UPDATE (star date 02/10/2011): I took my last shot of Lantus a little while ago. Fingers and toes crossed for a smooth transition to Levemir tomorrow. I'll be walking around with my meter and glucose tabs attached to my body like little limpets until my 48-hour Levemir shake-down cruise is over.
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OK, I'm trying not to panic, but I only have two shots worth left in my Lantus pen and then I have to switch to Levemir.
I anticipated this moment by breaking my (former) single shot of 55 IU of Lantus into two (28 IU at 7-ish a.m. and 27 IU at 7-ish p.m.)
So do I just give myself my last Lantus shot, wait 12 hours and just start injecting the Levemir -- which would be after the second-to-last (24-hours-ago) Lantus has worn off, supposedly, but well before the last (only 12-hours-ago) Lantus is out of my system? That's it?
OK. But I'm a little anxious to see how the Levemir works in my body.
I am really looking forward to getting rid of the Lantus burn (I hate that) but I hope I don't have to go through a whole lot of adjusting and basal testing again.
I'm trying to focus on being happy that I have insulin at all (yay, insulin!) but I really hope I don't go ultra-hypo for any unforeseen reason. My doctor wanted me to go to 30 IU and 28 IU with the Levemir but I think I'd rather hold steady on the dose and wait and see how it goes before I add another variable.
Switching from lantus to levemir was such a positive change for me. With lantus, I had too many scary and unpredictable lows, plus weight gain. I don’t know what your reasons for switching are, but when I made the change, my blood sugar stabilized and I rarely got lows. We are all so different, so you will surely have your own reaction, but just be strong and practical, keep lots of extra sugar around and check your blood sugar frequently, at Least for the first bit if time, until you feel confident that it’s stabilized and predictable.
I was on lantus for a short while before going to my pump and I didn't have any problems with it as long as I took the same shot at the same time everyday....(that was a mouthful,lol) I never had levemir but I have only heard good things about it, I'm sure your going to do great with it!!! Good luck...
Like Frankie, I had lows on Lantus when it peaked. And, peak it does. While there's been PR to dispute it, Lantus has been linked to increased cancer risks. So, don't panic to say bye-bye to Lantus.
My Levemir dose was about the same as Lantus. Lantus didn't last close to 24 hours for me (more like 14-16 hours) & I took it in split doses in a vain attempt to avoid Lantus lows, but my doses are less than yours. Too late now to suggest this, but err on the side of caution about your bedtime dose.
Some residual Lantus will remain for 24 hours in your system. So please expect to go lower than usual after the first shot of Levemir because both will overlap for a while. This also means that the real effectiveness of Levemir can not be seen in the first 24 hours. But if your BG starts to increase then the Levemir works less effective. Just make sure to test more frequently. I hope it will work out smoothly.
Hi Jean. I changed from Lantus to Levemir because the Lantus gave me a constant headache. Absolutely there will be residual Lantus for 24 hours, and as others have said, you should see smaller peaks with Levemir. I take my Levemir 3 times daily because I still make some insulin in the afternoon and I have to take my basal around it to avoid a serious afternoon low: 9:30PM, 9:30AM and 2:30AM. Two shots are no problem!
Thanks, everybody! Y'all are a great help and support. If nothing else, I always know that I'm not alone out here wrestling with the devil D. I think it will be fine...but I see a lot of extra testing in my immediate future.
Hope it goes smoothly for you, I was on Levemir BRIEFLY...and I was to the point I was going to pay out of pocket for Lantus, Lantus for me just worked much better. I guess Im the weird one LOL as I've seen a LOT of here say just the opposite. I did need higher doses with Levemir. Hope it goes smoothly for you.
