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Coming off insulin?

debs g

Member
Hi, I am currently using 32 units of Humulin3 twice a day and still having spikes. I feel the best control i had was right at the start when I was on metformin and gliclazide. Is it possible to come back off insulin and return to gliclazide? anyone else had experience of this please?
 
Nope I use basal bolus which is 2 injections of long acting and 3 of short actings alongside low carbing. I think your insulin is a mixed insulin, is that right? Does it contain some short and some long acting insulin? It doesn't give you much control and if you are eating a high carb diet, it won't be controlling spikes very effectively.

Ali
 
Looked it up and you get 30% quick acting and 70% slow acting with your insulin. So the quick acting is not sufficient to cover the carbs/sugar in your meal in other words. It might be worth talking to your GP about the alternatives or a mix that is 50/50 perhaps. Basal/bolus will give you the best match of carbs to insulin.

Either that or you cut your carbs until the spikes have gone.

Ali
 
Thanks for the replies, I spoke to the practice nurse this morning, and she is going to consult with the dsn tommorow and give me a call. She thinks that having more insulin or changing my regime will be the recommended way forward.
 
debs g said:
Thanks for the replies, I spoke to the practice nurse this morning, and she is going to consult with the dsn tommorow and give me a call. She thinks that having more insulin or changing my regime will be the recommended way forward.
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Having more of the same regime of insulin is (in my layperson's opinion) not likely to be the best way forward. Changing your regime may well be. Looking at your eating patterns is also important. What sorts of foods are you eating?
 
CatLadyNZ said:
Having more of the same regime of insulin is (in my layperson's opinion) not likely to be the best way forward. Changing your regime may well be. Looking at your eating patterns is also important. What sorts of foods are you eating?
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I have a virtually sugar free diet, but, on advice from the dsn, carbs with every meal. I know many folk favour low carb diet.
 
debs g said:
I have a virtually sugar free diet, but, on advice from the dsn, carbs with every meal. I know many folk favour low carb diet.
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You might be interested in reading this thread and article in the Daily Mail this week:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/word-is-reaching-the-mainstream.83620/

Carbs with every meal is guaranteed to raise your BG and keep it high. Unfortunately most NHS nurses are repeating the advice they have been given, but that advice is now found to be incorrect.
 
debs g said:
Thanks for that CatLadyNZ, a very interesting article that I will discuss with my nurse.x
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As I understand it, @CollieBoy came off insulin as his control improved. I'm sure there are others too, but this moment, I can't think of any.

I do believe a very good eating regime is at the heart of it all for those who are able to come off insulin.

@CollieBoy - apologies for tagging you, and thanks, in anticipation for your input to the OP.
 
@AndBreathe Thanks for tagging me on this, as I'm always glad to help
@debs g, My route from Insulin, back through gliclazide, to Diet & Exercise, was slightly different as I was on Basal & Bolus insulin (Lantus & Novorapid) rather than a mixed insulin like Humulin M3, so I could tune my doses to give a tailored exit strategy. I trimmed off both insulins then went down to just basal thencame off to gliclazide, first 80mg then 40mg then finally 20mg. I found that using the 40mg tablets, in conjunction with a pill cutter, allowed me to get dosages right! (One thing that I found was that in the final days of minimal gliclazide, a 20mg (half a 40mg)would give my pancreas a "kick2 that made my responses improve for several days!
@debs g,
I would suggest that you get yourself onto a basal & bolus insulin regime and this could allow you to tune out the spikes in your B.G. and then you may be able to get back to gliclazide, if not at least you may be on insulin with more flexible control.

Good Luck!
 

Thanks CollieBoy - I sort of remembered that, but there's nothing like experience from someone who has walked the walk.
 
Suzannelife said:
Come back off it? You should manage your diabetes using healthy diet and proper exercise.
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Unfortunately what somebody should do can be very different to what they can do. The OP has a health issue that restricts her ability to exercise plus, for various reasons, there is sometimes no other option for somebody with T2 to go onto insulin despite eating a healthy diet.
 
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