• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

How early before your meal do you inject?

ewelina said:
I don't know what we would do without this forum. Its rather sad we cant rely on nhs advice :(
Click to expand...

I concur, so glad I found this forum. Insulin use is a theory. I don't understand how Dr's can 'prescribe' an insulin dose without knowing what we are eating!
I never would have known to try taking insulin a few minutes before I eat and what a difference!
 
Depends on your sensitivity. Type of insulin and what you eat really... I'm using novorapid and I inject just after I eat as I have a strange appetite and sometimes don't eat as much as I'm going to, does matter too much since novorapid works so quickly but with a low gi meal I will leave it up to 30 mins before injecting aftrr my meal, speak to your specialist is always the best answer though x
 
I take one unit Novolog o I can't be off too far no matter what I do. All my meals are low GI but taking it 10 min before meals makes a good difference. No problem. I test, take it and make my meal, clean up a bit and then time to eat!
I am thinking the nuts I was eating were causing issues as well, I started injecting early and have no need for nuts anymore for snacks. I think they caused lots of hunger.

Doing much better now thanks to all your help
 
hadisami8 said:
I'm having a bit of trouble with the timing of my boluses. I know it depends on what you're eating, but say if my meal contains rice or potatoes or any simple carb like that, should i inject about 5-10 mins earlier than when i eat?
Diabetic nurses always told me just do it immediately before you eat, but this is clearly wrong as sometimes when i test like 45 mins after my blood is at 9 because the food must've raised my blood sugar faster than the novarapid could lower it. How do you guys deal with the timing?
Click to expand...
All I can say is what works for me! I bolus (novo) around BF but about 5 minutes before lunch and tea. Checking levels 2 hours post allows me to add an extra bolus when necessary. Might sound like a bit " hit or miss " but it works for me. Good luck
 
Tim1958 said:
All I can say is what works for me! I bolus (novo) around BF but about 5 minutes before lunch and tea. Checking levels 2 hours post allows me to add an extra bolus when necessary. Might sound like a bit " hit or miss " but it works for me. Good luck
Click to expand...

I too check 2.5 to 3 hours after BF and take a small correction if need be. Generally I don't need to test between Lunch and dinner or dinner and bed unless I feel weird. BF is and always has been an issue for me so I always test in between BF and L .
 
I never seem to know what I am going to eat so carb counting and dosage can only be achieved once I have obtained my food. I have a very stressful job and making sure I have the correct carb intake cannot always be pre- planned I am on Apidra Solo Star and Lantus for my background.
 
@LucySW, I've almost never heard an HCP discuss bg variation in tandem with complications, despite a growing body of evidence that this is a considerable factor in some complications.
 
LucySW said:
But then you don't avoid the post-meal spike. Then you get the BG variation, and inconsistency.
Click to expand...
I must admit BG reading go high after my meal. My Insulin doesn't usually kick in until about 2 hours after my meal. Trouble is some times I don't know how many carbs I will take until after I have eaten, so awkward to take insulin before I eat.
 
wilsonP said:
I must admit BG reading go high after my meal. My Insulin doesn't usually kick in until about 2 hours after my meal. Trouble is some times I don't know how many carbs I will take until after I have eaten, so awkward to take insulin before I eat.
Click to expand...


A way round that problem is to split-dose, take a small amount prior to eating then the rest after you've finished the meal and worked out the carb value, by injecting some upfront will reduce the postprandial spike but won't prevent it.
 
wilsonP said:
I must admit BG reading go high after my meal. My Insulin doesn't usually kick in until about 2 hours after my meal. Trouble is some times I don't know how many carbs I will take until after I have eaten, so awkward to take insulin before I eat.
Click to expand...
What about some regular consistent meals - breakfasts/lunches? That would make it easier for you. Someone on here said they don't mind boring lunches and breakfasts, so long as they can have a more fun evening meal.

I never intended it that way, but that's in fact what I do. I always have eggs for breakfast (you can make them so many ways, I'll never find it boring) and a salad with a bit of chicken or smoked mackerel or sth similar at lunch. That means I really know how my body is going to react.

BG consistency really does need to be taken seriously. Lots of people don't seem to know that BG swings are very very bad for the development of complications, esp for the eyes. It really is something people should google. That alone is why uploading your BG numbers to a computer and running the standard deviation is worth while. You want SD of less than a third of the mean. (That right, Tim?) It matters.
 
LucySW said:
@superdom, HbA1c is one indication, but consistency is just as important and may be more so. Lots of evidence that it's swings in BG that cause the complications. Masses around to read on that subject. Monitoring your standard deviation may be the best thing you can do for yourself.
Click to expand...

That sounds far too complex and boring for me to fulfil LucySW. I let my diabetes run my life to a certain extent, but am not planning on studying everything I do, eat, dream about. Just not got the time nor inclination.
 
That's your choice and your responsibility, of course. Good luck with it.

But people ought to know about the issue.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Lucy I do the same thing. BF was intentional because it is the most difficult one for me to keep steady and feel satisfied. I have about 2/3 avocado with celery sticks around 8 and it holds me until 1. Lunch and dinner are the same macros day to day. I mix up the proteins and veggies and seasonings and nothing is boring. My eyes tend to be bigger than my stomach so this helps that as well. I use smaller plates as my measuring tools and I can predict approx. where BS will be.
My eyes are where I feel fluctuations, even only 10 pts. I have no idea how people can stand going up and down or how they can't feel it.
 
I have found for me before breakfast about 15 mins, as long as my sugar level was over 8 If it is lower than 6 then less than 4 mins. But evening meal is just before my meal. I am on Humalog insulin which is a fast acting one. But I got to these figures by slowly changing them by no more than 1 minute at a time.Think it better to slowly adjust. Take care dont do anything drastic. Probably better to discuss with your health team as altering can make a big difference.
 
What I can say from my own experience using Libre sensors, which are really a continuous glucose meter, is that it usually takes 30-40 mins before my Novorapid starts to shift my BG down. That's from looking at the numbers - the sensor readings - later on the computer.

So if I time my QA right, I can see that I've successfully managed to completely avoid the post-meal spike. That's my goal.

Of course I don't always manage that. But I can see from the figures that I can. And that is the single best improvement in mean BG and in A1c that I can manage.

Just saying - what we are usually told about QA starting to work in 15 minutes isn't, in my experience, correct. I presume that figure came from the manufacturers. I don't know and it doesn't matter. But actual CGM monitoring has shown in my case that it's 30-35 mins, not 15.

Just saying this to be clear.
 
Back
Top