Lantus was the problem!!

Hi, regular forum readers may remember that I'd posted a message (or several!) about the problems I have had with Lantus. In the years I had been on it, I had no consistency with my BS control and put it down to my female hormones. I had constantly reported my unexplained ups and downs and severe "hypo and hyper days", and had it shrugged off by the many medics I reported it to. I have now been off Lantus for almost 4 weeks now (almost a full menstrual cycle), and the difference is like night and day.
Since I have changed to Porcine Isophane, I have normal predictable control and no "hypo or hyper days",and along with humalog, my blood sugars are controlled and I know longer have unexpected hypos. Another significant difference is that I am no longer constantly hungry and therefore feel confident I will be able to lose weight. On Lantus it was a battle everyday, not too mention the other side effects I was suffering; constant exhaustion, muscle tremors, and generally feeling like death. Time will tell whether they were caused by the lantus. The daily unpredictability was definately caused by Lantus- I have no doubts.
Life is better, and I feel in control.
Jus

Re: Lantus was the problem

Hi Fergus, where you on animal insulin before?
I was dead against animal insulins when I was diagnosed, think I remember being given the option and I was aware of them at any rate. Felt a bit funny bout having animal stuff injected into me! I doubt there's many newly diagnosed people nowadays that even know of their exsistance.
My son has had part of the protective cover of his brain replaced by tissue from a cow due to surgery for cancer. Guess that made me a little less squeemish!
What concerns me is that the quick reference NICE guidelines for Health Professionals for Type-1 diabetes do not mention purified animal insulin as an option. It does, however, mention and recommend insulin glargine. Are there any other insulin glargines except for Lantus?
Jus .

Sarah, you are right about Wockhardt-they are the only pharmaceutical company now producing animal insulins in this country.. What worries me is that as demand becomes less, it will threaten supplies to patients like us.
I am also really concerned that Glargine is mentioned by name as a first line treatment in the NICE document that GPs will use a guide to treat new type-1s. This cannot be right when there are other options. I know the full guideline mentions other insulins, but it is biased towards glargine being the best option.
It may be years, as it was with me, before patients experience problems or realise that they have problems due to taking these new analogue insulins., By that time it may not be an option to change to "human" or animal insulins, as pharmeceutical companies will stop producing other insulins due to lack of demand. Then we really will have no choice!
Jus