Insulin Side effects Cost Benefit

[JTym]

I am looking for input from anyone living a similar active life. I find medications are hindering,not helping.Generally worse off and I am told people should generally feel better on meds.

Latest Meds tried..Humalin,Novarapid and Lantus Glargine

Negative side effects (depending on the insulin):confusion,loss of coordination ,apathy,tired,black bags under the eyes,tight wrists and ankles

...and never really reading any low hypoglycemic numbers on the meter

My activities:

Technical Work/Self Employed,reasonable amount stress but enjoyable challenge

Drums,Guitar,Running and walking

Original diabetic symptoms are long gone through diet change .Now just worried about good numbers,mild neuropathy,

If anyone has any similar experience and possible remedy please advise.thanx

 

[Zhnyaka]

if you really have T1 and not T2, then without medication you will simply die. Of course, insulin, like any medications, has side effects, but with T1 there are no alternatives to insulin at all, although your symptoms (especially confusion) are more like an incorrect dosage of the drug. What is your bg? Often the body just needs to get used to the fact that bg has become normal after prolonged hyperglycemia, but if you can keep bg normal without insulin, it's not like T1

 

[Antje77]

I find medications are hindering,not helping.Generally worse off and I am told people should generally feel better on meds.

Original diabetic symptoms are long gone through diet change .

Hi @JTym , welcome to the forum.
Any particular reason why you feel those symptoms have gone due to diet change and not because of the insulin?

Your profile says you're T1, is that correct?
T1 means you don't produce insulin, or early in diagnosis you still produce some but not enough.
We need insulin to live, so if we don't produce it ourselves the only choices are between injecting insulin or dying.

Negative side effects (depending on the insulin):confusion,loss of coordination ,apathy,tired,black bags under the eyes,tight wrists and ankles

Those are unusual side effects from insulin as far as I know, although the first two can be associated with lows. Do you test your blood glucose as soon as you experience symptoms like confusion or loss of coordination?

How long have you been on insulin, what are your numbers like throughout the day?

 

[EllieM]

Hi @JTym and welcome to the forums.

As @Zhnyaka and @Antje77 said, T1s need insulin, because we don't produce any of our own (edited to add: though many T1s still produce some insulin in the early stages of the disease)

T2 is more complicated (in my opinion) because their issue is usually insulin resistance, and some end up taking insulin to supplement their own rather than because they don't produce any. (Though long term T2s can also end up with reduced insulin production so I don't want to make any assumptions here).

There are also other types of diabetes and people do occasionally get misdiagnosed with the wrong type....

 

[Jaylee]

I am looking for input from anyone living a similar active life. I find medications are hindering,not helping.Generally worse off and I am told people should generally feel better on meds.

Latest Meds tried..Humalin,Novarapid and Lantus Glargine

Negative side effects (depending on the insulin):confusion,loss of coordination ,apathy,tired,black bags under the eyes,tight wrists and ankles

...and never really reading any low hypoglycemic numbers on the meter

My activities:

Technical Work/Self Employed,reasonable amount stress but enjoyable challenge

Drums,Guitar,Running and walking

Original diabetic symptoms are long gone through diet change .Now just worried about good numbers,mild neuropathy,

If anyone has any similar experience and possible remedy please advise.thanx

Hi @JTym ,

Welcome to the forum. How long have you been diagnosed?

I’m a little older than you profile age. Been T1 as a kid. Same insulin as you. Work full time. & a member of 2 bands.
Found myself borderline burnt out nearly 30 years ago putting in hours 7 days a week.

I can appreciate running one’s own business takes full attention to keep going…
What’s the hypo situation like regarding the Lantus & Novorapid?

Easier said than done. But I found a saner “work life” balance worked for me.

 

[JTym]

Hi @JTym ,

Welcome to the forum. How long have you been diagnosed?

I’m a little older than you profile age. Been T1 as a kid. Same insulin as you. Work full time. & a member of 2 bands.
Found myself borderline burnt out nearly 30 years ago putting in hours 7 days a week.

I can appreciate running one’s own business takes full attention to keep going…
What’s the hypo situation like regarding the Lantus & Novorapid?

Easier said than done. But I found a saner “work life” balance worked for me.

Hi Jaylee

thanx for the

Yes I hear you with the bands and work burnout.I actually Quit gigging 3-4 years ago and picked up guitar ...write,record and practice/play way more then when gigging...and get the sleep i need

diagnosed T2 in 2016...then an uncovincing diagnosis of T1 almost 2 years ago

Lantus although makes me sleep..pretty useless up to 24 units daily.

