Novorapid instead of Lantus

[enzina]

I have read about this error here on the forum and now it happened to me this morning. At 5am i noticed to my horror i have injected 11 units of Novorapid instead of Lantus. I'm taking Lantus now in the morning because of night hypos, at the moment i only have to take 11 units. Usually 4 units of Novorapid before breakfast around 8 am are more than enough for me.

I was drinking 2 glasses of fruit juice, 2 cans of Coca Cola straightaway, ate 2 sliced of bread and also took 4 dextro energy tablets. sugar levels are 7.1 at the moment, 5.5 at waking.

In an hour i have to walk the dogs and in the afternoon i have a dentist appointment. I'm very scared, over the last few days i had quite a few hypos anyway and felt very weak. I'm on my own, i never thought this would happen to me.

 

[Alison54321]

Sorry to hear that. You seem to have taken enough carbs to cover the 11 units. So hopefully it will be alright.

If you took it about 6am, the Novorapid will be gone by mid morning. But before that, the most likely thing is your sugar level will peak, then the novorapid will peak, and you might have a fast drop, after that, so you just have to keep testing.

It's probably worth eating some slower acting carbs. Have breakfast plus. You may end up too high, but that's probably better, at the moment, you can sort it out properly later.

The dogs can wait for a bit, they won't like it, but your health is far more important.

What are you going to do about the Lantus you should have taken?

 

[enzina]

Thank you so much Alison,
I have eaten two slices of rye bread, i believe that's slower acting carbs? I had to eat it without chewing because i just can't eat so early.
I was thinking i should take the Lantus maybe at 10 am when the Novorapid stops working. The dogs i can just take outside to the green, i don't have to do a walk.

 

[Alison54321]

Thank you so much Alison,
I have eaten two slices of rye bread, i believe that's slower acting carbs? I had to eat it without chewing because i just can't eat so early.
I was thinking i should take the Lantus maybe at 10 am when the Novorapid stops working. The dogs i can just take outside to the green, i don't have to do a walk.

That all sounds very sensible, hopefully it will be ok. Let us know how it goes.

 

[enzina]

Yes, of course i will let you know.
The sugar levels are 7.1 now and i have eaten one more slice of bread.

 

[Alison54321]

Yes, of course i will let you know.
The sugar levels are 7.1 now and i have eaten one more slice of bread.

Is that a more recent blood test? in that case it seems to be holding steady. You've got what I call a cushion of carbs going through the system, so if you test frequently, and if it does seem to be dropping rapidly, you should be able to get it under control reasonably easily, as you already have a good amount of carbs on board.

 

[enzina]

Thanks again, Alison. Yes, very recently. I have just tested again a minute ago and it's 6.9.

 

[Alison54321]

Thanks again, Alison. Yes, very recently. I have just tested again a minute ago and it's 6.9.

That could be a small drop, or a margin of error. It's over an hour now, and the novorapid seems to have eaten all that sugar you gave it, let's hope the beast is tamed by that, and it stays reasonably stable.

 

[enzina]

It seems to rise now. I know the Libre is 15 minutes behind but still. Finger test showed less.

 

[Japes]

I came close to this happening this morning - though for me it would've been a double dose of Levemir rather than my usual 10 of Levemir and 2 or 3 of Novorapid.

Sending much sympathy, and hope it all sorts out.

 

[Alison54321]

It seems to rise now. I know the Libre is 15 minutes behind but still. Finger test showed less.

I suppose it's like eating a giant meal. I usually have about 4 units of Novorapid for a meal, so the idea of 11 puts me in panic mode too. But you've probably eaten enough carbs for that giant meal, so a normal pattern would be for it to peak at two hours, and then fall after that.

So if it's starting to peak this is fairly normal, even for a giant meal, then it's the speed of the fall after the peak, you have to keep an eye on, and where it lands.

Let's hope your giant's breakfast was enough carbs.

 

[enzina]

Thanks Japes and Alison,
Alison, you was such a big help, it's hard to describe! I was running frantically through the flat although i thought, i will be prepared if i ever make this mistake. It was so good to be guided through at this time on a Saturday morning. You are a star!

Of course i will be careful in the next few hours because even from 3 units of Novorap i often go very low around 10am or 11 am.

 

[Scott-C]

If it happens again, @enzina , just remember it's why Krispy Kremes and Greggs steakbakes were invented!

 

[enzina]

Haha, yes you're right! I just bought 2 croissants at my local corner store. Problem is, i can't have cakes or biscuits in the house because i would eat them immediately.. My whole family has an eating disorder, they are all obese. They are lucky not to have diabetes. My poor mother used to weigh 130 kg.

 

[enzina]

12.9 now on bg meter and 12.7 on Libre, trend fast rising. It's four hours after i injected the Novorapid (in my arm).

 

[Alison54321]

12.9 now on bg meter and 12.7 on Libre, trend fast rising. It's four hours after i injected the Novorapid (in my arm).

Hopefully you aren't going to get a drop then. There's always a risk it's going to go a bit high, but I think on balance too many carbs is better than not enough, in these circumstances.

You can level things out a bit over the rest of the day, now.

 

[enzina]

Trend is changing now, i'll be very careful and keep on testing with the meter as well.

One of my dogs was so concerned this morning, she kept on following me around on her arthritic legs and sat next to my computer the whole time. Usually she stays on the sofa under a blanket till i call her around 7.30 am for her walkie. They have been out in the meantime.

 

[Deleted Account]

I was thinking i should take the Lantus maybe at 10 am when the Novorapid stops working.

There is no reason to wait to take the Lantus. It works so much slower the impact will be very small.
If you dealt your Lantus today, you will need to delay it tomorrow to avoid overlap so it is better to take as close to your normal time.

 

[enzina]

Thanks Helen, i was thinking the same and have taken it on 9am. Sugars stay high but i am so cold, feeling ice cold although it's warm in the flat. I'm very hungry now but will not eat anything yet. What a situation, i guess i have ruined my whole weekend.

 

[Alison54321]

Thanks Helen, i was thinking the same and have taken it on 9am. Sugars stay high but i am so cold, feeling ice cold although it's warm in the flat. I'm very hungry now but will not eat anything yet. What a situation, i guess i have ruined my whole weekend.

It's really frustrating when these things happen, but you have coped with it very well. So you know now you can do it.

It's changed your weekend, but there are probably some useful things that can be learned, so don't see it as ruined, just changed.

Working out how to avoid doing it again, would be good, even though you've coped with it well.