Suddenly Novorapid does not work - Type 1

Dinkeroon

Member
Messages
15
Type 1 for nearly sixty years.
This is a huge problem with diabetes. Whenever anything goes wrong according to the diabetic rules we are given as gospel, we are told it is stress or undeveloped infection or something. We diabetics always feel we are being blamed because we know our own disease very well, and the reasons doctors and nurses give always feel like a cop out, an inadequate excuse for the doctors not having an accurate view of what we know and what we go through.
The truth is probably in between. It is a stinking, horrible, difficult, changeable disease. Some doctors and nurses are beginning to give up pretending that they know everything (meaning it is always our fault) and acknowledge that it is a nightmare disease which is different for each person, often different every day.
I have found my diabetes marginally more stable using a pump and sensors, but it still behaves irrationally. With precisely the same regime of food, exercise, insulin and stress, the BG results can be completely different. Very occasionally with very high (18-22) BGs that won't come down despite large extra boluses. My BG suddenly starts falling very fast 6 hours after the last bolus. Insulin is only supposed to last 2-3 hours, How is this possible? Many of the previous contributions give examples which also don't follow the rules.
Keep cool. Keep notes. Try and work out things for yourself. Things change. This weeks nightmare results will probably be different next week. I try to be sensitive to my diabetes and be intuitive. I take more insulin for breakfast if I feel like there will be a BG spike in the hours following. Sometimes it works, sometimes my frequent BG testing saves me from problems. I haven't had hospital treatment for a hypo for 40 years in spite of low hypo awareness, because I'm careful and test frequently and I still can see, have all my limbs and garden three allotments at 75.
Well done you, unfortunately, 3 years ago I had a horrific accident and ended up in Hospital this proved absolutely fatal to me as I would have faired better with a team of monkeys looking after me. I broke my back in 2 places and whilst in Hospital also with a vulnerability tag I was discharged in a body brace with pressure sores on my heels. At the time I had no idea what a pressure sore was. Things went down hill very rapidly and I had to have my left foot amputated. I kept asking about changes in my right foot and kept getting fobbed off yet again and a year down the line I have been in plaster for a year with a charcot in my foot that would have been picked up a lot sooner if someone would have listened in the first place rather then waiting 11 months til I happened to run into the consultant that amputated my foot and asked him. Oh!, he raised hell with the so called specialists for continually fobbing me off. For once it was nice to see. I was one of many who thought it would never happen to them and now my whole world has been turned upside down due to a long line of so-called specialists and I'm only 46. To add insult to injury I have now taken it alot further with the help of Solicitors and it now transpires they could have saved my leg if I had had the correct care. Life goes on indeed.
 
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LOVE_LIFE

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I checked some of the other discussions about this subject and could not really find an answer.

I have been type 1 three years now. My sugar levels have been very well under control until now. I have normal weight, no illnesses and am moderately active.

The last two weeks have been different, it looks like the insulin does not work properly anymore. I take 12 units of Levemir 9PM and 10 units Levemir 9AM. My morning sugar levels used to be around 6-7. I do quite detailed carb counting and eat around 120 grams of carbs per day. I do my normal bolus of 1 unit of Novorapid per 10 grams of carbs which has worked well so far.

Now after my normal 24 grams oatmeal breakfast my sugar levels go up to 14-15 2-3 hours after breakfast. I normallyt inject 3 units of Novorapid for the breakfast. Now when I inject 4 more units correction bolus the sugar is still high (>10) after two hours.

No change in lifestyle, no change in the food I eat. No idea what is going on?

I'M ON THE DAFNE SYSTEM OF TYPE 1 MANAGEMENT. IT'S A GOOD SYSTEM. HOWEVER, LIKE YOU, I HAVE SIMILAR CONTROL ISSUES. I BELIEVE IT'S TO DO WITH INJECTION SITES, THE RATE OF THE ABSORPTION OF THE INSULIN IN TO THE BLOOD AND HOW THE BODY DIGESTS AND PROCESSES DIFFERENT FOOD GROUPS. I INJECT IN TO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND ROTATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I MASSAGE THE POST INJECTION SITE AND TRY TO KEEP THE STOMACH AREA LIMITED TO THE NUMBER OF INJECTIONS, AS I USE IT FOR EMERGENCIES. EVENTUALLY, I WILL RUN OUT OF SITES I CAN TRUST TO ABSORB THE INSULIN IN A TIMELY MANNER!! I HOPE THE SCIENTISTS DEVELOP A CURE WITH STEM CELLS ASAP!
 

jill17

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I have had IDDM since 1983. In the last year I have found Novorapid in flex pens to be problematic. I have a day or more when my blood sugars do not improve after taking insulin. I am forced to increase dramatically OR I throw away the box of pens and start a new one! I am not stupid and I know the problem lies with the insulin NOT other factors. No one takes any notice because it is convenient for them to say the fault is mine or I am ill or too much stress etc. Novorapid is not reliable in my opinion and I am thinking of moving to another rapid insulin.
I have had similar problems with Levimir flex pens and chemist returned to manufacturer but no info receved. I also found that they were more reliable if kept in fridge between injections.
 
