Need some help. My pump just died…ugh. Because of where I live, I cannot get a new one for about 10-days. I live overseas, where the ER isn’t really the best option and I do not have a doctor to call on the weekend. Pharmacy was of no help, and there are no minute clinics or other medical help here. I will find a doctor on Monday.
Until then, what to do? I use Novolog in my pump. Right now, I only have access to Lantus pens and Apidra pens (the only time I will be glad for diabetes in families). I’ve used Lantus many years ago, but never Apidra. Can I just make to switch to MDI? Is Apidra roughly the same for a rapid insulin–Novolog to Apidra?
For me, Apidra and Novolog are about equally effective in terms of neutralizing carbs, but Apidra acts about twice as fast and is finished about an hour sooner.
my endo says Apidra = Novolog = Humalog so I’d figure on that. but I don’t know how to switch from pumping to MDI. (pumping continuously for > 25 years). but I know someone else will here
As far as basal goes, I have only ever used Levemir so have no direct experience with Lantus. With Levemir I get the flattest results using a split dose, morning and evening. Some Lantus users report that that gives them the best results, while others say that they can manage well on one dose a day. You’ll have to see what works best for you.
If I were you, I’d calculate the total amount of basal insulin you use daily, subtract about 15-20%, divide it unevenly into two separate Lantus doses: 55-60% to cover daytime and 40-45% to cover night. It might not be enough, but you can gradually increase those doses. If you’re used to using Novolog, I’d continue using the same bolus and correction doses of Apidra, but I’d err on pre-bolusing before meals a little closer to when you begin eating.
Then again, I could be completely full of it and none of the above may work very well for you. But it might be a good place to start…
Let us know what you end up doing and how it goes. And good luck!
New pump arrived and is working well. I switched to Apidra and Lantus while waiting for the new pump with no issues and good control. Once the new pump arrived, I reprogrammed my settings and suspended basal until the Lantus was out of my system. Thanks again for the support!
