So, I am in the process of getting a pump (Animas Ping) because I am so sick of the ups and downs and the 5-10 shots a day.. but first I need to get my insulin dosing figured out. I have a primary care dr, but I recently started seeing an endo- and they were not happy with my Lantus dose.. and neither was I.
I was at the point of having lows every single morning (usually in the 30's and 40's).. I was taking 44 units at night, and not covering night time snacks with my novolog- meaning I would go to bed at 250 and wake up at 40... Soo, my endo has been gradually decreasing my Lantus dose from 44 to 38 now to 34, and I have to start taking it twice a day? Has anyone else had a problem like this with Lantus? I LOVE it compared to NPH, but I thought it was supposed to be 24 hrs with no peak?
Im a little bummed that they want to figure out this problem before switching me to the pump, but I completely understand why.. I just hope it doesnt take too long :)
I like to take pump breaks and go on levemir (somewhat similar to lantus). My CDE at the time told me she didn't want me on lantus because they discovered it had multple small peaks that can be unpredictable and that it only lasted in me about 20 hours.
If you're having lows like that, have you considered going on a pump that has a CGM?
I have read of many who have to take both levemir and lantus twice a day. Once I get my daughter into a Endo I am sure this is something we will have to do.
Wow, it sounds like your GP had you taking a dose that was much too high for you! Yikes.
Just last night, I switched from taking Lantus twice a day instead of once. It's because I was having lows, so now I'm taking 6 units before bedtime and 5 in the morning. (I know that sounds like nothing compared to the 40s and 50s some people take! I'm a very new diabetic, and I'm pretty sure I'm "honeymooning.") It's slightly baffling to me, too. Lantus must not stay perfectly level for a full 24 hours for everyone, or the two-shot method would effectively be exactly the same as the one-shot method.
I'm taking Lantus on a split dose. It is able to last 24hours, but for most people..it doesn't work out that way. my endo said only 2% of his patients could actually do the single dosing.
i'm on 18u in the AM and 15u in the PM. it's a fickle thing to figure out, but 44 sounds like a LOT. i started on a single dose of 30u and have been experimenting for years on split doses..though my levels are much better now..my lantus insulin needs seem to change consistently! (one reason I think why the pump didn't work for me) but it started helping my levels within a week of starting it, when I was switched from N!