increased insulin increased adrenaline

[megan]

just wanted to ask..... this feeling had improved for a while.....but today my blood was at 7 midmorning..... i felt a little shaky but thought i'd just ride through it and see what happened. i had a visit to the diabetes nurse and dietician. whilst there i mentioned this, they didn't really understand.

this feeling stayed for about an hour. my usual sort of palpatations, shaky, week, high adrenaline feeling.
then predictably i felt sleepy.

the nurse said that she felt i am on too much insulin. my basal alone is nearly the total daily dose on insulin i should be on apparently....i am on 30 at night and 22 in the morning of basal before novorapid.

she said that this would mess up all sorts of things for me and my hormones would be trying to cope with all the extra insulin and amongst other things i would get increased adrenaline.

so by lunch time my blood sugars were up to 10.2....
for no apparent reason than the adrenaline.....i then got what i call a post adrenaline head ache and sleepiness.......

anyone else get this or understand it

 

[noblehead]

megan,

You can get 'false hypo's' at lower levels when your bg has been running high for a long time but it's unusual for someone to feel it at 7mmol, with regards to your insulin requirements did your nurse not make any suggestions on how to approach this?

Nigel

 

[donnellysdogs]

So if your total background basal slow acting insulin is 52 units-how much on an average do you give yourself on a daily amount for your quick acting novorapid.

It may well be that you are getting high's due to the balance being wrong.....there is no maximum and minimum daily doses of insulin...don't forget we are all individuals....I know of at least 2 fellow pumpers that are my size (although I don't know their weights!!) and we all have different levels of basal and bolus regimes....some like me need more because of other medication I am on....some need less because they run marathons......etc....

 

[janabelle]

Hi Megan
I think you're nurse is confused or just talking through her backside as diabetes specialists are extremely prone to; adrenaline is produced when you're body is in a panic state ie; hypo. When your nurse says you're on too much insulin, she probably thought you were hypo at the time you were experiencing the symptoms, but you've stated you were not.
Jus :?

 

[phoenix]

Sorry, just a few thoughts and nothing 'in stone'
Adrenaline (and other hormones ) are released in panic situations or when more glucose is needed in a hurry by the body. (fight or flight).These hormones in turn stimulate glucagon which will cause a release of glucose from the liver to fuel the expected energy expenditure. This causes higher glucose levels .
This doesn't necessarily occur just when you're hypo. Personally, my highest glucose levels the last 6 years occurred after being scared stiff, driving in heavy snow on snow chains.
Normally adrenaline will cause insulin levels to fall but this is not possible when insulin is injected, so perhaps (not sure) if insulin levels do not fall in response then this could cause a further release of adrenaline/glucagon/gluose.
If these hormones are 'out of balance, I can see how a rollercoaster could arise.The symptoms you describe are those I read of too much adrenaline being released.
So, for the moment, I would listen to your nurse. Find out how she suggests you should lower your insulin and let her work with you.


.

 

[megan]

basal insulin has now been lowered from 52 to 30 to 24......results are still not good....DSN doesn't know whats going on

 

[Pneu]

sounds to me like you have been running high blood sugars and you now are getting these under control. It is therefore likely that you are getting hypo symptoms at none hypo blood glucose levels this is totally normal... when I first began to re-control my blood sugars I would 'hypo' at 8 - 10 mmol/l!!

It's difficult to judge if the amount of background insulin you are taking is excessive.. I take around 70 - 80 units a day but then I am a large lad 85Kg and close on 2m tall.

I would suggest maybe looking at a change of background insulin... its not a one fits all policy... I was on 200+ units a day of Levemir! but only need 70 odd insulated so you may be resistant to the particular type of insulin your on.

 

[megan]

thanks for the response....but my blood sugars have not improved...they are awful......i was on hypurin bovine isophane....years ago i was on glargine then on levemir for sometime...been on the hypurin for just over a year...now back on the glargine for just over a month.

had doses of it ranging from 40 down to 22
none of it working
wondered if the adrenals are out of sink

 

[iHs]

Megan

If your glargine dose has now been reduced to about 22u per day, what is the amount of your average daily bolus? Is that also 22u or near it?

 

[megan]

no, my novo rapid is based on 1.5 units per 10g....so i am having about 24 ish of that a day for my meals, but a similar amount just for correctionals!.....so on some days my total insulin is in the 50's and then other days its in the 70's plus

 

[iHs]

Are you using the same carb ratio 1.5u per 10g for all your meals? Loads of people use different ratios at different times of the day.

Do you know how to adjust your ratios according to what bg levels you want to achieve?