How exactly does Lantus work?

[aphex2k]

I currently take 36u at around 11pm. I'm 6'1", about 12.5 stone and very active and on the go.

Been taking Lantus since I moved from a 2 injection regime to a 4 jab, around 7 years ago.... Never really thought about it. I know that it doesn't last 24 hours - more like 20.

Would it be better to have 2 doses of Lantus, say 16u at 11pm and 20u at 8am?

 

[ChezMorgan]

Personally , i tried splitting it and found it very difficult.
I am on Levimir now, but was on Lantus for 5 years and didnt get on well with it at all.
I used to take it at at 9pm --- that way it would run out at about 5pm the next day, when i was due my rapid insulin at tea time, which just about covered me ! not ideal but the best i could do on it.

 

[totsy]

I take lantus and was having awful hypos in the night so changed to taking my lantus on a morning,it seems to work better for me now,everyones different so just trial and error ,hope u work it out

 

[malky]

i was on levimir and after my last yearly check up they decide to change me to lantus as they said the levimir does not quite last 24 hours but the lantus does, it has never been suggested to me to split my lantus

 

[fergus]

I think you're right aphex, Lantus rarely works for 24 hours and also doesn't have a completely flat profile - it tails off at the end. Many people seem to find much better coverage if they split their doses approximately 50/50. It made a big difference to me when I did it - no more highs at bedtime or lows the next morning.

fergus

 

[IanD]

My blind friend Sarah - I've mentioned her & asked advice from time to time - was put on Lantus two years ago.

Her HBA on tablets was over 9, so the consultant changed medication & started her on glargine (lantus) at 6 units in the morning. He made an appointment for 12 months! (Irresponsible in my NSHO.) The nurses check BG & inject at 9-10 a.m. daily. I test on Sundays after church.

We never see a reading below 8 (when they test before b'fast) & often 12-20, occasionally above 20. The nurses get cross when I write my reading in their book.

Unsurprisingly, her next HBA was over 12 & six monthly tests since have been 11-12. Glargine dose has been increased in steps of 2 from 6 to 30. Last Sunday afternoon, 5 hours after a light lunch, her BG was 19.4. She only allowed me to test on condition I did not write in the book. I got her to promise to report the reading to the nurses.

It seems obvious to me that LANTUS DOESN'T WORK in her case. They are afraid of hypos, & I think of nurse visiting more than once a day. Her carer doesn't read English nor Punjabi, & did tests but read the meter upside down on occasions. That got a reading of 5.2!

She has no complications & generally feels well apart from chronic tiredness. She normally falls asleep during our sermons & in the car. (Blindness was due to glaucoma when she was a PhD student in Delhi.)

 

[Trinkwasser]

I think you're right aphex, Lantus rarely works for 24 hours and also doesn't have a completely flat profile - it tails off at the end. Many people seem to find much better coverage if they split their doses approximately 50/50. It made a big difference to me when I did it - no more highs at bedtime or lows the next morning.

fergus

It seems to work for 24 hours and even longer for some people but may only last 16 or so in others. I've met many people who use split doses for that very reason, and sometimes an assymetric split. Also someone who used lantus in the morning and NPH in the evening to cover the tail (until he went back on the pump)

 

[derailleurs]

Hi

I now take Lantus twice a day - 14 units in the morning and 14 before bed. This seems perfect for me. Another poster mentioned about having had hypos due to the fact that they took Lantus in the evening - I had exactly the same problem and my doctor suggested moving it on to the morning.

If you want to change your dosage, talk to your doctor first. You should do it little by little and wait for a two or three of days in between before moving to the next level so that your body gets used to it.