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
If all this is true and it's the Pens and Insulin that is at fault!! I keep blaming myself saying I have not calculated my carbs
correctly! Or blaming it on stress. So it is all just a guessing this pens hopeless or this Insulin not working !!
Diabeties is not the same for everyone but more understanding How it works and affects our bodies is needed.
 

SuperSoph

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
How annoying! In agreement with adamrit though in that sometimes things happen that you cant explain.
I have had T1 for 24 years now and only recently learned something new: When you are diagnosed with T1, your pancreas may still be producing some insulin but not enough therefore care following diagnosis can be relatively easy as your body will compensate for any errors made with dose etc. The period of time for the pancreas to completely stop working i.e. have no back-up can vary from a few months to a few years.
Don't panic, it doesn't sound like you have done anything wrong, just a matter of your diabetes changing and evolving. I'm sure with the help of your DSN, some trial and error and plenty of blood tests you will figure out a solution.
*Beware of taking more insulin if you have poor hypo awareness though!
 

Jan26

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Type 1 for nearly sixty years.
This is a huge problem with diabetes. Whenever anything goes wrong according to the diabetic rules we are given as gospel, we are told it is stress or undeveloped infection or something. We diabetics always feel we are being blamed because we know our own disease very well, and the reasons doctors and nurses give always feel like a cop out, an inadequate excuse for the doctors not having an accurate view of what we know and what we go through.
The truth is probably in between. It is a stinking, horrible, difficult, changeable disease. Some doctors and nurses are beginning to give up pretending that they know everything (meaning it is always our fault) and acknowledge that it is a nightmare disease which is different for each person, often different every day.
I have found my diabetes marginally more stable using a pump and sensors, but it still behaves irrationally. With precisely the same regime of food, exercise, insulin and stress, the BG results can be completely different. Very occasionally with very high (18-22) BGs that won't come down despite large extra boluses. My BG suddenly starts falling very fast 6 hours after the last bolus. Insulin is only supposed to last 2-3 hours, How is this possible? Many of the previous contributions give examples which also don't follow the rules.
Keep cool. Keep notes. Try and work out things for yourself. Things change. This weeks nightmare results will probably be different next week. I try to be sensitive to my diabetes and be intuitive. I take more insulin for breakfast if I feel like there will be a BG spike in the hours following. Sometimes it works, sometimes my frequent BG testing saves me from problems. I haven't had hospital treatment for a hypo for 40 years in spite of low hypo awareness, because I'm careful and test frequently and I still can see, have all my limbs and garden three allotments at 75.
 

Jan26

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I've been Type 1 for 30 years and a year ago, Novorapid failed for me. The problem was with a faulty pen together with a pack of damaged phials. I was injecting but insulin was leaking out before it got through the skin!
Check this out before making any changes. New pen and replacement cartridges solved the glitch! Phials were sent back to the manufacturer and distributer. Good luck.
 

Kristin251

Expert
Messages
5,334
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Thoughts ....

The more insulin we take the possibility of us becoming more insulin resistant over time makes me wonder. Perhaps over time the carb ratio is changing.

My dr hates Levimer. Said I would have to take twice as much as lantus, it's unpredictable and wears off faster. I never took it so I can't comment from personal use.

I did drop a pen ( I don't like the disposable ones, unpredictable) and there was a hairline crack that I could barely see but insulin got old or stale or something and didn't work. Changing the pen did.

It does seem weird that this is happening to so many at the same time though perhaps others have just not talked about it and it is more common than we think.

I'm still thinking it's because you're becoming more I insulin resistant with taking larger doses. As well as carb ratios have changed.

Edited by a mod for off topic comment that may offend
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I have had IDDM since 1983. In the last year I have found Novorapid in flex pens to be problematic. I have a day or more when my blood sugars do not improve after taking insulin. I am forced to increase dramatically OR I throw away the box of pens and start a new one! I am not stupid and I know the problem lies with the insulin NOT other factors. No one takes any notice because it is convenient for them to say the fault is mine or I am ill or too much stress etc. Novorapid is not reliable in my opinion and I am thinking of moving to another rapid insulin.
One consultant did tell me that our bodies do get used to insulins, so I agree with you. Done the usual, swaps, experiments with what's actually working and what really isn't, change phials etc. I'm having the same issues with Novorapid, having been T1 for over 50 years now, I've been through enough hoops to know what it is and what it isn't. Time for a change :)
 

MarkMunday

Well-Known Member
Messages
421
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Insulin becoming less effective could mean that insulin sensitivity has changed. The best way to optimise insulin sensitivity is to use as little insulin as possible and get daily exercise. The blood glucose swings go away and HBA1c comes right down too.