This is a great site. I'm not much for internet forums but it seems I can relate to many of the situations/problems that are being discussed. Just briefly, I am a 35 year old mother of one. I have had type 1 diabetes for 31 years. To date, I have no complications and I plan to keep that way. I have been using an insulin pump for 12 years and I just started using the CGM within the last month.
Lately, I've been asking and I can't seem to get a concrete answer from any of my present health care professionals but how much insulin does an average type 1 require on a daily basis? This wasn't something I ever questioned before knowing that everyone is very different but using the CGM has made me more aware of some rebounding that I'm experiencing leading me to think in general I'm taking too much. The odd thing is that presently I take anywhere between 12 to 16 units total a day. My basal constitutes for 8.4 units daily. I am 5'9", weigh 155lbs and work in an office (not very active). It is my doctor's reaction and hesitation to reduce my insulin that makes me question - How much insulin do type 1's require? I'm not only looking for units but also general demographics i.e. age, sex, activity level.
I know it's definitely different for everyone. I am a 21 year old female who is quite active, 5"6 and 125lbs. I work at a plant, so somedays I will be in my office, and other days I will be out in the unit. Most of my activity is in the evening, and as a result I almost never take the full amount of insulin for dinner. Usually 0-4 units of basal a day depending on the time of month, and around 8-10 units of bolus depending on whether I end up taking a bit for dinner or not. I was also only diagnosed just over a year ago, and I don't think I am out of my honeymoon phase yet.
Everyone's insulin dosage is different. On average i can take anywhere from 35-55 units a day. Depends what you eat, how many corrections stuff like that.
wow i can sometimes take from 70-80 units total, about 60 of that is basal and 20-30, (depending on the day) in bolus. its crazy how much i use, but its keeping me well contolled. my doctor says that i may use less later because there will be less hormones in my body making insulin harder to use. i say if you are beeing able to control with whatever amount of insulin you take, that is the correct dose for you. wether it be 100u or 8u. :)
Cesar thanks and yes I concur with your statement - i say if you are beeing able to control with whatever amount of insulin you take, that is the correct dose for you. wether it be 100u or 8u. :)
Gina thanks for responding and of course - I do know that it depends on what you eat, your activity level, etc... I'm just trying to get a range like the one you gave. I appreciate it.
No problem! If you are thinking about changing your doses to avoid these rebounds I was suggested the following by the nurses at the Diabetes Education Centre when I was first diagnosed about making changes. Only change one thing at a time (either bolus or basal) so that you know which one is making the difference. Especially with changes in basal it usually takes a few days to see the full effect of the changes. Despite your doctors reaction to changing your insulin, I don't think it's a big deal to experiment a little with small changes, especially increasing. If you run a little high one day, you know it's not going to work and can go back to what you are doing now. I have made tons of changes with my insulin. When I was first diagnosed I was taking 8 units of Lantus and was going low or eating ALL the time. I tried to adjust my basal first, but found I was high after meals. I switched back to my original carb to insulin ratio and slowly started decreasing my lantus by 1 unit every couple of days until I was running just a little high. I bumped it back up a unit, and it worked out! Best of luck with all your changes!