Hi,
So my doctor wants me to try Apidra but i was wondering if it would be safe to just bolus with it at first via injection to see how i react, while running my usual basal from my pump with novolog. Is that considered mixing?/ or should i just put the apidra in my pump and let er rip?
Hi Tom, put the Apidra in your pump and let er rip! For me Novolog is a bit slower acting than Apidra, so you might want to change the action time in your pump a bit lower, say from 4 hours to 3 1/2. Or just watch it at first. I prefer Apidra because of it's faster action, and it is quicker to leave your system (at least on MDI).
yeah i'm hoping thats the case! Novolog seems to take 1.5-2 hours to kick in for me. Ive been spiking to 300 almost after every meal.
If that's the case, I'd also be sure to bolus before the meal. This is esp. important for me in the morning when I'm most insulin resistant. Good luck!
Definitely, it's just sometimes hard being an on the go college student. Do you ever split your boluses?
Oh and i've heard negative things about temperature and Apidra... any truth to those rumors?
Apidra is temp sensitive! Sometimes the insulin totally loses effectiveness after 2 days in the pump. I have started clearing out the tubing on the 2nd or 3rd day. I unhook the pump and make it do a "fill cannula" of 8 units. The insulin in the tubing sometimes gets too hot - this allows me to use the setup for 3 days.
I have an omnipod so i'm forced to use it for 3 days unless i want to throw away insulin (Omnipod makes you fill at least 90 units which is 3 days worth for me).
Am I going to have to worry about my showers or summer?
I'm not sure how it would work with an omnipod. My paradigm 523 has tubing. If the insulin is protected, it may be fine. You will just have to remember that if you are on the 2nd or 3rd day,(and your BG is just not going down)it probably is the insulin - not you.
Apidra is really good insulin. I really like how it goes away so much faster than my old Novolog. It is worth the occasional hassle to use it.
Be careful with bolusing before the meal too far with Apidra. It is very fast - faster than Humalog or Novalog for most. Your insulin may work before the food even gets there.
Do you think i need to wait for the novolog to leave my body before starting to pump apidra? / Turn my basals off for a couple hours? Or should it not matter?
It should not matter! There is not that much difference in action time. As usual, just test -- you're not going to notice enormous differences, such as you would get when changing from Regular to Apidra.
I would start fresh with the Apidra in the morning with just basal insulin on board. You would then need to be careful for the next couple of hours..
I've wanted to try Apidra because esp in the evening Humalog tends to hang around to long, pushing me low...but if I decrease my carb ratio or my basal then I go to high, so I really have to keep an eye on it around dinner time. But my endo is not big on Apidra and says there's no difference. I'd STILL like to give it a try, maybe I'll talk with the CDE, heehehhe see if she will make the change.
Yeah i always hear mixed things as to it's similarities and differences to other insulins. I'll be changing my pump in a couple days- i'll keep you posted ;)
I use Apidra and like it. i haven't had a problem with it being temperature sensitive, although I haven't had my pump a full year and it never really has been hot. I know the pump never froze last winter. One of the things with Apidra that I have learned to watch is not to over-bolus. Because it is fast, it can drop levels to lower than desired. Apidra is a small molecule, so, according to my endo, it works well with bigger massed people. My opinion is to load up your pump and go. Have some glucose tabs with you and see what happens. I doubt that you will be disappointed.
Please let us know ho it goes.
Brian Wittman
I use Novolog in the summers and Aprida in the winters. It actually can clog the tubing if it gets warm. I live in southern Cali and It just makes no sense when it is hot out.
There is very little difference for me with peak time. I bolus 20 min before meals with Novolog and 15 with Aprida.
I'm sure you can get a free bottle to try Christy.