Animal Porcine Insulin

anna29

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Hi All.
Anyone using this insulin?
I am finding since being on this insulin [hypurin porcine isophane]
Every night drop asleep no problems BUT am dreaming vivid detailed dreams EACH NIGHT ...
Hubby who is himself a medical specialist says it must either be the insulin OR the preservatives in it ?
It is happening every night now, am wondering IF others on the same insulin experience this ...???
I split dose my basal backgrounding isophane and find it suits me , can tolerate it well .
My brain is in dream mode every time I sleep , some mornings oddly it does take me some time to switch into
day mode !!!
During the day I always feel well focused and clear headed so the very frequent dreaming isnt affecting me.
Anna.
 

robert72

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Hi Anna

I was on porcine insulin for about 15 years (it was all we had in those days :) ) but I don't remember having any particularly vivid dreams.

The one thing that DID give me vivid dreams was Simvastatin (I see you are taking that also). I've now stopped taking it because of muscle pain and bad cramps - and the vivid dreams have stopped too, so I wonder if that is what's causing yours rather than the insulin.
 

noblehead

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Many years since I used pork insulin but don't remember it giving me vivid dreams, it may well be the insulin in your case Anna or it could be your other meds as Robert has suggested, if the dreams are causing you concern then I'd suggest you discuss this with your HCP's.
 

anna29

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Thanks guys for your replies.
I will certainly give the simvastatin some thought !
Nigel it isnt a problem at the moment, the insulin agrees with me and I 'do 'feel' soooooo
much better on this , than I was on the levemir.
Its just the 'dreams every night' !!!
Wonder what tonights will be . . . :?:
Anna.x
 

robert72

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In tonight's dream, you might be chased by an angry pig ;)
 

anna29

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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I hope not !!!
Had all sorts of weird, wacky, wonderful dreams though...
Has made me wonder if pigs dream ... :?:
 

ronialive

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Hi
I too was on hyprin procine neutral and by night hypurin porcine isophane - i have never had a problem with dreams or nightmares on it. i started taking simvastatin and started having vivid dreams muscles pains and nausea. changed onto atorvastatin and the dreams went away. i didnt twig at the time about the dreams as stress at work was high. looking back - was at that time.
just started on a pump with the insulin :crazy:
 

anna29

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Ah to shed further light on this thread I started ...
Since stopping the simvastatin I 'used to take' my wild intense dreaming
eased off .

My doctor changed me over to a fibrate couldnt tollerate this.
Then tried me with atorvastatin and the dreams returned 'MORE' vivid and intense too !
Was brain battered some mornings with all the dreaming that was happening.

Found I couldnt tollerate the atorvastatin either - so GP agreed to leave things be .
Currently I dont take a statin only Ezetrol which I 'CAN' tollerate :thumbup:

Hubby says I still chatter and talk in my sleep still though :shock:

Hope you are adjusting well to your new pump ronialive and how is the porcine performance
and suitabilty going for you ?

Anna.
 

alex621

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I'm not using it, but my friend starting using it about 2 weeks ago. He said he also was having very strong dreams all the time. It lasted for about a week then they subsided
 

ronialive

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insulin pump has been 6 months now. I had sworn I would never change off the porcine insulin but after long chats with diabetologist and wanting better blood sugars and more from the pump I have changed to apidra. so far so good. much better for pump use than the porcine although it did work.
thanks for asking. :D
 

paul-1976

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My PCT don't even offer this as an option sadly-I believe due to cost as is the case in these days of Austerity and only synthetic insulins are prescribed in my area ...I've spoke to some T1's locally who say that they're control has deteriorated since switching from porcine but can see that's not the case for everyone and the opposite is true for them,
 

phoenix

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I don't think that modern insulins are cheaper Paul, I do think that most (but not all) diabetologists think that rapid and long term analogues are better. Animal insulins aren't on the list at all here in France. Bovine was taken off at the time of BSE and porcine a little later
If cost was the issue I think that we would all be using generic regular and intermediate 'human' insulins which would be far cheaper.
 

anna29

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phoenix said:
I don't think that modern insulins are cheaper Paul, I do think that most (but not all) diabetologists think that rapid and long term analogues are better. Animal insulins aren't on the list at all here in France. Bovine was taken off at the time of BSE and porcine a little later
If cost was the issue I think that we would all be using generic regular and intermediate 'human' insulins which would be far cheaper.

:shock: BSE [mad cow ?]
Some diabetologists/DSN's do seem to be preferring to stick with Human Insulins etc rather than Animal Insulins .

I couldn't tolerate levemir at all - it was my own suggestion to try Porcine Insulin .
My DSN wanted me to try another human insulin but I simply refused .

I have had 'no problems' at all with it - it gives me great hypo awareness as it has a kick
like a mule with it .
I know how to treat it promptly and recognise the signs as and when to start/finish treating a hypo .

Anna .