novorapid query

[the_anticarb]

Actually this is two queries:

1. Does novorapid get into your system as quickly as simple carbohydrates and white carbohydrates so it could be argued that so long as the dose of novorapid matches the total amount of carbs there is no difference between eating say white bread vs wholemeal bread in terms of effect on blood sugars?

2. Is there a limit to how often you can take novorapid in a short period of time, eg yesterday I ate something took my bolus dose, then an hour later ate something else and took a bolus dose and then a little while later was still hungry (ok maybe just picking!) so did same thing. I figured that a non diabetic person will just naturally produce the right amount of insulin whenever they eat so why can't I do the same with the novorapid. But then a couple of hours later I went hypo. Not sure if that's because I had too much novo, or if it was due to taking it in separate doses rather than eating all the food at once and injecting the same amount of novo all at once.

I guess I am presuming that novorapid acts like the insulin a non diabetic would produce, but how true is this?

Thanks
AC

 

[Dollyrocker]

As I understand it, Novorapid starts working pretty quick, however, it remains active for up to 5 hours which is where it becomes advantagous to eat lower GI foods as they release slowly matching the insulin whereas fast carbs (high GI) like white bread will create a spike of high blood sugar followed by a crash and therefore a risk of hypo.

As for taking multiple injections, there's nothing wrong with that but bear in mind the 5 hours worth of effect that the insulin will give you, if you inject say, every hour you will get a knock on effect and risk hypo



*edited for horrendously bad typing!

 

[totsy]

as the above post said, me myself cannot inject till after 4hrs of my last one otherwise i go very hypo

 

[noblehead]

anti-carb,

Novorapid is a fast-acting insulin which is usually given immediately before eating. The speed in which high-glycemic foods (white bread) are absorbed in the body will depend upon the individual, so the only way of knowing is by testing blood glucose 1,2 and 4 hours after eating. I find that eating high-gi foods sends my bg high within 1 hour of eating, and then 2 hours later it will plummet back down and can cause hypo's, what is needed is to keep bg stable and avoid the swings and low's. My own way round this problem is to eat low/medium glycemic foods which release it's energy more slowly and works more smoothly with novorapid. Try researching the low-gi diet, it is very useful in controlling and regulating blood glucose and many diabetics- both type 1 and 2 have found it very useful in their diabetes management.

Injecting novorapid too close together is not advisable, novorapid has a insulin profile of 4-5 hours in the body, meaning it remains active in reducing blood glucose up to 5 hours after injecting, so using multiple doses so close together as you explained in your post will undoubtedly lead to more hypo's, it's best to leave at least 4 hours between doses to be sure the previous insulin has been exhausted.

Nigel

 

[the_anticarb]

Ok I guess that means it is better to have one big meal and inject all your novorapid rather than say a meal and inject a bit then have a snack a couple of hours later and inject some more.

That's slightly counter-intuitive as I would have presumed it was better not to hit your body with all the carbs all at once but I stand corrected!

Also are you guys injecting before you eat? I tried that but found a few times I would get full up /distracted/ decide I didn't want to eat what I was eating and having already taken the novo was committed to either eating the original meal or else having some different carbs to the same amount, or else go hypo, but I am thinking now maybe to take some novorapid before the meal and some after, so that it is getting to work straight away and I'm not waiting for it to catch up with the food?

 

[noblehead]

Ok I guess that means it is better to have one big meal and inject all your novorapid rather than say a meal and inject a bit then have a snack a couple of hours later and inject some more.

That is the idea, insulin such as novorapid are not designed so that you can snack between meals, unless of course your bg was running low or you ate a low-carb snack. When I was on the old animal insulin's, you had to eat a 10-20g of carb snack between meals to prevent hypoglycemia.



That's slightly counter-intuitive as I would have presumed it was better not to hit your body with all the carbs all at once but I stand corrected!

All depends upon the amount of carbs and the foods you eat, provided your insulin ratio's are correct this should not be a problem.

Also are you guys injecting before you eat? I tried that but found a few times I would get full up /distracted/ decide I didn't want to eat what I was eating and having already taken the novo was committed to either eating the original meal or else having some different carbs to the same amount, or else go hypo, but I am thinking now maybe to take some novorapid before the meal and some after, so that it is getting to work straight away and I'm not waiting for it to catch up with the food?

I choose to inject immediately before eating and weigh/count my carbs so that I get my insulin ratio right, but sometimes if the meal is high in fat, I will split my dose and inject half before and half 60-90 minutes later, but do talk with your dsn before trying this technique.

Nigel

 

[HLW]

Also are you guys injecting before you eat?

Yes, but right before - like when the food is ready and on the table, and in a restaurant I'll wait until the main course has arrived, just in case something goes wrong and I burn the food etc!

 

[Celtic.Piskie]

I always inject literally after i've finished....

Even if the meal is there, if i don't like the potato's but absolutely love the broccoli, my insulin would be wrong... Until i've eaten it, i don't know how much i'll eat.
It doesn't seem to affect my levels, as it's such a short period.

 

[lucy336]

Hey ppl,

I wander if any of you can help.

I have used novorapid in the past but was taken off it after just nrly 4 wks because it wasnt acting as fast as it should. I'd inject 20-30 mins before a meal but it was acting 2.5 - 3.5 hrs later. I was having to inject at least an hour before eating. When I was pregnant with my first child I was admitted to hospital for 3 days as the insulin i was injection wasnt being absorbed by my body. Do I have some from of 'resistance' to insulin?