Just diagnosed type 1 on Lantus

[Jimmyk]

Hi everyone I am newly diagnosed type 1 and on 10 units Lantus at night and readings vary between 6 and 8 now that the insulin is working.Can I expect to be on this dose for quite a while

 

[urbanracer]

Hi everyone I am newly diagnosed type 1 and on 10 units Lantus at night and readings vary between 6 and 8 now that the insulin is working.Can I expect to be on this dose for quite a while

hi @Jimmyk and welcome to the forums.

So many variables that it's difficult to answer your question. It is common for T1's to enter something called the Honeymoon Phase where the pancreas continues to produce a little insulin. How long this phase lasts depends on the individual.

You have long acting insulin, but no fast acting insulin?

 

[Jimmyk]

No fast acting insulin just Lantus slow acting once a day but to see nurse in two weeks to see how I’m getting on thanks

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You will eventually have a meal-time Bolus issued which you use just before each main meal and it's adjusted to suit the amount of carbs you are about to eat. You may also need to split the Lanus into two shots - morning and evening.

 

[Marie 2]

Also the faster you learn to carb count the better off you'll be.They'll be more likely to prescribe you a fast acting insulin sooner and you will be able to eat a wider variety of foods. So you might start to learn and adding up the carbs of the foods you eat.

Your insulin needs will start to go up, as @urbanracer has said how fast can vary per the individual.

 

[Jimmyk]

Thankyou everyone for your help this has made me understand what is ahead as it’s all new to me.

 

[MarkMunday]

Hi everyone I am newly diagnosed type 1 and on 10 units Lantus at night ... Can I expect to be on this dose for quite a while

The one ting you can be sure of is that your honeymoon will fade out and end. As the pancreas makes less insulin, more injected insulin is required. So expect dosage requirements to increase. The timeframe can be years, or even decades for people diagnosed as adults. It also depends on your level of control. Maintaining near-normal blood glucose prolongs the life of residual beta cells.

Insulin production will decline to the point where you are not able to make enough insulin to cover meals. You will then have to inject bolus mealtime insulin too. So watch out for post meal spikes and ask for bolus insulin when this happens.

 

[Jimmyk]

Thanks I will watch out for the changes as you say it could be some time as I’m just diagnosed at age 55.I will be in contact with nurse soon

 

[TypeZero.]

Hi everyone I am newly diagnosed type 1 and on 10 units Lantus at night and readings vary between 6 and 8 now that the insulin is working.Can I expect to be on this dose for quite a while

Hi, I’m newly diagnosed aswell! About three months into life with T1D but already feel like an expert.

I’m assuming you haven’t done a course or anything yet neither have I. Without the DAFNE course they kind of don’t allow you to do your own thing. They give instructions to you on your doses for the first few months and once you’ve had the course you will learn how to adjust your dose according to your lifestyle. I’ve heard from elders that they usually offer the course when you have been through the honeymoon period which can usually take up to a year. The honeymoon period is a length of time after diagnosis and starting insulin where the remaining pancreatic beta cells that haven’t been destroyed continue to produce insulin, however, unfortunately these remaining cells are destroyed (there is some scientific evidence that beta cells remain years after diagnosis but are dormant in some T1 diabetics).

Naturally as your body starts to produce less insulin you will see a need to increase the dose of your basal insulin (Lantus). Whilst on the other hand some people decrease their dose if they are going to have a particularly active day.

I was diagnosed with a HbA1c of 134 mmol/mol and fasting blood glucose of 19.4 mmol/L. They decided to put me on 14 units of Lantus and just before leaving the hospital they told me to increase it to 16 units, I did what they said and I would get hypos everyday sometimes twice a day. My dietician deals with my insulin doses and she was apparently dealing with COVID patients so I didn’t hear from her for months and when she called we did a basal testing and confirmed that my Lantus should be reduced back to 14 units. That extra 2 units does really make a difference as even small walks to the shops made me go hypo and now I’m very comfortable. I can literally go to shopping and walk around for hours without worrying especially if I haven’t taken any bolus (mealtime) insulin in the last three hours this is because this is a rapid acting insulin and if you do lots of physical activity it can cause hypos. When the effect of the mealtime insulin starts to wear of your liver can naturally release glucose to maintain a constant supply.

In terms of BG reference ranges:

4-7mmol/L before meal
<9mmol/L after meal
6-8mmol/L before bed (what my dietitian advised)

At the moment between 6-8 mmol/L is good for you because your BG was sky high before and your body is slowly getting used to it. By the way what was your blood glucose when first diagnosed and what was your HbA1c

 

[Deleted member 371547]

I was on Lantus for years, what I did not like was if you took your dose you could not really change what you was doing that day.

I switched to Levemir and it’s been a game changer as you split the dose. You take a morning and then a night one.

So if you know you have an active day coming up you can take less, if you decided to do exercise in the day you can take less at night. It’s an extra injection but I prefer this way. Maybe worth thinking about

 

[Jaylee]

Hi everyone I am newly diagnosed type 1 and on 10 units Lantus at night and readings vary between 6 and 8 now that the insulin is working.Can I expect to be on this dose for quite a while

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

At the mention of "variables." I experince more insulin sensitivity in hotter climates? Espessially with my Lantus basal.
With summer here in the UK (pending where you are geographically located.)
This may also be a factor regarding your current basal requirements?