I decided to go back to taking shots and I’m back on lantus. When I have lows with lantus they are very severe to the point that I get extra confused to the point of hallucinations and lose my vision. I don’t have that reaction when I’m just on novolog but I noticed it when I was on lantus before I went on the pump and now that I’m back on it. Does anyone have this problem and does anyone know any solutions?
I had staggering lows on Lantus, even on lower doses & on split doses, because it has peaks. Lantus isn't a level basal insulin & it also doesn't last 24 hours. I find Levemir to be much better. Levemir is best taken in two doses.
Gerri,- can I ask you if you see any weight gain differences with Levemir ve Lantus? And is a 1:1 change according to doses?
Lantus absolutely must be injected subcutaneously. If you inject into muscle instead, Lantus may not act like a long acting insulin, it may act like a rapid. This can cause as you note "staggering" lows, usually with an onset of within an hour of your injection. Do you think this might be happening?
ps. The formulation of Levemir is not affected by this issue nearly as much as with Lantus.
Siri,
I didn't have weight gain on Lantus, though other people have & call it "fat Lantus." Lantus & Levemir doses weren't exactly 1:1 for me, but close.
Brian,
Not sure if you're replying to me or Renka, since I mentioned "staggering" lows. I didn't inject Lantus into muscle, but interesting that Lantus has this effect.
The way you describe it the side effects from Lantus seem very strong and different from typical low symptoms. I would not search for reasons or split the dosage. Instead I would just switch to another basal insulin like Levemir. For this transition I would take the daily Lantus dosage and divide it equally in two Levemir shots every 12 hours. Your endo has samples of all the available insulins.
I’m sorry I made a mistake I’m using levimir… But it happens when I’m on lantus also. Ys Bolger my concern is more the strong reaction that I’m having when I’m having lows. I was wondering if this happens to others who are. On lantus or Levimir. I take levimir 2 x a day and when I’m on lantus I’m on that 2 x a day. But I can’t live with the low symptoms that I get. I will of course talk to my docs but you guys are the real pros!
renka,
What happens when you lower doses a bit? When I adjust doses, I only increase by 1 unit & keep it at the new dose for three days. How many hours apart are the two doses? Perhaps there’s some stacking of doses that’s having an effect.
Having lows as a diabetes is unavoidable. My question is not about how to avoid lows. I’m wondering if people have different symptoms with different lows as I’m experiences with these long term insulins. I don’t experience them when I’m only on novo log.
Yes, lows happen. The only way I know to prevent lows & their effects is to fine tune doses & timing. You seem particularly sensitive, so that's the route to take.
I'm on lantus and I don't have those severe symptoms with lows. I have had blurry vision since my treatment with insulin though, and it gets worse when I go up or down. Maybe you can try another basal or go back to the pump?
no pump!,!,!,! Not working with me and my gastroparesis!
Hi Renka. I'm on Levemir and have slow digestion, not full-blown Gastroparesis. Since I make a little insulin during the day from about noon until four, I take three shots of Levemir -- one at bedtime (which works perfectly for the 2:30-3:00 AM problem); a small one when I get up and another small one at 2:30 PM. I do not have devastating lows, just a minor one at 1:30 PM. Perhaps three shots would work for you as well; an awful nuisance I know.
The pump worked very well for me, I just ran out of real estate and had to return to MDI. Have you experimented with all the options on the pump, square wave and all that? I miss my pump, which in fact worked very well for me, but three shots of Levemir are working well enough. Best luck in finding an answer; you should not have to deal with the awful lows you describe.
Hi Renka. When I had severe low, I experienced extreme confusion, hallucinations, and convulsions. I was taking NPH and Regular. I never had vision loss, but I do remember my eyes involuntarily rolling back in my head. Not good, nonetheless. Maybe it comes down more to the amount of insulin you're taking, and the condition of your nervous system. I would certainly talk to my MD about it, and consider making some changes.
I don’t like the pump at all and don’t want to go back on it for multiple reasons so that’s not an option but I will ask about the 3x a day. I don’t mind the shots at all. Overall since I’ve been back on MDI my blood sugars have improved greatly. I just had my first low yesterday and it reminded me of the problems that I have when I do have the lows when I’m on lantus. So, thanks for everyones advice I will check about 3x a day, hopefully I don’t need that. Obviously avoiding lows all together would be great in a perfect world and that is my goal. I just don’t know why levimir or lantus would make the symptoms of lows so much worse. My appt is the 18th. If my doc has an answer I’ll let you all know! THANKS!
I´m not sure if it´s the Lantus or not, but going from 20 years with a pump to MDI six months ago (with a year inbetween trying to get by on insulin from my transplanted islet cells) my lows are different. I was not sure if it was only me beeing weired from having had islet transplants (the cells are gone now), but the insulin I´m using now makes me feel different. The lows are more staggering, they don´t come quick and they are not quick to fix. So, yes, it could be the Lantus.
So you see the more severe lows on both basal insulins? Are you sure your basal dosage is not too high for your sensitivity? Can you fast all day without going low from the basal?
@Holger Schmeken: Can you fast all day without going low from the basal insulin you take? I have so far found it impossible with Lantus. I will get low in the morning two hours after an injection with Lantus.
@Siri: the basal should do exactly that. It has to because you need to seperate the influence of bolus and basal insulin. If your target is 110 and while fasting you go as low as 70 this would still be ok. But with more influence you would allow your basal to take great influence on your I:C relation. One hour more or less in your basal pattern would have then great influence.
You have options to better cope with your basal. First you can try to split the dosage of the Lantus evenly in two shots every 12 hours. This is what I do. Perhaps you have to reduce the dosage for the night to prevent lows at night. But in summary I suppose you would end up with less Lantus. Because some of the carbs have been covered by the basal you would need to tweak your I:C a little. Second you could switch to Levemir in a two shot pattern. This is just to find an insulin that fits better to your individual profile. It has the potential to work better but you might also find out that Lantus is superior for you. Ask your endo about that. Usually they have samples of all the available insulins.