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Insulin allergy - multiple insulins

hi there - feel really sorry for you. I have been T1 since 1948 and have been through the trauma of adverse reactions to a lot of the non-animal insulins over the years as I have changed location and different local health organisations have their own ideas. I agree that few people in the medical field even bother to look at animal insulins but I have been lucky and we do have the right to take our own decisions where possible on medication. I used to be on beef insulin since childhood until various changes in the 1980s (mad cow disease I think at fault here) and again when various hospitals tried to brind me up to date with new optionswith dissterous results such as sudden hypos, very high HBa1C (around the 17 mark) and problems with. tendons in most joints. Luckily I was once again allowed to revert to animal insulin earlier this century (thats dates me doesnt it?) and maintain my stance; although porcine is no longer available bovine neutral and isophane still around I feel fine on these and at my latest 12 month check by the consultant he said my Librelink readings were fine. I KNOW when I am heading down for a hypo and do not have any of the other allergic reactions which I have had to such as Lanctus and Acttrapid which badly affected my life, including my capability to drive. I am so pleased Wockhardt are stilll around - wonder whether they intend phasing the animalinsulins out as we oldies on animal insulin die off.............I am not joking - I am heading for 80 and honestly believe that if they cant make money from its manufacture those poor oldies left on the shelf who thrive on it, will soon be finished off. anyway. meantime do press to see if you can get transferred on to an animal insulin - it is well worth the try. Good luck
 

I would get in contact with the IDDT they should be able to advise you, there is a heath minister statement saying it is the patients choice so assert your rights
 

OOOO i have an insulin allergy...(I haven’t read all your mesg properly...didn’t understand some of the stuff...and im out walking the dog and cant concentrate proprerly but a friend saw your post and sent it to me!!)
they thought it was to an ingredient in insulin so have tried many...went to St Barts Hospital for allergy tests...turns out my immune system fought the insulin being injected into me (long story short, i had an operation that damaged my Vagus Nerve and it made my body attcak & kill my pancreas so now have to use insulin & Creon to function)
I did some research as its very rare...so much so i didnt get very far. Until I contacted insulin producers.
Back then about 2014/15 Novo Nordisk had just released new backround insulin called TRESIBA and fast acting immediate insulin FIASP and so far touch wood NO REACTIONS in these years
So felt i had to reply quickly without properly reading yr post ...as i know how hideous those great big painful welts can be and how long they take to go!
 
Hi I have had similar but with long acting insulin, I felt ill constantly tired even if I had slept well. I was on Lantus to start with sleeping a maximum of 3 hours a night and being constantly ill, then tresbia which started upsetting my stomach, gave me severe leg pain, tiredness and made my hair fall out. I had loads of tests done as doctors wouldn’t accept it being insulin. I was moved on to levimere didn’t want to eat not hungry at all, moody back to 3 hours sleep a night and still hypoing throughout the night. On an insulin pump now and it’s so much better sleeping 9 hours a night and I feel tired when I actually am tired
 
Hi - no allergy but I've been on porcine for all my time (37 years) except for 3 years on human insulin where I lost all hypo symptoms. It's still avalaible in the UK. I think only porcine as they stopped making the crystals for bovine. IDDT are great for info. I use it in a pump now and have pretty good control. It's not as fast as the human ones but it's reasonably reliable and you can get a good life on it. Good luck with solving this. If you want to pm me with more questions happy to try and answer them.
 
If the BG is constantly high around 250 to 400 is it allergic reaction while everything else are in place diet exercise and so on....
 
NeyDia said:
If the BG is constantly high around 250 to 400 is it allergic reaction while everything else are in place diet exercise and so on....
Click to expand...
Having constant highs sounds like you need to review your insulin dosage with your diabetes nurse or consultant.
 
I have trouble with Apidra. I have been diabetic since 1973 and started on porcine insulin with no trouble at all, followed by Humulin when analogue insulin came out. When I went on the Daphne course, I was persuaded to try Humalog, which after a few days, brought me out in big painful lumps at the injection sites. I was then put on Apidra and have been on this for about 4 yrs, Recently I am getting severe highs ad lows in my blood sugars (Inhave had a free style Libra for the past 9 months. I find that eating the same meals can sometimes give me a high or I can have a hypo within 1hour after eating. Also my insulin does not begin to lower bs until at least 2 hours and then it drops like a stone. I have mentioned this to my nurses on several occasions, but they seem to think I am miscalculating my doses, which I know I am not. Any advice would be extremely helpful.
 
Thank you SO much for all your kind words, advice and encouragement. It is a relief to know that 1. I'm not going mad and 2. That there are others in seemingly very similar situations. I think those who are suggesting a referral to immunology are on to something and I will contact my diabetes team in regards to this. The reactions do seem to be getting worse with each new insulin albeit sometimes being able to be on an insulin for years without reaction... And I am concerned as I was wheezy during my last reaction which indicates respiratory involvement and is all very scary. I'm in Bristol so my diabetes is managed by a large tertiary centre - which also happens to be the trust I am employed as a nurse. I do find it incredibly frustrating not being listened to and having my concerns minimised.

I had asked about animal insulin in the past and was told that this isn't prescribed any more so interesting that a few of you are on it! I have a bit of a mental block on having a pump as I'm just so used to doing injections - maybe stuck in my ways... and i've trialled a pump in the past and don't enjoy having it attached to me all the time. But of course, if this is the only way forward then I'd be open to it. I'm currently on a dexcom years trial (as part of a medical technology study) and it's been a godsend when getting used to multiple new insulins as it drives my sugars crazy. This is ending soon and I'll be back to libre.

Thanks again, it's very refreshing!

Lois x
 
Id maybe ask if you can try TRESIBA & FIASP as they are fairly new made with different ingredients to any of the other, good luck
 
Animal insulin is still available but you have to fight to get it. New doctors haven't even heard of it (my response to that statement was "read your text book") . Talk to iddt and look at their website. They are very helpful. Their mission is to preserve insulin choice so everyone has one that works for them.

And just to add I've been on injections for all except the last 5 yrs. Perfectly possible with animal insulin but they are slower response time than human.
 
The pump you need is an omnipod , there are no cables , it about the size of a cochroach and operates by bluetooth
 
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