems to have a very slow response time (same with Humolog). Because I was experiencing this slow response time even before my pump switch, I went on Fiasp for over a year. It was fantastic while it worked but like many of you, I started experiencing problems (extreme bruising, unexpected highs, needing to change my insets frequently). I use steel insets (contact detach). So now I am back on Novolog. While my endo has advised patients in the past about how to mix insulins to get best results, he is no longer doing so because of the new program being launched by Tandem whose algorithms are designed for humolog and novolog only. I have not yet upgraded to this new system and am slightly skeptical given how slow my body responds to novolog and humolog.
I still have three full vials of unused Fiasp and am considering mixing it with my novolog (30%-70%). I have read a few articles but many of the users were mixing it with other types of insulin and also with varied amounts. I am also wondering about the logistics of mixing it in a syringe (how to mix it after drawing from two different bottles). I would appreciate hearing from people’s experiences as I am at wit’s end --exhausted from the swings of highs and lows.
When I started on a pump seven years ago, I was told that I had to use fast acting insulin and that NovoLog 30/70, which I had been injecting, was no longer appropriate. As I understand it, 30/70 is a mixture of slow acting and fast acting insulin.
However, in my opinion, mixing Fiasp with 30/70 will be an improvement.
Thanks for your reply. So far so good, i mixed 50/50 novolog-fiasp. I just hope the mechanics of the drawing it into the syringe was done appropriately.
Could you pre-mix them? Once you find a ratio the works, mix them on an empty vial. I don’t know if prolonged mixture changes the insulins in any way or not.
I’ve been using 75/25 Fiasp/Humalog for about a year for some of the same reasons you cite. It works quite well so far! I picked the 75/25 ratio so I’d maximize the amount of Fiasp, but it’s not a magic number. I pulled it out of my hat!
I’m using Humalog because I have an ample supply and my insurance doesn’t cover Novolog. I think Novolog is a better choice because once in your system you’re dealing with 100% the same insulin molecule. Mixing with Humalog results in two.
For me this arrangement Improves post-prandial numbers. It also help jump start corrections. But for me, it didn’t help on the tail end. Fiasp only helps speed up adsorption. But once in my system, the same kinetics apply. I know others haven’t seen this.
It also stops some of the bizarre pump behavior I experienced with Fiasp alone, but there are plenty of other people that have no problem at all.
I make 10cc of the mixture in sterile vials I buy from Mountainside Medical. That eliminates the hassle of mixing it in a syringe each time I fill a reservoir.
I asked my endo about this and he didn’t have any objections. He did promise to put me in touch with a Novo rep to ask how this would impact Fiasp’s function, but I never got a reply. I suspect Novo wouldn’t touch this with a 10-foot pole because they haven’t tested it.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and for the advice about the mixing in a separate vial. I am on day 3 of the 50/50 mixture and I suspect I will need to go up with the amount of Fiasp but I want to run a few more days on the 50/50 mixture.
One additional question: which pump are you using?
ps Ironically, my endo called me today and left a message because I had spoken to his nurses about desperately wanting to improve the performance of novolog.
