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Alternative To Novorapid

P

Pneu

Well-Known Member
Messages
689
Evening All...

Having always been a mixtard 30 user... I was moved onto a Levemir / Novorapid regime nearly a year ago and I have never been able to maintain the same level of control as I could previously...

Having suffered from a horrendous DP issue and having been taking 200+ units of Levemir a day the consultant agreed that a change was in order and I moved onto Insulatard six weeks ago and what a difference! excellent readings and I am only taking 80 units a day which is a big improvement...

Anyway having changed the Levemir I am wondering if there is a better alternative to the Novorapid... its not that it doesn't work but I am having to inject a fair amount to maintain good control.. around 1 unit to 2.5g of carbs (morning) and 4g (afternoon / evening). Having looked back to my Mixtard days I have calculated that my ratio's then were around 1 to 7 which is quite a bit better...

Anybody have experience of changing to something different...? I have been looking at Apidra or Humalog as possible alternatives
 
Ironically I used to be on Mixtard 30 too back when I was first diagnosed in '99. I hated how little freedom I had with it though!

I was on Novorapid for 4 years. Ever since I was on it, despite rigorous carb counting and a dramatically improved diet I was on around 200 units of NR per day :shock:
Teamed with around 150u of Levemir per day, I was getting more and more annoyed with the huge amounts of insulin I was giving myself.

I started researching other insulins, not so much the basal dose but most definitely the bolus. I couldn't cope with all those **** injections! I pestered and pestered my consultant, but he seemed happy to keep me on the insulin I was on (I figure now that it was a cost issue, as my current insulin is more expensive).

However, at the beginning of the year I was finally awarded with a Humalog Kwikpen by my dr. And wow, has it worked! I am now on (roughly) half the bolus I was on originally. And my levels seem much better for it too!
Not much of a case story, but if you have any questions ask away - I realise I tend to ramble rather than get to the point! x
 
Sparky,

Its good to hear about another persons positive experience for changing insulin...

I am going to ask my consultant about the change.. I am not injecting as much Novo as you were but then I am on a very low carb diet and I would like a little more flexibility in what I eat without having to use a massive amount of insulin to cover it..

My consultant has been reasonable in the past especially when I e-mail him all of my charts and stats before hand.. I think as long as his happy I have some reasoning then he will be open to the change.. I really just needed confirmation that changing could make a difference.
 
200 units of novo rapid a day!!!!!! :shock: good lord! what are you eating??. Ive been changed from humilin s to Novo rapid and I've found it excellent. I'm taking about 40-maybe 50 units a day and find that adequate. 14 units before a main meal sees me right, and I thought maybe that was quite a lot to be taking!.
What sort of doses is everyone else taking?
 
I am on about 60 units per day (38 in the morning and 22 in the evening). i did manage to drop it to 56 but since i got a cold and had to up it i've not been able to knock it back down again.

i've just had my 2nd diagnosis anniversary and am gettig ot grips with things well now. there are still days where i think 'how did that happen?' esp when i've had the same to eat as the day before with the same level of (in)activity!!

is it normal to switch from Novorapid to individual meal injections after a few years or is it up to the individual? more freedom to eat as you wish sounds good - but could be dangerous!!
 
Kathleen Mc said:
is it normal to switch from Novorapid to individual meal injections after a few years
Click to expand...
Novorapid is rapid acting insulin, for injecting at mealtimes...
 
Kathleen,

Most people start with a Mix and then move onto a basal / bolus regime. The advantages are that it gives you more control over when and what you eat..
 
is there a time frame that they work to or will they take their cue from me when to change?
 
If your happy and your control is good then no need for a change.. I was on the same mixtard regime for over 10 years and only changed because my insulin was discontinued.
 
thanks for your help.
i'm happy enough at the moment so will wait and see what happens!
 
Pneu said:
Most people start with a Mix and then move onto a basal / bolus regime.
Click to expand...
Really?
The consultant I saw when I was diagnosed type 1 refused to allow me to try mixed insulin (I wanted mixed because it would mean less injections) he said it gave far worse control and was only suitable for people unable to cope with basal/bolus, he said he required everyone to try out basal/bolus first and see if it worked, he'd only make an exception for people with mental disabilities or mental illness. I said I didn't like needles did that count, he said no I had to try basal bolus first!

And it was fine in the end, tiny little needles don't seem to produce the same fear as the horrible ones they use for blood tests!
 
i started on many drips in the clinical dependency ward then went to the general ward. they put me on mixed and i saw the endocrinologist consultant twice in 12 says, and he and the general consultant kept arguing amongst themselves. my levels were way off the chart and the general consultant wanted to really up my insulin to take care of it but the endocrinologist kept overruling him and upping it by 2. then of course there was no-one there over the weekend so nothing changed for 3 days!!! i left hospital on about 18 units i nthe morning and 12 in the evening. within a few days i'd had to up it to my current levels of 38 in the morning and 22 in the evening. now if they'd just upped it in the first place i might have gotten my levels sorted earlier!!

they did consider the indiv injections but i think they said it might all be a bit too much for me - esp as i was so out of it at the start. i slept for about 2 days!! i seem to remember y BGL were at about 38 when i was admitted!!

i wasn't too bad by the time they took me off all the drips and started the injections tho. suppose it differs between consultants.
 

Different areas of the country different consultants maybe? I am going back 10+ years now but my current consultant had said when I asked when I changed 12 months back that it was the norm for them to start people on Mix and then move them onto basal/bolus... perhaps this has changed more recently?

I don't think it really matters I could maintain an Hba1c of 4.9% - 5.2% on mixtard 30 so I don't that for me personally it was a 'worse' solution control wise. I am only now just approaching those numbers on basal / bolus and I am still not 100% happy with my control now... Both have there positives and negatives what matters is that as an individual you find a balance of control and lifestyle that works for you.. be that on a mixtard or basal / bolus regime.
 
The consultant also always prescribed levemir, as he thought lantus might be carcinogenic (it binds to HGH receptors), so he might just have been a little odd...
 
HLW said:
The consultant also always prescribed levemir, as he thought lantus might be carcinogenic (it binds to HGH receptors), so he might just have been a little odd...
Click to expand...

could well be!!!

my diagnosis was 2 yrs ago in Berkshire - not sure if that makes any difference.
 

:lol: :lol: :lol: this has made my day..200 units :shock:
 
I started almost a year ago and my DSN was left to arrange my insulin type. She definitely offered both biphasic and MDI and I have to say was reasonably unbiased when she explained the two but I did feel that when I picked MDI she thought I'd made the 'right' choice. I was just given lantus and apidra, although my DSN also swapped me to levemir on my request without any difficulty, and if the apidra shortage continues, I'll guess find out what novorapid is like.
 
If you're still having phobia issues re injections, you might like to try clinical hypnotherapy - great for sorting out fears and phobias. My needle phobia was sorted using hypnotherapy. I had a bad experience with one idiot GP. Also found that having blood taken from the forearm is SO much easier, a lot less painful too. Only certain medics are trained to do this, I now insist they do it from there
 
@Neonataldiabetes do you realise you're replying to a thread that is 9 years old and the person you're replying to to hasn't logged on in over 6 years, so they may not see your response
 
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