Lantus Not working properly

Ian,

There's another basal insulin called levemir which is said to work as well as lantus, often people who have problems with lantus change to levemir and vise-versa, levemir in most patients needs to be administered twice daily although there are a few that find it lasts a full 24 hours.

Speak with your diabetes team about your current problems.

Nigel

Another longish acting insulin, more similar to the now discontinued Monotard than either Levemir or Lantus is Humalin I. Might be worth asking clinic about that too - it's older and cheaper, so not as well promoted by manufacturer, which is perhaps why is is "forgotten". In theory, Humalin I can be given once in 24 hours, but usually gives better results when given twice in 24 hours.

noblehead said:

Ian,

There's another basal insulin called levemir which is said to work as well as lantus,Nigel

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Don't give levemir such a hard time Nigel, I'm sure it doesn't deserve the comparison!! :lol:

Iain55,
you are right to be concerned,Lantus is not insulin, but an insulin anaologue and unfortunately a very bad and poorly made copy with many many problems; as may people on this forum are testiment to.
Here's a couple of links to put you right off it , I hope!
http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/lantus-ins ... ncer-4614/ (read the comments section, it's long-winded but worth close scrutiny)
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2797&start=15

As Noblehead said, Levemir is another analogue alternative but with less associated problems, but as you know there are other safer insulin types, including animal insulin which you might be better suited to. I changed to animal insulin, porcine, 3 yrs ago and aside from feeling human again, I have gained good stable BG control for the first time since diagnosis & on synthetic insulins.
best of luck
Jus

janabelle said:

Don't give levemir such a hard time Nigel, I'm sure it doesn't deserve the comparison!! :lol:

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How did I know you would pick up on that one Jus! :lol:

Are you keeping well?......not seen you posting much lately

Nigel

Thanks Nigel,
I've Just been busy, taken up an OU course and not had much time 2 spend on forum. But I've always got the time to put the boot into Lantus as u know! :lol:
hope ur keeping well too.
Jus

I was diagnosed 'Type 1' 32 years ago and used Actrapid and Monotard until I was changed to Novo Rapid and split dose of Levimer a few years ago. Since starting these 'new' insulins my control has been very difficult, with many odd reading in the morning. I often go to bed 8mmol, and wake up 23mmol. I've tested during the night and see my readings getting highter. So it's not a hypo making me high in the morning. If I raise the dose of levimer, I too, have hypos. I remember the day my consultant( I was living in Italy at the time) told me about these new fantastic life changing insulins and I couldn't wait to get started.....what a load of rubbish. I'm about to change to Humalin S which works exactly the same as Actrapid, and I'm waiting for my consultant to decide which basal to put me on....Maybe Humalin I ????
There is rarely anything negative about novorapid/levimer and lantus to be found in publications such as Balance, thank goodness this site exists.
PS I'm about to do a DAFNE course and my consultant gently advised me that the DAFNE educators are very pro Levimer/Lantus and Novo Rapid........very interesting.

Christine.

janabelle said:

I've Just been busy, taken up an OU course and not had much time 2 spend on forum. But I've always got the time to put the boot into Lantus as u know! :lol:
hope ur keeping well too.

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Good luck with the OU course Jus and hope you pass with flying colours!

I'm just fine and enjoying this beautiful weather, still on Lantus but I won't go there! :wink:

Best wishes

Nigel

Hi Christine,
Know what u mean about balance mag, insulin type is rarely mentioned. It annoys me intensely that the mag articles will state that someone is on insulin when the reality is they are on an analogue insulin, which is NOT insulin at all. I will have nothing to do with them, I don't feel they represent me or people like me and certainly do not give the true picture of how people really cope on insulin!! We should all be sky-diving and mountain climbling, but the reality that living day to day on an insulin that makes u feel like **** means u can barely function, let alone treck though the bleeding Sahara. Thank goodness this forum, and the IDDT provide an unbiased (mostly :lol: ) and honest view of what it's like to live with diabetes and how different medications, including insulins, affect us

The medical profession's reluctance to offer the older synthetic human insulins and animal insulins, is down to pressure from pharmaceutiical companies, financial incentives and ignorance. That probably includes ur Daphne lot!

Have u ever tried animal insulins?

Jus

Hi Iain55,
I can't imagine having to boil up syringes, what a polava that must have been and inconvenient too!

We've come along way with pens and small needles, but it's a shame the same can't be said for insulins I still use disposable syringes and vials, although I get comments from pharmacists that they're old fashioned! :lol:

Have you thought of trying animal insulin again, it's very highly purified these days wich means there's far less liklihood of skin or other reactions that were reported many years ago.
Some people just don't get on with synthetic insulins and suffer all types of problems, which are rarely recognised as being side-effects.
Jus

Iain55 said:

I get the impression from the Clinic that they may be getting freebies from some insulin producers (hush my mouth), I can't on this Lantus for much longer Yesterday I took 12 units am and at tea time last night my blood glucose was high, so took evening dose of 14 units, then felt **** through the night woke up sweating and thought I was having a hypo tested my blood and it was 18.5 so took another dose of 6 units Lantus and 4 units Novorapid and eat nothing woke this morning and blood glucose was 7.8.

I find this only happens occasionally, I didn't have anything unusual for my evening meal.
Iain55

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Hi Iain,
I think a lot of diabetic clinics are getting far more than a few freebies from pharmaceutical companies! It's no wonder clinics are reluctant to take patients off analogue insulins. When I had a look at my clinic notes a couple of yrs ago I was shocked to find that there was no mention of the problems I was continually reporting to them, that turned out to be caused by Lantus. I understand that hospital records relating to medication can be used as retrospective studies for pharmaceutical companies, so it made me very suspicious. I complained to the hospital and had my notes amended. The only accurate info in the notes was that my Hba1c was 7.something, which they said was ok, despite me constantly telling the docs that I was struggling :evil: Doctors set to much store by these results, which are only an average and in many cases completely misleading.

I gave up trying to work out why the insulin didn't seem to work some days, and worked too well on others, so much that I was hypo 4-5 times a day. I'd become resigned to thinking I must be really ill with some awful undiagnosed illness. Especially as I felt so ill most of the time and the no doctor could work out what was wrong with me; the diabetic clinic offered me no help in controlling my erratic BG levels and never once suggested that I change insulin, I wonder why!!

I hope you manage to get an appointment at your diabetic clinic soon. Meanwhile you should give the IDDT (insulin dependent diabetes trust) a call. They were a godsend to me. Here's a link http://www.iddt.org/here-to-help/contact-us/

let us know how you get on at the clinic
Jus