Ineffective insulin virals?

BobbyD said:

Hi this is my first post
Quick question does anyone experience their insulin having little effect. I take normal amounts then find myself really high and use correctional doses but to no avail ie had a small snack last night woke up this morning at 16.8. Took correctional doses but nothing really happening so taking more correctional TIL eventually numbers come down. Had tea this evening took normal amounts and sitting at 21 and going up an hour or so later. Took highish correctional doses but little happening. Now this doesn’t happen very often but still does and is very annoying, worrying and sore. Would like to know if others experience this. I started new viral 3 days ago and all seemed fine but just occassionaly I wonder if it’s the actual insulin?

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Hi,

Welcome to the forum. What took you so long to post?

What insulin/s are prescribed? I find consistently that Lantus (basal) can act like I never injected about half way 2/3rds down a random cartridge. Till I change it..

BobbyD said:

Hi this is my first post
Quick question does anyone experience their insulin having little effect. I take normal amounts then find myself really high and use correctional doses but to no avail ie had a small snack last night woke up this morning at 16.8. Took correctional doses but nothing really happening so taking more correctional TIL eventually numbers come down. Had tea this evening took normal amounts and sitting at 21 and going up an hour or so later. Took highish correctional doses but little happening. Now this doesn’t happen very often but still does and is very annoying, worrying and sore. Would like to know if others experience this. I started new viral 3 days ago and all seemed fine but just occassionaly I wonder if it’s the actual insulin?

Click to expand...

Hey.

I am on Novorapid myself and having similar issues at the moment.

But I honestly have doubts that it is the insulin itself. I used to have similar issues with Fiasp and I got scared that its not working and switched to Novorapid. The issue still happens from time to time.

Personally I figure its a few things having an affect on that for me personally at least:

- Amounts of stress
- Amounts physical activity
- Wake up time / Bed time
- Lack of basal
- General mood (Insulin tends to work better when I am happy but I feel like thats also to do with stress)
- Whether I have a cold or something

To be completely honest I feel like there could be hundreds of things that could cause this and usually it may be a combination of a few.

I can't really suggest much cuz I am still working on this myself. But lowering stress levels, doing physical activity definitely helps.

Hope you found some help from my answer!

Something like this is happening to me right now. For weeks my dose of Lantus was 55u in the morning, 55u at night. Two weeks ago, some switch flipped, and I am now taking 64 units THREE times a day with an extra 30 units when the sugars go above 300 and it just seems like it is doing nothing.

Welcome to the forums. I also find that when starting a new pen, that insulin is not coming out the needle. I usually do 2 or 3 test squirts of 3 units of insulin before I see insulin coming out the needle. Then, knowing the needle is clear, I inject what I need. I always do this test for each new needle even if the pen is not new, just to make sure, but for a not-new pen usually only one test squirt is needed. Seems perhaps like a waste of insulin, but I want to be sure.
Do you count carbs and base the amount of rapid-acting insulin on that? Or do you take set doses of rapid-acting?

EllieM said:

As @Jaylee suggested earlier in this thread, have you tried changing the lantus cartridge?

Is lantus your only insulin or are you taking a fast acting one as well? I wouldn't expect lantus to be particularly effective as a correction dose for highs (disclaimer I am T1 not T2 ) because it is a 24 hour insulin so it is not going to act that rapidly....

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This comes in pens and since I am flying through them at this dose, I've gone through many pens.

I'm not worries about highs right now. I am just working on my fasting number.