My Insulin No Longer Works

[robert72]

do they still use animal insulins?

You can still get both Pork and Beef insulins from Hypurin

 

[Daibell]

Metformin does help a bit with insulin so worth having. What is your BMI? I'm surprised you have gained weight if the insulin isn't working; I would have expected the reverse? Strange.

 

[obicat]

This happened to me about 18 months ago. Exactly the same story, insulin stopped working, BS 20/30/HI and no one gave a ****. I genuinely thought I was going to die I also put on 3 stone despite the sky high BS. Eventually I was put on metformin, a small dose didn't work, 2000mg did though.

I then fractured my spine and ended up stopping the metformin while I rehabbed. Stuipidly I thought I could stop the metformin once the weight was lost and the diabetes was under control. 8 months later and I'm 16 stone, BS 20/30/HI despite huge amounts of insulin Exercise just sends my BS higher, even if I start with a low for me BS.

I'm going to start with the metformin again ASAP and hopefully that will work again. I found last time once I started it, everything got better and snowballed quite quickly. Def, def, DEF work trying!

 

[smidge]

Hi Sarah,

I don't know if your issue is insulin resistance or something else, but if it is insulin resistance, then the four most effective things to try are exercise, cutting carbs to almost nothing (at least temporarily), losing weight and metformin. Sounds like you've developed double-diabetes - Type 2 on top of Type 1, but I'm no expert in that, so hopefully someone who is will come along soon.

Smidge

 

[onchy]

My carb intake is fairly low really anyway, for example today one slice of toast with butter and a cup of tea - blood 27.3, took 25 units of insulin two hours later blood 28.1 and at lunch 26.4 and so it goes on i just cant get my head around it any more. Is metformin for type two though not type 1?

Hi Generally metformin is for type 2. it does, however, work for type 1 (of which I am one) by increasing the bodies sensitivity to insulin so, in theory, you take less and it goes further (like putting red x in a car). It is of further benefit as one of its effects is to supress glucose production in the liver. So as well as helping your insulin go further, it slows down the rate that your liver produces sugar so it has 2 beneficial effects. I had similar issu es a couple of years ago and went to a biosynthetic insulin called humulin with 4 500 metformin tabs daily and my sugars within a week went from high teens to NEVER out of the 4-7 range with an HbA1c of 40 or 5.5% that has been my count for my last 4 tests.

 

[Sarah Ann Hodges]

Hi Generally metformin is for type 2. it does, however, work for type 1 (of which I am one) by increasing the bodies sensitivity to insulin so, in theory, you take less and it goes further (like putting red x in a car). It is of further benefit as one of its effects is to supress glucose production in the liver. So as well as helping your insulin go further, it slows down the rate that your liver produces sugar so it has 2 beneficial effects. I had similar issu es a couple of years ago and went to a biosynthetic insulin called humulin with 4 500 metformin tabs daily and my sugars within a week went from high teens to NEVER out of the 4-7 range with an HbA1c of 40 or 5.5% that has been my count for my last 4 tests.

Hi there thank you so much for your advice, i have had a long day at the hospital today and actually i went into my consult feeling as if i knew something and thats down to all the advice people gave me yesterday. I have in actual fact been put on Metformin 1000 x twice a day along side the Humalog he thought the resistance will be helped by the the Metformin as you have said, I cant wait for some different numbers to be coming my way. Also he thought some of the high results are due to the pain I am still in with my foot, i fell down the stairs 12 weeks ago and broke my foot, then i got cellulitis then i got CRPS and im waiting for MRI to discover why my foot is still not better the pain relief i am taking still doesnt mask all the pain and he says when the body feels pain it produces glucose in the cells like a flite or fight adreniline reaction and this could also be why my results are so high.

 

[Sarah Ann Hodges]

This happened to me about 18 months ago. Exactly the same story, insulin stopped working, BS 20/30/HI and no one gave a ****. I genuinely thought I was going to die I also put on 3 stone despite the sky high BS. Eventually I was put on metformin, a small dose didn't work, 2000mg did though.

I then fractured my spine and ended up stopping the metformin while I rehabbed. Stuipidly I thought I could stop the metformin once the weight was lost and the diabetes was under control. 8 months later and I'm 16 stone, BS 20/30/HI despite huge amounts of insulin Exercise just sends my BS higher, even if I start with a low for me BS.

I'm going to start with the metformin again ASAP and hopefully that will work again. I found last time once I started it, everything got better and snowballed quite quickly. Def, def, DEF work trying!

As i have just replied to someone else today ive been put on Metformin 1000 x 2 I am more than excited for some new lower results today ive spent alot of the day at hospital trying to sort this all out so i have everything crossed, but to see that it has worked for you in the past is encouraging, did it help with weight loss or not or was that something you worked on seperatly, the two stone that i put on in a matter of months has unfortunately had a detrimental effect on my outlook on life i would like to stop taking happy pills to be honest and reclaim some control on my life instead of feeling a slave to the diabetes all the time.

