Do I take big doses?

I carb count and do not follow a low carb diet.
In the 15 years I have had t1, it is rare for me to take doses as high as yours.
However, it depends what I eat. If I ate pizza every night, I would be taking high doses.

@ruby_jane26 Everybody is different, and comparing your doses to that of other people isn't helpful. At the end of the day, you take what you need to take to keep yourself well. That said, you may find your doses come down when you start carb counting.

Personally, carb counting, my tresiba is at 22, my breakfast dose is normally around 2 (I only have plain yoghurt), then lunch can be anywhere from around 10 - 15, dinner about 8 - 15, depending on what I am having.

Nobody here can advise you on doses, but I think you should talk to your DSN, as having multiple lows a day suggests that you are taking too much.

If your hypoimg you’re probably taking too much insulin. We don’t want to feel insulin by hypos and eating. I’d talk to your dsn until you get to your course. Hypos are not good for us

I don’t take nearly that amount but I’m vlc and take what I need to cover my food. We all, on insulin, need to eat and take doses for what we eat. Not too much and not too little.

ruby_jane26 said:

Hi I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes after having DKA and spending time in the hospital. Anwayss... im still on fixed doses (until my carb counting course) and they are currently 8 units at breakfast, 8 for lunch and 11 at dinner time. I am on novorapid in the daytime. I am on 30 units of tresiba at bedtime.

Please bare in mind i am 17 and lead an active lifestyle. I experience multiple low blood sugars a day. I know its still early days and that my doses need to be corrected slowly but did any of you ever have doses this large? I see people on these forums talk about having doses as low as 3 and 4.

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Hi @ruby_jane26 ,

Welcome to the forum.

Comparing the insulin "meerkat" is not what diabetes management is about...
It's about a bespoke regime for you.!

As you mentioned "early days" recently diagnosed. You could still be in the "honeymoon" phase?
This next bit may sound "patronising." (It's realy not the intention.) but as a teen, hormones come into play that may also be throwing you around the shop a bit too? I by no means meant that as gender specific either.. As a young guy I had my fair share of it too!

Sorting out insulin levels needs to be started from the ground up, with the basal. (Or background insulin.) which with you is the treshiba... Here's a link on basal testing. https://mysugr.com/basal-rate-testing/

I can't stress this enough. Work with your HCPs on this.. Log your diet, insulin & BS (even activity levels?) to help your consultants build up a picture.

Kind regards.

J>

ruby_jane26 said:

... im still on fixed doses (until my carb counting course) and they are currently 8 units at breakfast, 8 for lunch and 11 at dinner time.

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You might want to have a look at the NHS free online carb counting course while you wait - https://www.bertieonline.org.uk - I think there's also a version for adolescents if you have a look on the site.

ruby_jane26 said:

I experience multiple low blood sugars a day.

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Ruby, if you're getting multiple lows, it strongly suggests that your set doses are too high for the amount you're eating. Definitely discuss it with your dsn who can then give advice on adjusting the doses.

Don't compare numbers: some need 1 unit for every 10 grams, some less, some more. There's no one size fits all.

I was DKA at dx too, and until I got over that really wasn't able to be that active, so I wonder if your docs have set your levels based on you not being too active immediately after dx, but now you're active again, the amount of exercise will play a big part in the size of dose. Your body has ways of using glucose with less insulin if you're exercising so it affects how much insulin to take.

It won't always be like this - set doses can be quite restrictive, but once you get into the carb counting, you'll be able to look at any meal and say, aye, ok, I reckon I'll need x units for that.

That responsibility can be a bit scary to begin with, like driving a car on your own for the first time after passing your test, but it gives a lot of freedom - if you end up taking a gap year, you'll be able to pitch up at any meal anywhere on the planet and even if it's not in Carbs & Cals have a reasonable stab at figuring out how much is needed for it.

Good luck!

