Hi all, I just thought I would see if I could bounce some ideas off of you. For a year I took Lantus with nothing but just a little help and a bit of weight gain too. I just recently switched from the Lantus to Levemir. I am already taking 100 units a day and my sugars are in the 300’s. I was taking 180 of Lantus. I also take Novolog R as needed per sliding scale and I take Byetta, and glyburide. When I take byetta everything is fine for a little while but then it goes really high. I have tried Metformin, Novolin,70/30 mix I have about tried it all. I don’t eat much, because I am afraid it will really shot high, right along with my weight if I am not careful. Any suggestions about the meds?
Dear Cathy.
Sounds like you developped an extreme case of insulin resistance based on the prodigious amounts of insulin you need. Weird combo of meds also.
Do you have a fast acting insulin? The ones you list dont seem fast.
The glyburide is probably useless or harmful. The metformin is great for some people not for me.
Byetta not available in Canada.
The only thing I can think of is to go on a starvation diet for something like 2 weeks. Get a balance and weight and write down everything you put in your mouth, eat less than 1000 calories per day. And a very low amount of carbs not more than 50 grams per day. Be careful to cut down on the amount of insulin as this may work and you insulin requirements will fall probably by a lot.
Is there any chance of being hospitalized to cary this out. BG in the 300’s really not good.
Hi Cathy,
Please check with your doctor right away. My doctor had tried me on Byetta in the beginning after we had tried some pills. It didn’t work for me but he gave some very strict instructions about the use of the Byetta. He told me that Byetta absolutely must not be used with insulin. From what i understood it is a very dangerous mix. It seems to me that all the things you have mixed together is a very dangerous cocktail. I would be happiest to see you get some things singled out and work from that way. And i would very much like to be wrong about this But please check and be safe. my best to you.
Thanks for the replies. Yes I take Novolog R as a fast acting insulin. I do feel like I am getting insulin resistant. I don’t know what they do in this case. I don’t know if I could be hospitalized for it. I wouldn’t even know what I would say to my Dr. about this. I do however have a great Dr. he is really working close with me on this matter. Byetta is the only thing so far that seems to be working for me. Not even the fast acting kind brings it down much. I am so frustrated over this.
Dear Cathy.
Eliminate carbs for 2 weeks as much as possible and keep the calories as low as possible. Insulin that have the R usually stands for regular not fast. Well it is faster than Lantus or Levemir. Let us know what overcomes insulin resistance. See all the other blogs about byetta and also the net.
You can try Symlin instead of Byetta as well. Symlin does the same thing as Byetta and it can be combined with insulin. You have to start out at a low dose of Byetta and work up to a higher dosage if necessary.
Dear Amarillis.
Thats a great idea the much more concentrated insulin should have much more oumf than the watered down one.
Cathy-
Hello! I am sorry to hear what’s going on with you. The first thing you should do is call your physician. I would bug him and his office every week until there is a solution. There are many people who have certain reactions to insulin. Even though we have diabetes…our treatments, habits and diets are very different. We can only share our stories with you. Do not try anything recommended by anyone without consulting your healthcare team. We don’t know your history and we aren’t certified to diagnose you. Keep bugging your physician. If he doesn’t help keep knocking and you’ll find someone who’ll be able to help get you regulated. You have to eat! Your body needs fuel. You don’t want to starve yourself. Keep knocking, fighting and stay hopeful! Help is on the way!
Cherise
Thank you for your advise. I think I will bug him tomorrow. He is a great Dr. so he won’t mind. I do feel awkward though since I have only been on the Levemir for about a week now. I have rapidly had to go up on the dose. I am starting to feel like just stopping my insulin all together. I am getting so tired of it. I know I should keep trying. Still doen’t make me feel better though.
Cathy,
Do bug him! Is he an endo?
You’re taking Novolog before each meal, right?
A couple of other thoughts:
Have your doctor teach you how to take Novolog according to carb counting, not a sliding scale. This tends to give better control. If you’re carb counting, you’ll know how much you’re actually eating & if cutting carbs will help. Also, please go over the timing of your insulin to meals. Sadly, many doctors don’t tell people how to do this correctly.
Ask your doctor about thyroid testing. If you’re hypothyroid, many diabetics have thyroid problems, it makes BG control hard.
If you haven’t been to a dentist recently, dental problems can cause soaring BG.
Keep us posted!
I second the Symlin recommendation. It can reduce your mealtime insulin needs by 70% or more, among other nice benefits like appetite suppression.