How Many Units Of Insulin For You

[alimar77]

A personal question perhaps, but I’m curious as to what insulin units you do!

I restarted insulin, am using Tresiba (long-acting) and NovoRapid, after a five year gap. The diabetes clinic just gave me free reign on how many units I could use. They started me on 32 Tresiba but I’m up to 60 and have remained on that for the last week.

I use NovoRapid at 30 Breakfast, 40 lunch and 40 to 50 evening. I only have two coffee’s with milk for breakfast. My BGs are still rising during the early morning and I’m reluctant to increase it by more!

Diet is hit and miss, with room for improvement.

 

[Antje77]

A personal question perhaps, but I’m curious as to what insulin units you do!

I restarted insulin, am using Tresiba (long-acting) and NovoRapid, after a five year gap. The diabetes clinic just gave me free reign on how many units I could use. They started me on 32 Tresiba but I’m up to 60 and have remained on that for the last week.

I use NovoRapid at 30 Breakfast, 40 lunch and 40 to 50 evening. I only have two coffee’s with milk for breakfast. My BGs are still rising during the early morning and I’m reluctant to increase it by more!

Diet is hit and miss, with room for improvement.

It really is highly personal how much we need, whatever works is the right amount.

But to answer your question, I use between 98 and 130 units of basal, but my bolus depends on what I eat.
I eat relatively low carb so I use less bolus than you do, usually some 15 to 35 units a day, although it can be as little as 10 or as much as 65 over the day.

I need to take some bolus insulin for getting out of bed too, regardless of breakfast/coffee etc.

Have you done any basal testing to see if your basal keeps you more or less level without food (except perhaps for that morning rise)?

 

[EllieM]

Hi @alimar77 it would be interesting to know what type of diabetes you have, as insulin resistance and production of endogenous insulin can make a huge difference.

As a childhood T1 who presumably makes very little of her own insulin after 53 years of injections I am currently on abiut 40 units a day, evenly split between basal and bolus, but I am on lowish carb and my insulin needs to vary quite a bit depending on weight, diet and exercise.

They make x3 and x5 strength insulins for very insulin resistance diabetics (usually T2s?) so some people need literally 100s of units a day. Other folk can be on less than 10 units, so there is no right answer here.

 

[Zhnyaka]

16 units of basal and 4-12 units of bolus per meal, depending on what I eat. It's really very individual

 

[alimar77]

Have you done any basal testing to see if your basal keeps you more or less level without food (except perhaps for that morning rise)?

I’ve not tried that, but I will, it’s a good idea. I know I have the dawn Phenomenon where my BGs rise in the early hours even when I’ve not eaten for like 9 hours!

 

[alimar77]

Hi @alimar77 it would be interesting to know what type of diabetes you have, as insulin resistance and production of endogenous insulin can make a huge difference.

As a childhood T1 who presumably makes very little of her own insulin after 53 years of injections I am currently on abiut 40 units a day, evenly split between basal and bolus, but I am on lowish carb and my insulin needs to vary quite a bit depending on weight, diet and exercise.

They make x3 and x5 strength insulins for very insulin resistance diabetics (usually T2s?) so some people need literally 100s of units a day. Other folk can be on less than 10 units, so there is no right answer here.

I should of said, type 2 for 18 years, I was 27 when I got diagnosed and overweight. I’m still overweight but down 50kg and have managed to keep it off for several years but the insulin regime is making me gain weight!

 

[In Response]

The right amount of insulin is the amount you need.
This is dependent on many things including your weight, your diet, how much exercise you do, how your insulin is given and your insulin resistance.
I am slim, very active with an insulin pump and i do not restrict my carbs at all. Twenty years after my Type 1 diagnosis, I take a total of about 30;units a day split between basal and bolus. On this regime, I maintain an HbA1C around 45 with TIR around 85%.
But I strongly advise you against doing a comparison. Your dose is your dose because your body and your lifestyle is your body and your lifestyle. We are different so need different amount of insulin.

 

[Antje77]

I should of said, type 2 for 18 years, I was 27 when I got diagnosed and overweight

It can be helpful to fill out your profile to say T2 and insulin, that way it will be visible at a glance with any post you make.
If you don't mind of course, but type and treatment makes quite a difference in the replies.

 

[SimonP78]

As others have said, it's completely individual, but to add to the list I typically take 18 units of basal and ~24 units of bolus for ~250g carbs a day (according to Tidepool). It does vary, especially the quantity of carbs and bolus (from 165g to 365g carbs from a quick glance at recent weeks, generally with bolus scaling up accordingly unless I'm eating more because I'm exercising more in which case both basal and bolus will go down).

I have a "dawn effect" rise when I get out of bed + a few cups of coffee first thing which requires ~3U bolus to cover it (most days, though sometimes more is needed)