Levemir or Lantus?

[PaulinaB]

Hey all!

What's the difference between Levemir and Lantus - I mean in the way you feel, etc? Which one do you prefer and why? Are there any other basal insulins T1's usually get?

I'm on Levemir since yesterday and my morning BG was better than ever! But I'm curious what are your experiences. My nurse suggested that Levemir is a bit better that Lantus if you're exercising, etc, as it's more flexible in the way it works.

 

[borderter]

I think its an individual thing for instance levemir was like injecting water for me as it did nothing and now on lantus which seems longer and stronger but as i say its different for everyone

 

[noblehead]

Much like borderter, I found injecting levemir was like injecting water, despite increasing the dose substantially and split dosing I just couldn't get my bg down when i briefly changed over to it.

Lantus on the other-hand is a good background insulin and gives me a good 24 hour coverage, I inject it once a day (early evening) and hardly ever have any night-time hypo's.

There's two other insulins available, one is Insulatard and the the other is Trisiba.

 

[novorapidboi26]

Everyone reacts differently to each type of insulin, but if we all experienced the same thing then all we could go by was the manufacturers description of it.....

For me both Lantus and Levemir felt the same going in, and were just as effective at holding me steady, however Lantus didn't last 24 hours.....

So I moved to Levemir which lasts 12-18 allegedly........splitting it in to 2 injections, breakfast and bed, allowed me to get a full 24 hour coverage and made dose adjustment easier, especially when I was drinking or exercising......

I also believe Levemir can sometimes be nippy for some as the insulin is mixed with something to slow it down and its of a lower/higher pH than the body......

Humulin I can be used also as background insulin, I think there may be a more prominent peak with Humulin I

 

[ElyDave]

The thing i like with levemir is the versatility. I can cut my morning dose if I want to take a long run or ride and the change is immediate, helping avoid or reduce any post exercise hypo. I can also vary my dose pretty easily for sickness or, next week when I'm going somewhere hot.
I'm told that Lantus is not as versatile in that way

 

[cosmicpoppy]

Hello.
I have only ever used Lantus so cannot make a comparison however I've not experienced any problems and I'm able to adjust the dose if needed.

 

[clifft]

I have only ever been on Lantus also, however because of my lifestyle I took my Lantus in the morning. I used to go to the Gym 5 days of the week before work and ran many charity runs on weekends. Lantus has worked well for me until I retired. I have just been on the DAFNE course, which has opened my eyes to many other possibilities. My circumstances were discussed as a group to come up with a possible solution; it seems so obvious now, but when you are in a routine you tend to stick to it. I have moved my BI from the morning to night time and the change over night was dramatic and I feel a hundred times better. As we all know we are all different, but I thought I would share my experience of Lantus with you.

 

[type1harley]

Hello All,
I have been type 1 diabetic for 3 months, and I have never heard of Levemir. However, I take Lantus once a day in the morning and it lasts me 24 hours.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[phil55494]

I use Levemir 2x a day. It seems to work most of the time how I want it to.
I did try Lantus but I couldn't get a handle on the action - once a day, twice a day. It would work OK for about a week then my numbers would be all over the place again.
Prior to that I was on Insulatard - the Novo equivalent of Humulin I - I think that Lantus/Levemir are much better.

 

[Akram.Elsaadany]

i used Lantus and it was so comfort for me , after i read Articles About Lantus how it lead to Cancer i Changed to Levemir , i Duplicate the Dose
and Also Bad Result as i inject water not insulin

i dun knw what i have to do
Lantus is amazing Flat Insulin

 

[-Artemis-]

I also believe Levemir can sometimes be nippy for some as the insulin is mixed with something to slow it down and its of a lower/higher pH than the body......

Hi @novorapidboi26 - I'm curious - what do you mean by "can sometimes be a bit nippy...?" I'm brand new to insulin (2.5 weeks) and did about ten days on Lantus, then saw my consultant last week and he changed me to Levemir - since the switch my numbers have been terrible - but I'm trying to figure out whether that's my "ladies holiday" which has co-incided with the switch, or the Levemir.... so interested in finding out what I can about the difference between the two

 

[noblehead]

I think Novorapidboi means it can sting on injecting, some people on lantus also say it can sting.

 

[TooSweetForMe]

I have not used either one. I am NovoLog 70/30 mix 60 units 2x daily and I can't stand it. I'm in the middle of researching various isulins so I can have a discussion with my PCP in October when I go for my next 3-month checkup.

 

[Keturah]

I changed from lantus to levemir just over a week ago and now am struggling to get sugars down. Hoping I just need to alter the dose and not that levemir doesn't work for me as I'm not a big fan of lantus. It aches for me for ages after I inject, I think like the nippy thing, but currently sugars are climbing higher after short-term insulin has worn off so I'm in a trial and error phase "/ ugh

 

[robert72]

I changed from lantus to levemir just over a week ago and now am struggling to get sugars down. Hoping I just need to alter the dose and not that levemir doesn't work for me as I'm not a big fan of lantus. It aches for me for ages after I inject, I think like the nippy thing, but currently sugars are climbing higher after short-term insulin has worn off so I'm in a trial and error phase "/ ugh

When I changed from Lantus to Levemir, I found I needed more. It would be worth dong some basal testing to find out how much you need. http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007

 

[Kristin251]

I've only taken lantus. Asked my doc about levimere and he said he hates it. I would need 3x more and it's unpredictable. That was the end of story. Lantus has been very predictable as much as insulin can be and keeps me steady. I'm sticking with it. No insulin is fun or feels good right.

 

[clifft]

I changed from lantus to levemir just over a week ago and now am struggling to get sugars down. Hoping I just need to alter the dose and not that levemir doesn't work for me as I'm not a big fan of lantus. It aches for me for ages after I inject, I think like the nippy thing, but currently sugars are climbing higher after short-term insulin has worn off so I'm in a trial and error phase "/ ugh

I use novorapid, and it works well for me. As for the stinging, I find it does sting occasionally but have found that it depends where you inject. I use different sites, in my thigh, arm,etc,but it usually stings if I inject in my side and if I don't get the angle of the needle right ie so it enters the skin at right angle.