Reactions to insulin

[Kristin251]

Has anyone had a reaction to insulins and changed for the better?

 

[tpaz]

Not a reaction, but I absolutely hate poking myself. I find it stings, and the insulin stings going in.

This has caused me to adjust to eating only 3 times a day. I used to snack all day, and now don't. If I have to have a snack, I have nuts or cheese.

So i guess it's helped me develop better eating habits

 

[Kristin251]

Well I'm not fond of all this sticking myself either. I'm surprised cheese doesn't raise you. I can eat nuts or some avocado without bolusing.
AnThe problem I have is insulin and I don't get along. I on,y take 1/2 unit with meals. I feel weird when I take more, eyes get blurry, kind of wobbly, moody, melancholy, cry etc. my insurance wants me to change from novolog to humalog. Maybe it would be a good thing or maybe a bad thing. I'm not sure what to do. It's so touchy day to day. They're supposed to be interchangeable much more than lantu and levemir but I feel I know this one like the back of my hand. Do you FEEL anything when you take insulin?

 

[tpaz]

Well I only have about an ounce of cheese. I buy pre packed portion sizes, so I don't eat out of hand. Do you eat the avocado by itself? Salt or pepper? Maybe I'll try that.

I can't say that I feel any different when I take insulin. If I take it and don't eat enough or delay the meal, then I get all the symptoms you're describing. If anything, I usually feel like my sugar is high. Dry mouth and lips, tired. But then I test, and I'll be fine.

 

[tpaz]

Do you test when you feel shaky? If so, how are your results?

 

[Kristin251]

I usually smash the avocado with salt and pepper in the morning and eat some with meals and as a snack with celery. By the end of the day I've eaten a whole one. Doesn't move my bs as a snack but it's not a lot. I have found it stops the initial starting to go low that must produce a liver dump. Seems to keep everything flat. So I guess I eat about 1/4 with meals and the rest as a snack. Just a finger full or 1 small slice of celery with it. I either eat guacamole and celery for BF or a turkey wrap with guacamole. Only BF I found that I don't jump up.

I'm the same way. I feel I have to get it perfect or I feel weird but bs is fine. That's why I wonder if it's a reaction or just insulin in general.

One thing i notice is on the occasion I need a correction of only1/2 unit I will cry a few hours later for no reason. So annoying. I can kind of laugh it off now even though the tears still come but still not fun.

Recently I cut fat down to lose a few pounds could cut insulin from 1 unit to 1/2 and it helps 90% of the time. I need to eat small meals to do that though. I must say avocado is great at making things feel level. No matter how it turns out I eat a whole one a day but it's split with all meals and a little for snacks.

What insulin are you on? I used to graze all day long and never really liked big meals, well my stomach didn't, but it doesn't work so well now with insulin.

 

[tpaz]

Do you think you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself? Maybe that's why you're crying when you have to correct the dose?

I hate to say it, I really hate to say it, but sometimes when I'm low, I brush it off and try to ignore it. Sometimes I almost feel proud. Maybe proud is the wrong word, but I feel like 'finally!' I wait until I feel really bad to treat it. Usually my liver kicks in before I do.

I'm only taking NovoRapid with meals. My before meal and fasting levels are ok, but very slowly getting worse. How much basal are you taking?

 

[PatsyB]

I have an humalog mix twice daily with no side effects , I must say I do not like taking insulin but needs must , apart from putting a stone on in weight since starting the InsulinI feel fine

 

[catapillar]

I hate to say it, I really hate to say it, but sometimes when I'm low, I brush it off and try to ignore it. Sometimes I almost feel proud. Maybe proud is the wrong word, but I feel like 'finally!' I wait until I feel really bad to treat it. Usually my liver kicks in before I do.