 

[Sarah Ann Hodges]

Hi Sarah,

I don't know if your issue is insulin resistance or something else, but if it is insulin resistance, then the four most effective things to try are exercise, cutting carbs to almost nothing (at least temporarily), losing weight and metformin. Sounds like you've developed double-diabetes - Type 2 on top of Type 1, but I'm no expert in that, so hopefully someone who is will come along soon.

Smidge

thanks Smidge, metformin started today as far as the carb counting im still being helped with that because my blood has been so bad carb counting is out of window until i have some kind of control. i cant wait to get active again but my broken foot has temporarily stoped that, fingers crossed for improvement all round. Sarah

 

[Sarah Ann Hodges]

Metformin does help a bit with insulin so worth having. What is your BMI? I'm surprised you have gained weight if the insulin isn't working; I would have expected the reverse? Strange.

I have to say this is something i have talked about today at hospital, in my younger years i decided on several occasions that i did not have diabetes so stopped taking insulin and basically got very ill and yes lost a lot of weight but as my consultant explained today insulin resistance will pile on the pounds as the more you weigh the more insulin you need the more insulin you take the more weight you put on, he explained it as the insulin being laid down but not working, I was taking between 20/30 units per meal and when insulin did work it would be 8/10 units before it all went wrong i was a steady 12 stone never fluctuated at all and then suddenly im 14 stone, i dont know what my BMI is to be honest but i can assure you this is overweight now..... He has started me on Metformin today so i have my fingers crossed.

 

[mrman]

Good luck , hope you see better numbers. and if due to resistance should help with weight loss too

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[noblehead]

Hi there thank you so much for your advice, i have had a long day at the hospital today and actually i went into my consult feeling as if i knew something and thats down to all the advice people gave me yesterday. I have in actual fact been put on Metformin 1000 x twice a day along side the Humalog he thought the resistance will be helped by the the Metformin as you have said, I cant wait for some different numbers to be coming my way. Also he thought some of the high results are due to the pain I am still in with my foot, i fell down the stairs 12 weeks ago and broke my foot, then i got cellulitis then i got CRPS and im waiting for MRI to discover why my foot is still not better the pain relief i am taking still doesnt mask all the pain and he says when the body feels pain it produces glucose in the cells like a flite or fight adreniline reaction and this could also be why my results are so high.

Yes stress in the body will elevate bg numbers, had you said that in your opening post I'm sure we would have all said as such. Hope the Metformin does the job and your foot begins to feel better Sarah.

 

[lgrenter]

Hi, I have just joined these forums and am having much the same problem that you are. I have been a diabetic for 33 years with not much problem and only 1 or 2 almost hypos. Suddenly in December I had a string of very bad hypos and even had to have the paramedics out. I am on novo rapid and insulutard. Since then I have had a difficult time first getting my blood sugars up above 4, and now it is hard to get them down below 10! Have had numerous gp visits and my weight has slowly crept upwards. I am quite active and eat sensibly, and have not really changed my eating habits in years. My gp and diabetic team think that I picked up some kind of infection In work (I'm a primary school teacher), chicken pox was going around and I think I had a dose of it that upset my diabetes. Now have diabetic appointment next week to change to lantus from insulutard as they think this will work better for me than the insulutard. Am also discussing pump options and dafne training so I hope that can get it sorted. Since this has happened I have felt some days tired and lethargic, irritable. But other days fine. It's such a pain never had trouble before. Grrrrr x


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[Sarah Ann Hodges]

Hi, I have just joined these forums and am having much the same problem that you are. I have been a diabetic for 33 years with not much problem and only 1 or 2 almost hypos. Suddenly in December I had a string of very bad hypos and even had to have the paramedics out. I am on novo rapid and insulutard. Since then I have had a difficult time first getting my blood sugars up above 4, and now it is hard to get them down below 10! Have had numerous gp visits and my weight has slowly crept upwards. I am quite active and eat sensibly, and have not really changed my eating habits in years. My gp and diabetic team think that I picked up some kind of infection In work (I'm a primary school teacher), chicken pox was going around and I think I had a dose of it that upset my diabetes. Now have diabetic appointment next week to change to lantus from insulutard as they think this will work better for me than the insulutard. Am also discussing pump options and dafne training so I hope that can get it sorted. Since this has happened I have felt some days tired and lethargic, irritable. But other days fine. It's such a pain never had trouble before. Grrrrr x


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hi there i did find that changing from insulatard to lantus was a good thing as it stopped me from going hypo in my sleep. In the past week i have started taking metformin 1000mg twice a day and it has started to make a difference i am getting better results now but it is going to take a lot of concentration i think and adjusting insulin acordingly. the consultant that i saw the other day sugested the pump as an option but said to try and get on top of my bloods a bit first. As far as people not listening just pester the hell out of them until they do listen as at the end of the day you know your body better than anyone else does. hope all goes ok for you. x