Hi, I was diagnosed in 2014 and have only been on Metformin. I started Lantus 2 days ago and feel very “off”, like a constant flight or fight feeling. I am not sure if this is anxiety, or a strange side effect. I am on a very low dose. I have an almost unhealthy fear of hypoglycemia. I was misdiagnosed as GDM when I was pregnant, later finding out it’s LADA. I was doing Lispro for carb-heavy meals, but stopped after I had a very scary low. I even have lows without insulin, so I am just really scared.
I requested getting a CGM, not sure if this will help me feel better or worse about things. Any ideas?
Given what you’ve said about your fear of hypoglycemia, my first guess would be that this constant flight or fight feeling is anxiety. A CGM may help with that as you could be warned of impending lows and head them off before they happen.
More importantly, though, overcoming your “almost unhealthy fear” of hypoglycemia would be a better and/or option to take along with a CGM. Is there someone you can talk to on a professional level about dealing with your anxiety about this issue?
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How often are you testing? When just starting insulin, it seems you should test quite a bit. Ask your doctor.
When you feel funny, and think you may be hypo, testing gives you information to proceed. Should you eat something? If you are not high, it should ease your anxiety.
Lots of people have reported feeling low when their BG is actually normal, when their body is used to being high. A quick test should let you know if this is the case.
Good luck. I hate being hypo, too.
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I am testing quite a bit, often 8-10x a day so far. Numbers have always been normal. Still just feel really anxious and nervous! When I’ve gone low, it hits me out of nowhere.
Just a couple of random thoughts…
I agree with the previous post - if the anxiety is a significant issue some counseling may be a good idea. The reality is that insulin, and (hopefully very infrequent) hypo’s are a part of your life so anything you can do now to help calm yourself is a really good idea.
I understand your fear - the first couple of nights I took Lantus I set an alarm for every two hours - all night long. I was terrified. Eventually I got more comfortable with it but hypo’s are a real concern so your fear is not unwarranted - it’s just something you need to balance.
I’m LADA as well, and went initially from Metformin-only to Lantus. I found that sent me low every morning post-breakfast so we eventually decided to stop Lantus and start meal-time insulin, initially at dinner only. I don’t think that’s typical, but my endo felt I was providing my basal needs on my own at the time, and needed help in the latter part of the day at meal time. Eventually that crept to lunch, then breakfast, and I now take both long-term and rapid-acting insulin. I was really fortunate that I was able to ease my way into insulin. It took a ton of testing all throughout the day and night to find those patterns - perhaps something like that would be helpful for you at this stage?
I didn’t have a CGM at that time and looking back I sure wish I did - it would have saved my fingertips. I have one now and find a lot of value in it, but it is not the answer to everything. Mine tends to peg me as lower than I actually am overnight - which leads to false alarms and lots of frustration. For me there are more pro’s than con’s, and it has definitely prevented some lows, but it’s just a tool in the end.
If you can develop some confidence in your ability to handle lows it should help with your anxiety. For me I have testing supplies and portable carbs stashed everywhere, and am tethered to my cell phone at all times. If you do get a CGM there are features where someone else can view your readings as well if that’s something that would work for you.
I hope this helps - best of luck to you.
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I have found the flight feeling when my blood sugars are normal too. I think it’s my body adjusting o “normal” blood sugar after being so high. My previous normal was high blood sugar. This has gotten better. Insulin made me feel horrible when I first started it. Now my body is adjusting and it is slowly better! I was diagnosed with type one in April and it took about a month for insulin to not feel weird. I still get the feeling of a rush in my body with insulin on occasion when my blood sugars are normal but slowly my body is adjusting. Keep at it and keep testing!
I am so sorry you are having this issue. Many of us who use insulin regularly have just learned to live with lows, so it is difficult sometimes to remember that when we first started, we or our parents or spouses had these same feelings. My wife has lived with my lows for 39 years, she is still concerned and is troubled. I, on the other hand, tend to accept it and regard it as a price of doing business. So we might seem dismissive, and if my comments are, I apologize in advance.
. It is a something we over You should remember your body is adjusted to whatever you have been at, blood sugar wise. If you have been at a pretty constant 200 and you drop it to 150, it feels like you are low, Its a trick your body and brain are playing to suggest you need to get back to the old normal. I know for me I can be in the 300’s drop to 200 and feel like the bottom has dropped out. But if I test and know I am in the 200’s I can say oh ok that was what it was, no problem and go on.
Soon with adjustments your body will feel more normal in the low 100’s and a rise back to 150 or 200 might feel like yuck what is this. As far as hypoglycemia, yes you can have that reaction with Lantus but it is very rare. As an occasional Lantus user I love that insulin. It is so smooth and rarely produces a significant if any low.
My best advice is to be sure you carry tabs test often and know that your metformin can produce about the same low feeling (or worse) than Lantus. If you can replace your worry with something, place it with the long term effects of being high for a long term. Now that is something to be concerned about.
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Lots of good advice here. I’ll just chip in two cents here and there from another viewpoint.
You say you are testing frequently but are seldom actually low. That argues strongly that your “funny” feelings may be mostly just anxiety (the body’s builtin fight-or-flight response). Then too, learning to use insulin really well does involve a learning curve, and it’s natural to feel concern as you move into the unknown. We’ve all been there. You may be surprised at how little time it takes to move from “unknown” to “familiar”. 
It’s also true, as several have pointed out, that what is actually normal, or nearly, can feel low when the body has become accustomed to being high. That does indeed pass as one’s physiology reorients to its new, healthier level.
Someone also mentioned “easing into” insulin. What that means to me—and what I did when starting—was to begin by deliberately underdosing, i.e., beginning with doses that I was pretty sure were too small to do the job, testing frequently, and slowly ramping up the dose until reaching the proper point of equilibrium. That reduces the risk factors greatly, and the attendant cause for worry.
If the fear and worry do indeed prove intractable, counseling is a good option. A counselor is simply a mechanic who deals with feelings and knows the methods and techniques for managing them so they don’t manage you. I speak from experience.
Finally, and this is just a personal view, insulin is a two-edged sword. Certainly it needs to be understood and used properly to avoid the potential risks, but it is also far and away the most powerful weapon we possess for keeping diabetes in its place so we can live essentially normal lives. I think of it as a friend.
How did it make you feel horrible? Do you mean by that “rush” feeling, kinda like flight or fight? I also have zero appetite.
I felt horrible like I could seriously feel the insulin in my body (in my arms…I know weird) and felt “off” light headed and like I feel now when I have a low. It’s a hard description because there is nothing like it. I felt like I could feel it circulating in my blood. And I posted previously that I felt low when my blood sugar was normal. It has normalized where I still feel weird with normal blood sugar but not as bad. I actually feel good now. And I know when I’m getting high now which is good. Sorry I couldn’t offer a better description but you are not alone. It does take getting used to and your body is trying to get to baseline so it does take a good three to four weeks (at least it did with me) to not feel weird when I injected short acting (long acting never has bothered me).
And yes kind of fight or flight could describe it. I would feel a rush (like to my head) and.still sometimes do when I inject short acting. It is a weird.feeling but it has gotten a lot better. I didn’t have much of an appetite either. You went thru so much so it is your body’s way of adjusting. I felt the same way…it wasn’t anxiety for me but more of a change I noticed in my body. Once I got used to it I get better everyday about trying new foods and what it does to my body. And you will get hungry once your body heals a bit. For the first two weeks I didn’t eat much at all. Good luck!