This worries me. Probably because I'm projecting, so please don't think I'm judging. But o my goodness, please don't do this. Or at least, please be aware of the risks you are taking when you do this:

• If you unnecessarily let yourself stay hypo or drop even lower without treating you are risking your hypo awareness - the more time you spend down at the bottom, the more likely your body will think this is normal and not react with hypo symptoms
• If you aren't hypo aware that will undermine the action of the liver dump - if your body doesn't react with hypo symptoms you are going to have to get really very low to prompt a liver dump & the liver dump is going to be delayed - this is dangerous for obvious reasons
• Your liver dump should really be the last line of defence against dying when you are unconscious and hypo - do you really want to be testing this when you could just treat with 3-6g of carbs?
• If you are relying on a liver dump to treat your hypos all you are doing is prolonging the impact of a hypo and creating more chance of a sugar roller coaster type day - the liver dump is a stress reaction triggered by hormones that can hang around in the body for 8, 12, 24 hours and will make your blood sugar management for that period more temperamental (what I mean by temperamental is such a pain in the ass that you will want to scream)
• By letting yourself drop really low to trigger a liver dump, stepping on to the sugar roller coaster you are going to be increasing your glycaemic variability, which carries its own increase in risks of diabetic complications.

In summary, youre just making life more difficult for yourself. Be kind to yourself and don't do this.

 

[azure]

I can't see it would do any harm to try a change of insulin. I imagine Humalog will be quite similar to Novorapid, but I've only personally used Humalog. The reason I changed from Humalog to porcine insulin was that the Humalog was giving me physical symptoms (some people do not get along with analogues).

Ignoring non-diabetic causes, feeling down and tearful is usually a sign of low or falling blood sugar for me. If your blood sugar is normal and it doesn't fall later (sometimes I get a normal reading but now I'm falling and this is confirmed 15 or 20 mins later) then maybe look for a non-diabetic cause.

@tpaz I echo @catapillar 's comments about it being best to treat a hypo asap. Sometimes the hypo itself can cause similar misjudged thoughts. Often people will insist they're fine when they're clearly not. So maybe your 'pride' there is a false feeling caused by the low sugar itself?

 

[Kristin251]

Do you think you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself? Maybe that's why you're crying when you have to correct the dose?

I hate to say it, I really hate to say it, but sometimes when I'm low, I brush it off and try to ignore it. Sometimes I almost feel proud. Maybe proud is the wrong word, but I feel like 'finally!' I wait until I feel really bad to treat it. Usually my liver kicks in before I do.

I'm only taking NovoRapid with meals. My before meal and fasting levels are ok, but very slowly getting worse. How much basal are you taking?

Sometimes I might be putting too much pressure on myself. I have tight goals but I am getting much better about random stray numbers and just letting it go.
One of the weirdest things is when I take 1/2 unit correction dose I don't feel it anymore but when I take it with food I do. It's almost like insulin and blood sugar are fighting. I know that sounds weird. I am learning to deal with the stupid weird feelings but I feel like I'm always fighting to feel normal every time I take insulin and I don't mean BECAUSE I have to take insulin but because of how it makes me feel. Obviously I'm not thrilled with sticking myself but in all honesty that's the easy part.

I take one unit of lantus at 10:15. I usually have a small fat/ protein snack ( usually 1/ 3 grass fed hot dog ) with it. I will generally go to bed between 80-90 and that's where I wake up. Lots of times on the exact same number.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I just can't figure out why I feel so weird. Maybe I should try changing. We don't have porcine here I don't think.

Azure, what symptoms did you have? I don't get along with most meds of supps so I guess why would insulin be any different.

 

[azure]

Could it be the timing of your bolus @Kristin251 ? If you were taking a while to absorb your meal, then theoretically the insulin coukd lower your blood sugar before it needs to, if that makes sense? If it was me, I'd do a testing marathon one meal - test before bolus, then test every few minutes including during the meal, to see if there was any drop. That's because I don't like things to beat me, but I understand you may not want to be bothered with all that testing.

My symptoms with the Humalog came on gradually. I felt unnaturally tired, had aching joints, weak and aching muscles (particularly in my arms in a really strange way) and thought I'd developed IBS. Within a few days of changing to the porcine insulin, I felt amazingly better I couldn't believe it - but the difference was huge.

I think that animal insulins are only available in the UK now. I know some people in places like the US do manage somehow to buy them though. I don't know how. But - in the absence of porcine - you could always try a regular human insulin like Actrapid, etc. By 'regular' I mean not one of the analogues that seem to be everywhere. You would have to check what was available, but I know there are some in the US because I think Dr B mentions them. They would still be human insulin, but wouldn't be analogues.

