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Dawn phenomenon

amar1921

Well-Known Member
Messages
54
Location
Bosnia
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello,

I have this problem first time since i am back on insulin after honeymoon period. My morning readings are usually in 5's (never go over 6,5 mmol/l), but in last ten days everything changed. My readings started to be higher than usual, and in last 4 days it's over 8,0 and this morning it was 9,3 mmol/l. I wrote my readings before bedtime, at 3 a.m. and in the morning in last three days, and it looks like this :

Saturday : 11.30 p.m. - 5,9 mmol/l
3 a.m. - 5,2 mmol/l
7 a.m. - 8,7 mmol/l
Sunday : 11 p.m. - 5,6 mmol/l
3 a.m. - 5,0 mmol/l
8 a.m. - 8,4 mmol/l
Monday : 11 p.m. - 5,3 mmol/l
3 a.m. - 4,5 mmol/l
8 a.m. - 9,3 mmol/l

My before bedtime readings are normal, but obviously the problem is in the early morning hours.I am on pens (Lantus and Apidra) so i tried to rise my basal insulin, but it didn't help at all, and I had hypos during the day, so it's not solution. Are there any other ways to fix this problem or i should contact my diabetes team ?
 
Contact your team I would say. I am new to this so I haven't had a pattern like that, so I can't say what it might be but any time something changes I am on the phone to the nurse.
 
Your results look very much like mine would without the correct insulin dose. My blood sugars would rise in the second half of the night. However, unlike you I'm on an insulin pump. My basal rates can be varied over the day and night, avoiding hypos early on and increasing a lot to cover that Dawn Phenomen. I now wake up with great blood sugars and they stay constant over the night.

I don't know whether you would consider a pump?

If it's any consolation, I've seen far worse results than that so at least your insulin is covering it somewhat.
 
your pre bed and 3am results look very stable, to see whats going on afterwards maybe test at 4am for a few nights then 5am for the next few and then 6am instead of the 3am to see at what point your levels rise and to discount the possibility that you're going hypo between 3 and 8 with your liver churning out some glucose to compensate.

I get DP (unrelated to hypos) the only way I could fix it pre pump was on split doses levemir so if you can discount a mld hypo then maybe a change of regimen or insulin would be worth a try
 
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