Novarapid very effective at bringing numbers down 5-6 units...but numbers are over all worse as it wears off...I think least side effects..artificially hungry,hot tempered,and ill feeling before meals...hypo only once when I thought the injector wasn't working

Humalin can achieve a Am sugar 10mmol with about 8 -10 units( if I knock them down with Novarapid )..but extremely tired..easily confused and don't feel like doing much

I never find my sugars are below 7mmol when I feel like ****...The hypo was much different..shakey and all that

Work life leas stress full ever as I do all myself and been doing it a long time

Fasting has been ImO my greatest weapon to feel good,bring numbers down,improve vision...but can be exhausting

Excercise the best for energy a and feel good ..as long as i am not injured

And I have been without simple carbs since 2016..except some fruit

hope to add some kind of medication to my tools..but the cure has to be better then the disease!

If you don't mind me asking,what symptoms would you experience without insulin? before and after you were living a more balanced life?

 

[Jaylee]

Hi Jaylee

thanx for the

Yes I hear you with the bands and work burnout.I actually Quit gigging 3-4 years ago and picked up guitar ...write,record and practice/play way more then when gigging...and get the sleep i need

diagnosed T2 in 2016...then an uncovincing diagnosis of T1 almost 2 years ago

Lantus although makes me sleep..pretty useless up to 24 units daily.

Novarapid very effective at bringing numbers down 5-6 units...but numbers are over all worse as it wears off...I think least side effects..artificially hungry,hot tempered,and ill feeling before meals...hypo only once when I thought the injector wasn't working

Humalin can achieve a Am sugar 10mmol with about 8 -10 units( if I knock them down with Novarapid )..but extremely tired..easily confused and don't feel like doing much

I never find my sugars are below 7mmol when I feel like ****...The hypo was much different..shakey and all that

Work life leas stress full ever as I do all myself and been doing it a long time

Fasting has been ImO my greatest weapon to feel good,bring numbers down,improve vision...but can be exhausting

Excercise the best for energy a and feel good ..as long as i am not injured

And I have been without simple carbs since 2016..except some fruit

hope to add some kind of medication to my tools..but the cure has to be better then the disease!

If you don't mind me asking,what symptoms would you experience without insulin? before and after you were living a more balanced life?

Hi,

I was diagnosed in 1976. Without insulin rapid weight loss I didn’t need to loose, unquenchable thirst, constant need to urinate.
“Death, warmed up.” It was my 8th birthday.

I can empathise with some of your symptoms, when I’m not in range.

As a “frontman.” I can’t sing on a full stomach, so I tend to fast from 12/13.00 prior to a gig. I’ll eat afterwards. (Like the idea of singing for my supper? Even if it’s 2am by the time it’s served up..)
I work by day for an engineering fabrication firm. Great gaffer. & we get to cut loose early Friday. (Good for my “lifestyle.”)
From my experience, Lantus as a basal does not perform well on the “day job.” But for gigs? As it’s meant to be tailing off I can cruise 99% of the time at 4.8 5.4.. I was told by a DSN I, “should give up the day job. Do music full time??” Yah, right…

I write & record too, especially during & since lockdown… There was no way we could jam using Zoom. (The time lag?) so we started sharing & swapping idea files..


Are you using a sensor? Or are these numbers you mention from the meter?

 

[JTym]

Interesting that you can feel good on the Lantus while" working for dinner". Is that Glargine 100?

without meds i feel better loosely skipping or delaying a meal here and there but cant seen to manage that on meds

I use a meter

i was considering the possibility of the mix use of insulins being an the issue.Have you had any good or bad experience with that?

thanx

 

[becca59]

Hi @JTym There certainly sounds as though there is more going on here than just the meds. Your numbers sound very confusing. And I’m not sure why you are on 3 insulins. There are different insulins some more modern than the ones you are taking. It’s time to be back liaising with your team. I can regularly fast or miss meals without issue. My Tresiba background works well and keeps me chugging along without food no bother.
Something else, you don’t sound convinced you are type 1. Have you had the proper sets to establish diagnosis. If you are not convinced, perhaps that’s why you are subconsciously not getting on with the meds. I know I would definitely die without so just accept them. It could be your subconscious fighting against them and I think you need to know categorically you are type 1 to accept and move forward.

 

[Mathewted]

Hi @JTym There certainly sounds as though there is more going on here than just the meds. Your numbers sound very confusing. And I’m not sure why you are on 3 insulins. There are different insulins some more modern than the ones you are taking. It’s time to be back liaising with your team. I can regularly fast or miss meals without issue. My Tresiba background works well and keeps me chugging along without food no bother.
Something else, you don’t sound convinced you are type 1. Have you had the proper sets to establish diagnosis. If you are not convinced, perhaps that’s why you are subconsciously not getting on with the meds. I know I would definitely die without so just accept them. It could be your subconscious fighting against them and I think you need to know categorically you are type 1 to accept and move forward.

Hello @JTym
I think I'd agree with @becca59 and suggest asking for a C-Peptide test - molecules attached to insulin produced in the body but not included in insulin we inject. If you have none I believe that indicates Type 1 more conclusively, by whatever mechanism it is contracted.

Nite: I've been told, "no" when I've asked in the past but in your case I'd imagine it would be useful to medics as well as yourself.

Hope you get this resolved

Mat