 

[Kristin251]

Could it be the timing of your bolus @Kristin251 ? If you were taking a while to absorb your meal, then theoretically the insulin coukd lower your blood sugar before it needs to, if that makes sense? If it was me, I'd do a testing marathon one meal - test before bolus, then test every few minutes including during the meal, to see if there was any drop. That's because I don't like things to beat me, but I understand you may not want to be bothered with all that testing.

My symptoms with the Humalog came on gradually. I felt unnaturally tired, had aching joints, weak and aching muscles (particularly in my arms in a really strange way) and thought I'd developed IBS. Within a few days of changing to the porcine insulin, I felt amazingly better I couldn't believe it - but the difference was huge.

I think that animal insulins are only available in the UK now. I know some people in places like the US do manage somehow to buy them though. I don't know how. But - in the absence of porcine - you could always try a regular human insulin like Actrapid, etc. By 'regular' I mean not one of the analogues that seem to be everywhere. You would have to check what was available, but I know there are some in the US because I think Dr B mentions them. They would still be human insulin, but wouldn't be analogues.

I used to go low and then high. Then I upped the fat and it seemed to help. Then I lowered the fat and my insulin and that helped as well. Adding avocado to every meal keeps me most flat. I'm getting a tad sick of it but will forge ahead because it Bridges the gap so to speak. Its like it slows the insulin as well as the spike. If I don't eat avocado I will go low first. I have messed with bolus timing and it has helped. I take it it 5 min before eating but I only eat 5 carbs if that at meals. After testing and testing I am most often very steady or I will go up just a small tad. Still under 100. I felt weirdest when I would dip down first and that's where avocado came in. It stopped the lows AND the spikes. It seems just moving bs, even just slightly make me feel weird. Gotta accept it I guess. Nobody can be flat all day everyday. It is better with less insulin but my meals are so regimented. Good thing I like them. And they agree with my stomach. Just as important.

Here we only have 3 analogs available, go figure.....lol.

 

[azure]

@Kristin251 I think Eli Lilly make Humulin, and that's not an analogue. I've never used it, but worth looking into if you're interested. It has both a fast acting and a slow acting form, so can be used for a basal/bolus regime.

 

[Kristin251]

@Kristin251 I think Eli Lilly make Humulin, and that's not an analogue. I've never used it, but worth looking into if you're interested. It has both a fast acting and a slow acting form, so can be used for a basal/bolus regime.

Yes it is lily. I didn't realize it wasn't an analog as that's what the nurse told me she said it was interchangeable with novolog. I'll look into it. Unless what you're talking about is something different. Or are humalog and humulin different?

 

[azure]

@Kristin251 Humalog and Humulin are different. Humalog is an analogue, Humulin is not.

Edited to add that sometimes if you just listened to the doctors, you'd think there were only two or three options for insulin. Here at least, they tend to just mention the analogues, but other insulins are still available.

 

[tpaz]

@azure and @catapillar thank you both for the concern. I agree 100% and know it's something I need to work on. I am on bolus only, and have been told not to correct a high, only to take it with meals, so this is where a lot of frustration comes from - I don't fully feel in control of my diabetes. I also seem to need a large bolus amount because I'm not on basal. I'm at a carb ratio of 1:3 now, and I don't like bolusing that much all at once. I would much rather have a background insulin working, so I could bolus less.

 

[Robinredbreast]

@Kristin251 Humalog and Humulin are different. Humalog is an analogue, Humulin is not.

Edited to add that sometimes if you just listened to the doctors, you'd think there were only two or three options for insulin. Here at least, they tend to just mention the analogues, but other insulins are still available.

Other available Insulin in the UK.

http://www.childrenwithdiabetesuk.o...f-commonly-used-insulins-available-in-the-uk/

 

[azure]

@azure and @catapillar thank you both for the concern. I agree 100% and know it's something I need to work on. I am on bolus only, and have been told not to correct a high, only to take it with meals, so this is where a lot of frustration comes from - I don't fully feel in control of my diabetes. I also seem to need a large bolus amount because I'm not on basal. I'm at a carb ratio of 1:3 now, and I don't like bolusing that much all at once. I would much rather have a background insulin working, so I could bolus less.

I can understand your frustration. When I was first diagnosed, I used a tiny amount of basal, but it did its job.

Can you not ask to be put on a small dose of a basal insulin? Controlling your sugars with boluses could make your control quite jerky. i was surprised at how a tiny amount of basal smoothed things out for me.