Insulin Side Effects

[susie22]

Maybe completely off track here but want to ask, my son is a 14 year old insulin dependant he has been insulin dependent since the age of 3. His insulin has recently changed and he has become extremely violent is this a side effect of insulin anyone else is aware of or as I said am I totally off track?

Thank you for any opinions

 

[jopar]

Hi sussie22

Firstly welcome to the forum

I’ve moved your post here where it might get a better response…

Both you and your son must be having a bit of a hard time at the moment…

There could be several causes for his mood swings,
It could be normal teenage hormones kicking,
His blood sugar might be going out of control a bit with a growth spurt, if blood sugar are swing low and high can make a diabetic very grumpy indeed.
It could be his insulin..

If you have ruled out other causes of his mood swings, the there is a high probability that it could be the insulin that he’s’ changed to…

You don’t mention what insulin he was using and what he has changed to, this might be helpful letting us know…

I understand from what others diabetics have said that Lantus can cause all sort of problems and if I remember rightly some have said that they had moody moments when using this…

I’ve only used either a humilin or Levimer (last)

 

[fergus]

Hi susie22,

Can I ask how your son's prescription has changed, which insulin was he using and which does he use now?
Aggressiveness can be a symptom of hypoglycemia. The flight or fight response is not unusual and is partly a consequence of an adrenaline surge attempting to adjust blood sugar levels. Have you checked his blood sugar during one of these episodes?
Otherwise, it might be a symptom of being a 14 year old boy - I sympathise because I have one too!

fergus

 

[Jen&Khaleb]

I also have a 14 year old boy (but he's not the diabetic of the family). I can tell you that he has certainly changed his personality with the sudden growth and deep voice that also came along. Advice to me has been to not hassle him even though he is the most frustrating individuals to have in the house. It was explained to me that the body has trimmed all the branches in his brain and now they have to join up again with an adult brain. It is a transitional stage and as a parent I am to be supportive. We can still talk and he is not violent (he has always been a placid kid though) but I have seen that it can be hard for him to control his temper. He is also really disorganised and wants to stay up late at night. I could go on .... but I think my complaints are the same as any parent of a teenager.

Good luck keeping his bsl's under control. I've been told by other diabetic mother's that you have to go through the memory of a teenagers meter as they tend to lie about any bad figures.

 

[hanadr]

I spent about 40 years as a secondary school teacher and I wouldn't accept violence. Moodiness is pretty normal in teenagers of both sexes as is frustration, made worse by coping with diabetes undoubtedly. Violence however isn't.
It needs to be addressed (if that is actually what you meant.) If he won't discuss it with you, is there another family member? Try to broach the subject when everyone is calm and relaxed
If not, I would make an appointment with his doctor and try to get some psychological counselling.
If he offers physical violence to anyone, try not to escalate it, but make it clear it isn't on.
Diabetes is not an excuse for antisocial behaviour and if he gets into real trouble, the courts won't go easy on it either. And if you mean real violence, that's where it could well end up.

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi susie,
I cannot speak about whether Type 1 diabetes is a contributory as I am not knowledgable enough.
As Handr says, violence is unaacceptable regardless of conditions.
As a parent of three boys, one still a teenager, I always let my children know that there would be consequences for bad behaviour. I also praised every positive thing that they did. Even when their behaviour upset me I made sure that they knew that I still loved them but was not prepared to tolerate bad behaviour.
I think teenagers push boundaries, that is normal but I also think that teenagers appreciate boundaries. They may not voice this but I have met several teenagers who wish that their parents had used them.
Parenting does not come with a manual and it is the hardest job in the world. There are no guidelines and we have to do the best we can. We also have to look back and remember how we felt as teenagers, I used to wonder why my parents wouldn't let me do things that other kids did but they always told me why. I wasn't happy about it but now as an adult I can see why they did what they did.
Hope you can eventually sort this out.
Regards, Catherine.

 

[susie22]

Thank you all for your help and advice he was on Levemer but had a bad allergic reaction and was switched to Lantus which he has been on for a couple of months. BS not bad no wild swings as he does control his eating, however cannot be approached to do his BS when agressive.

 

[LittleSue]

Could be a combination of swinging bs and the insulin. Years ago I was put on insulin which disagreed with me big-time. One symptom was a violent temper (neighbours called the police!), another was sudden drops in bs but could happen together or separately. I was in my 20s so it wasn't teenage hormones kicking in. Caused other symptoms which we didn't blame on the insulin until they all resolved when I switched back to the old insulin. The temper was quite out of character. Butter wouldn't melt in my mouth now :wink:

 

[suzi]

Hi Susie,
My son Andrew was on Lantus for about 3mths, we changed to Levemir as he found the Lantus stung on injecting and as he is only 10 we decided we would try Levemir. Whilst on Lantus i did find Andrew was irritable and was moody at times despite good blood sugars. He seemed to get angry easily and turned into a mini hulk, i often wondered were my little angelic child had gone.
Now he is a bit more placid, still has mood swings though not as bad as they were, and are usually when he's going through his "i'm fed up with being diabetic," I can honestly say he's not as moody as he was on Lantus and i do believe it played a part in his temperament.
I hope things improve, most of it is probably hormonal due to his age and perhaps aggrevated by the Lantus. Speak to your diabetic consultant, you may find he has case studies on Lantus and side affects which could help your situation.
Take care
Suzi x

 

[janabelle]

Hi Susie, I'm so sorry your son's having sucha hard time. I wanted to post this to let you know that there are alternatives to Levemir and Lantus. If there is a significant change in his mood since changing to the Lantus, the only sensible option would be to speak to your doctor. Some people do react badly to synthetic insulins, and are more suited to purified animal insulins.
If you look on the IDDT(Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust) website and call them you will get invaluable advice. One of the founder's daughter's had an awful experience as a teenager on synthetic insulin, and your post reminded me of it. Worth speaking to them.
I have 2 teenage boys, and thankfully none of them have diabetes. My eldest was diagnosed with cancer at 9, and you wouldn't beleive how many doctors and well meaning people put his symptoms down to "normal childhood behaviour"-he had a tumour filling quarter of his head! He's 17 now and been in remission for over 5 years.
Trust your instincts, as a parent they are probably right, and don't be fobbed off by your doctor.
I am a type-1 of 20 years, diagnosed at 19 -most of it on synthetic insulins, feeling depressed and tired. Since changing to Pork Insulin last May, I feel like my pre-diabetic self, and have the best control I've ever had.
Jus