Split Bolus Dosing

[ajd564]

Hi,

I’ve been told to split dose for meals with large amount of carbs and/or meals with overall GI

do people have a rule of thumb of when they split the dose. Eg, if the meal is more than 70g carbs then will split. Or majority of food on the plate is low GI then will split the insulin dose.

I’ve been told to start with 3/4 of the dose then 1 hours later the rest. Then try different ratios to find what works best for me!

Thanks!

 

[ArtemisBow]

For me it’s less about the quantity and more about what it is - I’ve found it works well for higher fat high carb meals like curry or pizza. But that’s been through trial and error. I think you’ll have to give it a go, test 1 and 2 hours after and then adjust next time you eat the same thing.

I used to use the mySugr app for tracking this because if you write down what you eat, you can search for it next time you have the same meal and see what you did before and how it worked.

 

[Juicyj]

I am the same as @ArtemisBow in regards to fat content, as it’s the fat which slows down the absorption of carbs, so pizzas and curries can both cause delayed and prolonged high readings, I tend to do a 50/50 split as this is what works for me and second dose 2 hours later, as otherwise I can go low around an hour after eating.

It is trial and error so as advised record your dose and result to future events.

 

[philly1991]

When I attended DAFNE I learnt about split doses and was told to split if the insulin dose is higher than 12 units.

 

[JMK1954]

I agree with juicyj. I don't often have to split the dose for a meal, but when I do it's 50/50 that works for me. I sometimes have to split the bolus for meals when the weather gets hotter too. That was my consultant's suggestion and a very useful one. If the temperature goes above 23 degrees, it's a useful strategy.