I was diagnosed over a year ago I was just entering DKA I know how it feel. If you are are having lows quite a lot the maybe your on the wrong insulin for for you I’ve been on two different one and just been moved to a new regime where I you humalog 25 and novo mix 30 it might be worth asking the team or you Diabetic doctor.

ruby_jane26 said:

Hi I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes after having DKA and spending time in the hospital. Anwayss... im still on fixed doses (until my carb counting course) and they are currently 8 units at breakfast, 8 for lunch and 11 at dinner time. I am on novorapid in the daytime. I am on 30 units of tresiba at bedtime.

Please bare in mind i am 17 and lead an active lifestyle. I experience multiple low blood sugars a day. I know its still early days and that my doses need to be corrected slowly but did any of you ever have doses this large? I see people on these forums talk about having doses as low as 3 and 4.

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Ive been carb counting since september when I was diagnosed (im 15) and i almost always take higher doses then you, and the doctors dont want to increase my dose even though im a bit high sometimes! I often take injections of 25+ and sometimes even 30+ even though my pen only goes to 30. I also take 20 units of lantus at bed time.
seriously dont worry though, everyones body and so injections will be different.

On average I usually take about 50-60 units of novo rapid a day, however I am carb counting on the pump if your having frequent hypos then your probably on too much insulin, I was on tresiba and novorapid before my pump it gave me amazing results on my sugars. Talk to your nurse or doctor about it and see what they think! Hope this helped I’m only 14 so still learning haha! X

I've been diagnosed T1 for about 6 months now and only recently has my endocrinologist given me the green light to stop taking insulin after experiencing several hypos a day whilst eating 150g+ carbs and taking at most 3 units of Novorapid per meal. Every body is different so do not think that one particular dosage is too much, the right amount of insulin to take is the amount that keeps you balanced.

That being said, hypos can be very dangerous in both the short and long term so making sure that you eat enough to keep your glucose levels in target are incredibly important. If it is so bad that you are feeling low often then you should immediately see your doctor and seek some time with your endocrinologist to discuss your options for alternate treatment. IMHO I think set doses of insulin aren't a good idea however I seem to be quite sensitive to it at this stage of my diabetes.

Ethanw57 said:

I've been diagnosed T1 for about 6 months now and only recently has my endocrinologist given me the green light to stop taking insulin after experiencing several hypos a day whilst eating 150g+ carbs and taking at most 3 units of Novorapid per meal. Every body is different so do not think that one particular dosage is too much, the right amount of insulin to take is the amount that keeps you balanced.

That being said, hypos can be very dangerous in both the short and long term so making sure that you eat enough to keep your glucose levels in target are incredibly important. If it is so bad that you are feeling low often then you should immediately see your doctor and seek some time with your endocrinologist to discuss your options for alternate treatment. IMHO I think set doses of insulin aren't a good idea however I seem to be quite sensitive to it at this stage of my diabetes.

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Are you still considered T1?

ruby_jane26 said:

Thanks guys, I've been carb counting for quite a while now so I no longer have fixed doses. I do still experience some hypos but I suppose that is normal.

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yeah, you will definitely have a lot of hypos , I know i do, until the doctors can get your doses just right.

knipster said:

Are you still considered T1?

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Sure am, still have the nasties that attack the pancreas. Just early enough that I'm still producing enough insulin to cover my strict diet

Ethanw57 said:

Sure am, still have the nasties that attack the pancreas. Just early enough that I'm still producing enough insulin to cover my strict diet

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youre honestly so lucky, i have to take doses for everything - and apparently quite big ones too!

knipster said:

youre honestly so lucky, i have to take doses for everything - and apparently quite big ones too!

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It's not as easy as it sounds. I'm counting the days until I can get back onto insulin (it's only a matter of time before I stop producing insulin) so I can just eat food instead of restricting my meals to x amount of carbs.

If you want to take less insulin, have a chat with your doctor about starting an exercise regime to help increase your sensitivity to insulin (ALWAYS see a doctor before starting out exercise as T1, you would be surprised about what it takes to bring on a hypo). I lead a fairly active lifestyle, but my BGL soars when I've had a few days off, and dips really hard when I've had some more intense periods of exercise.

'big' doses are not a bad thing in T1, but requiring less insulin usually goes hand in hand with a lower BGL, which can be a good thing

I take 36 units of lantus a day, and novorapid with meals dose depends on carb intake