is it safe to reduce one whole dose

[cdpm]

i take 69 units lantus at night
and 64 units lantus in the morning (was 70 and 70)
i take it twice because thru testing
a few years ago when i began using it
twice a day gave me better results
but now i need to reduce it due to
losing a few pounds and diet changes
been getting hypos

is it safe to just cut out 1 whole dose?

 

[Tophat1900]

Personally, I think it's safer to reduce a dose by small increments, rather then a whole dose, but that's just my opinion. Maybe you should consult your health care provider.

 

[rmz80]

Ive not come across people injecting Lantus twice a day just 1 a day in my case.

Do you aim for a particular target BG reading at a particular time? eg first thing on a morning.

In my case I followed a rule which I read on a hospital crib sheet.

A reading of less than 4.5mmol/L on waking then deduct 1 unit.

A reading of 4.5 to 4.9 on two consecutive days then deduct 1 unit.

This worked out ok (especially when losing weight) but I wouldn’t know if this rule could be applied to 2 injections.

In other words small increments (like has been mentioned ) then measure the result.

 

[Mep]

It's best to discuss it with your doc. I see an endocrinologist and he just asked me to change my basal dosage and mentioned that I'm to keep adjusting until I get the results. He commented that insulin needs do change. But the thing is he's only allowing me to increase by 1 unit at a time. I wouldn't think skipping a dose would be a good idea, reducing units you take would probably be the safer option. I wish you the best.

 

[bangkokdiabetic]

I Do not know I use Lantus and at my worst control I took Maximum of 28 Units am now on 12-14 Units both once a day So the thought of taking over 100 units a day is strange to me wonder what your Bs levels are
I also wonder if this dosage seems high to any other Lantus users

 

[bangkokdiabetic]

When I entered the maximum dose weight on this calculator 505lbs it showed a dose of 45 units once a day you are taking 133 units over a day which means you would have to be approx. 1500 lbs
any way something is not right perhaps you figures are your Blood Sugar Readings rather than your Lantus dosage

https://www.lantus.com/hcp/dosing-injection/insulin-dose-and-dosing-calculator

 

[NotBeyonce]

My lantus dosage is 20 units.

CDPM, what are your blood sugar levels? If not too personal, what is your weight category (normal, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese)? Do you also bolus? What other anti hyperglycemic agents do you take? What was your starting dosage of lantus and how did you get to your current dosage?

 

[cdpm]

im in the 250 to 260 pound weight range and i got to that lantus
dose (from a starting dose of 2 units) thru testing and tweaking my diet
but
having had some hypos recently and a weight loss of nearly 20 pounds
and severe diet changes and a bit of exercise
i have had to reduce the dose alot
and i was using a rapid insulin but only need it if i eat too many carbs
i havent been able to use oral meds without serious side effects
that continued and 1 allergic reaction ( 4 different meds)
my numbers were in the 20''s and thru time and testing and education
and better diet are now in the 4-8 range
with a 5.2 a1c
i think i began this post back in jan so alot of changes happened
since then
as for the doses i adjusted it to aim for a fasting of 5.5 when i get up
i read that with lantus you can increase by a unit or 2 a few days apart
to reach this 5.5 so i did
plus i did ask my dr if the amount was too high and he said no
and that he had patients taking alot more than that
since then tho i have had to get a new dr and my dose is lower but
my new dr is fine so far with my regime

 

[rmz80]

In a way I'm glad I was prescribed insulin because its easier to control when dieting. A low BG reading means you just lower the insulin one or two units next time.
With tablets (especially capsules) you are stuck with a fixed dose and you have just got the type of diet you are on to control the BG readings (using low carb diet). Whereas I never bothered to switch from an Eatwell diet.
With using insulin I reduced it 26 times to lose 5 stone.

 

[Farrowlily]

Sorry this is a different question for you all what do you consider a low I'm finding that I start feeling low about 4.3

 

[Mep]

Sorry this is a different question for you all what do you consider a low I'm finding that I start feeling low about 4.3

It's probably a good idea to start a separate post. Although I will answer your question for you..... for me when I fall below 5 on the meter I start to feel it and it's usually because of the speed of the drop of my sugar levels I believe. Eg. I will be 5 on the meter and 15 mins later I'd be sitting on 3.9 or something like that. My endocrinologist advised that if you are getting hypo symptoms, don't ignore the symptoms and treat the hypo. I find personally that I rarely feel hypo when my sugar is in normal range or more on the high side. The only time I can get confused is when I have a migraine as I get more hypos during migraines and also my migraines give me similar symptoms to hypos at times so I have to be extra vigilant. Although on saying that I will always check my sugar on my meter any time I feel strange. On the odd occasion I may not feel too bad and I'm in the 3's on my meter.... when I treat it I then get the hypo symptoms when my sugar levels are coming back up. So I hope my experience helps shed some light for you. We're all different though. I was told by my endo to know your 'safe' number.... that's the number you shouldn't go below otherwise you risk getting a hypo. For me that number is 5 and that was on advice from my endo too. He's right... any time I fall below 5, I'm in trouble. Maybe that is something for you to consider too. Your safe number may be different to mine, but always good to give yourself a target to avoid hypos. I wish you the best.

 

[ickihun]

In a way I'm glad I was prescribed insulin because its easier to control when dieting. A low BG reading means you just lower the insulin one or two units next time.
With tablets (especially capsules) you are stuck with a fixed dose and you have just got the type of diet you are on to control the BG readings (using low carb diet). Whereas I never bothered to switch from an Eatwell diet.
With using insulin I reduced it 26 times to lose 5 stone.

Me too to lose 4st.
Back to more insulin now thou due to severe pain in my back/leg.
I could reduce novarapid but not basal. No matter what I did. Humf!

 

[Farrowlily]

Thank you.mep that was really helpful and I must admit your experiences sound very similar so I won't feel bad for treating myself for a hypo at 4.5 and hopefully I'll comeback up a lot better