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Just started insulin

D

davgre

Active Member
Messages
27
Location
Dumfries & Galloway
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I have just started using insulin, 5 times a day. 12units of Levemir first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Novarapid 4units before each meal. I was on Glicazide before I started the insulin.
Shortly after injecting the Novarapid and having something to eat. I start to get very sleepy and tired. I checked my BG 2 hours after eating and find that the numbers are in their teens. I have been told it is normal for my BG to be high after eating. I never had this problem when I was taking the tablets.
Would I be right in thinking everything will settle down as time goes on?

Thank you
 
Teens is a bit high, and feeling sleepy matches that. I reckon you either need less food or more insulin for your meals, and at this stage (just starting), it's probably a good idea to talk to your team about changing things.
 
Sleepy with high numbers is normal. High numbers when only just started insulin is normal too. There is no way to tell how much insulin a person needs before trying. The right dose is found by trial and error. So you learned the dose for this particular meal at this time of day wasn't high enough. For now, I wouldn't change anything, just log you findings to make it easier to adjust doses next time you speak to your health care professional.
It's a wise thing to start insulin at low doses. Some people need 20 units for a meal others only need 2 units for. Imagine having to eat enough for a hypo resulting of such a big difference!

The more you test and log your numbers, food and exercise, the sooner you and your HCP will be able to find the best dose and food choices.
Good luck!
 
evilclive said:
Teens is a bit high, and feeling sleepy matches that. I reckon you either need less food or more insulin for your meals, and at this stage (just starting), it's probably a good idea to talk to your team about changing things.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your quick reply. I have my first meeting with my team on Friday. Hopefully I'll have more info regarding adjusting my insulin to suit my meals.
 
Antje77 said:
Sleepy with high numbers is normal. High numbers when only just started insulin is normal too. There is no way to tell how much insulin a person needs before trying. The right dose is found by trial and error. So you learned the dose for this particular meal at this time of day wasn't high enough. For now, I wouldn't change anything, just log you findings to make it easier to adjust doses next time you speak to your health care professional.
It's a wise thing to start insulin at low doses. Some people need 20 units for a meal others only need 2 units for. Imagine having to eat enough for a hypo resulting of such a big difference!

The more you test and log your numbers, food and exercise, the sooner you and your HCP will be able to find the best dose and food choices.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you for your quick reply. I have my first meeting with my team on Friday. Hopefully I'll have more info regarding adjusting my insulin to suit my meals.
 
Hi Davgre,
I started taking insulin yesterday. Been on metformin and gliclazide for years but sugar levels were always high. Been fighting against insulin for nearly 2 years. Didn't like the idea of losing and absolutely hate needles.
So far its not been so bad. Dont feel the needles at all. Just hope this works though. Very tiring all the time
 
davgre said:
Thank you for your quick reply. I have my first meeting with my team on Friday. Hopefully I'll have more info regarding adjusting my insulin to suit my meals.
Click to expand...
Remember, the more info you provide them with, the better they can help you.
Even more important: the more knowledge you gather, the quicker it will be safe to let you work out food and insulin yourself.
 
Milktrayman said:
Hi Davgre,
I started taking insulin yesterday. Been on metformin and gliclazide for years but sugar levels were always high. Been fighting against insulin for nearly 2 years. Didn't like the idea of losing and absolutely hate needles.
So far its not been so bad. Dont feel the needles at all. Just hope this works though. Very tiring all the time
Click to expand...
Hi Milktrayman, Thanks for your reply. I too have tried to keep away from the needle, but it won in the end. I do understand it is trial and error at first, but I did not expect to be this tired. The needles are so much better than when I last saw them. My sister has been an insulin diabetic for the last 46 years and the size of the needles she used when she first started were frightening. Obviously it has improved since then.
 
@davgre and @Milktrayman , you both say you've just started insulin, but your profiles don't state whether you're T1 or T2. This does make a fair amount of difference, as T1s typically can process carbs if they inject insulin for them, whereas T2s tend to be insulin resistant so it's more difficult for them. (Or maybe it's easier: I freely admit that I know little about insulin dependant T2s?)

Can I ask whether you're T1 or T2? (Note a recent newspaper article says that 38% of T1s are originally misdiagnosed as T2). It's a lot easier to give advice if you put your diabetes type on your profile.

