Changing from Lantus to Levemir

[becky.ford93]

Hi all, I haven't been on here in months!!
The reason I'm now posting is because of a pending appointment with my nurse. I have had to start taking a LOT more insulin with my meals lately, particularly lunch and dinner with my ratios now at 1u:6g of Novorapid. I still only take 6 units of Lantus at night but if I try to up this I drop too much. The nurse was pretty shocked to find out that I'm taking just 6u of basal but around 25-35u of Novorapid a day!! We both agreed that I probably need to switch to Levemir and start taking it twice a day, so I hopefully won't need as much Novorapid during the day to compensate for the lack of basal.
Has anyone made this switch before? I'm sure they'll discuss my options fully with my at my appointment in a few weeks but I just thought I'd get some advice in the meantime

 

[noblehead]

Did you basal check to see if your novo doses were compensating for your low basal dose?

I once changed to levemir from lantus but ended up changing back to lantus as I couldn't get my bg levels under control (despite nearly doubling the dose and using various splits), I was told prior to changing to levemir that I'd likely likely use a higher dose as this is quite common when people change from one to the other but really didn't expect it to go up as much.

However that said many people do make the change with great success so don't let my experience put you off @becky.ford93 , your DSN will advise accordingly.

 

[DunePlodder]

I made the move a few months ago. It took a while to sort out the doses both for the Levemir & Humalog, but I'm now very pleased that I changed.
For me Levemir is much more predictable than Lantus was.

 

[tim2000s]

Hi @becky.ford93 , when I changed from Lantus to LEvemir, I wrote this topic on the experience: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/thr...pefully-providing-some-lessons-learned.70039/

Hopefully it will be of some use to you.

 

[becky.ford93]

Thank you all for the help!

I'm so nervous about the change but I'm hoping it will do good things in the long run. Just gotta take that leap of faith.

 

[himtoo]

hey becky
just keep posting with how you get on over the next few weeks
those basal / bolus ratios are a concern --
am available if you need !!


good to have you back on the team !!!!

 

[becky.ford93]

Thanks, yes they are bizarre aren't they!! I hate it because relying on my novorapid alone is giving me horrible post-meal spikes I'm nervous to know what my HBA1C will be in a couple of weeks!

 

[mist]

How do you all know so much about this, it's awesome!

 

[asparagusp]

Yes the unpredictability of Lantus - Can one split the dosage if need be?

 

[noblehead]

Yes the unpredictability of Lantus - Can one split the dosage if need be?

Yes you can, but it's advisable to do so under the supervision of your diabetes team if your unsure how to go about it.

I was just on a single dose of lantus but some members here have split-dosed theirs with their HCP's consent.

 

[asparagusp]

Yes of course Nobleman! Thanks!

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Yes, I believe Levemir is slightly more predictable than Lantus but doesn't last the 24 hours. I don't split it but take account of that in my evening Bolus (I take my Levemir at night). Yes, that Basal does sound very low compared with the total Bolus. My Levemir Basal is 13 once a day and my Bolus around 18 total per day. My BMI is good and note that excess weight will affect how well the insulin works.

 

[Donna1]

I did due to it bein shorter acting and for exercise purposes and the levemir did not suit me so i switched back but was an easy transition.