As an insulin dependant T1 for the last 49 years, I can see that the injections are the least annoying part of the illness for me: it's the blood tests, the insulin calculations and particularly the hypos that bother me. :)
 
EllieM said:
@davgre and @Milktrayman , you both say you've just started insulin, but your profiles don't state whether you're T1 or T2. This does make a fair amount of difference, as T1s typically can process carbs if they inject insulin for them, whereas T2s tend to be insulin resistant so it's more difficult for them. (Or maybe it's easier: I freely admit that I know little about insulin dependant T2s?)

Can I ask whether you're T1 or T2? (Note a recent newspaper article says that 38% of T1s are originally misdiagnosed as T2). It's a lot easier to give advice if you put your diabetes type on your profile.

As an insulin dependant T1 for the last 49 years, I can see that the injections are the least annoying part of the illness for me: it's the blood tests, the insulin calculations and particularly the hypos that bother me. :)
Click to expand...
Thank you Ellie for reminding me. I think have have now corrected the problem, just incase its not. I am type 1 diabetic
 
Milktrayman said:
Hi Davgre,
I started taking insulin yesterday. Been on metformin and gliclazide for years but sugar levels were always high. Been fighting against insulin for nearly 2 years. Didn't like the idea of losing and absolutely hate needles.
So far its not been so bad. Dont feel the needles at all. Just hope this works though. Very tiring all the time
Click to expand...
If you look at all the diet options available for Type 2, did your health team discuss all these options with you and get you to try them before putting you on insulin?
 
davgre said:
I have yet to have a discussion with my health team, I have never seen them.
Click to expand...

That's a concern, as a T1 diabetic you should be seen by a team asap :). But as you say you were taking gliclazide before I am guessing that maybe you were originally diagnosed as T2? (Gliclazide is normally a T2 drug.)
As @Antje77 said, the more you test and log your readings, food choices and even things like exercise, the better. There's no "one size fits all" for insulin requirements, so you and your doctor/team will need to gradually work out what works for your body.

You'll want to learn how to carb count, so that in the long term you can match your insulin to your food choices. Make sure you always carry sugar/glucose on you (eg glucose tablets, jelly babies, fruit pastilles) as hypos (low blood sugar) are the bane of insulin dependent diabetics and you always need to be in a position to treat them. But if your sister has been on insulin for 46 years I'm guessing you know a lot of this stuff already :). Also, if you've just started insulin it's likely that you're still producing some of your own (honeymoon period) so it's likely that your dosages will change over time even if you've got them right now.

Good luck, after 49 years as a T1 I'm still learning new things about the illness, often from these boards.
 
EllieM said:
That's a concern, as a T1 diabetic you should be seen by a team asap :). But as you say you were taking gliclazide before I am guessing that maybe you were originally diagnosed as T2? (Gliclazide is normally a T2 drug.)
As @Antje77 said, the more you test and log your readings, food choices and even things like exercise, the better. There's no "one size fits all" for insulin requirements, so you and your doctor/team will need to gradually work out what works for your body.

You'll want to learn how to carb count, so that in the long term you can match your insulin to your food choices. Make sure you always carry sugar/glucose on you (eg glucose tablets, jelly babies, fruit pastilles) as hypos (low blood sugar) are the bane of insulin dependent diabetics and you always need to be in a position to treat them. But if your sister has been on insulin for 46 years I'm guessing you know a lot of this stuff already :). Also, if you've just started insulin it's likely that you're still producing some of your own (honeymoon period) so it's likely that your dosages will change over time even if you've got them right now.

Good luck, after 49 years as a T1 I'm still learning new things about the illness, often from these boards.
Click to expand...
Thank you Ellie for the info, it is appreciated.
 
Further to this @davgre, i would suggest you read about all the diet options available for T1Ds - which are on the Home page under 'Type 1'.
Carb counting /carte blanche style ( my interpretation of @EllieM 's comment in post above) is but one option.
 
@davgre - It's quite unusual for a T1 diabetic to take Gliclazide, unless they were worngly diagnosed at the outset.

How was your Type 1 diagnosis arrived at?

How the bodies of a T1 and a T2 on insulin can be quite different; hence my query.
 
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