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Lantus

S

snapper84

Member
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16
Hi All,

I recently had to start upping my Lantus (I guess my honeymoon period is ending) from 8 units up to around 20 otherwise i was getting fasting levels of 12+. My fasting levels are now pretty good around 6-7 but i have noticed a huge change in myself since the increase of my basal. I constanstly feel tired and lethargic, I have been feeling much lower than i have since diagnosis, i wouldn't say major depression but my partner commented on a recent shopping trick i was like a Zombie. I have read up on the forums at all the side-effects that other people have been experiencing and it all sounds so similar. I used to have a few tiredness issues related to not sleeping, but these days i am sleeping quite well but getting through a full day at work means when I get home to the family i am just exhausted (My job involves sitting at a desk fixing IT stuff so not physically tiring).

I have read alot of people have gone on to change to porcine and I have an appointment with my consultant in just over a week so I am thinking i should perhaps bring this up then, but if anyone can give me any more advice I would be extremely grateful.

I am 7 months type1 and i use NovoRapid for my fast acting.

Many Thanks,
Steven
 
Hia Steve - I am now on a pump and just use novo rapid. Previously I had been on lantus for 7 years and then switched to Levermir for 1 year (this was to try and elimate rapid blood sugar drops). I have found no difference being on Lantus, Levermir and now just novo rapid - I am constantly tired. I, like you, have a desk job and by 3pm I feel exhausted and I am absolutely Knackered by the time I get home from work. I had to reduce my hours this year to 4 days per week (not ideal in the current financial climate) and I find that on my Friday off I just want to sit around as if my body is too tired to do anything else. I hear so many others who are like this but I don't know if it's the insulin that's causing it or the diabetes itself? As you, I will be interested to hear what others think.
 
Hi Riri and Steve,
I read that you are on novorapid and levemir or lantus. I was diagnosed with type1 3 years and was soon put on novorapid and levemir and later lantus. Well, it was hell for me. I first noticed that while on the levemir my walking pace became very slow and I was 'dragging 'my feet and very tired/fatigued. I also felt in a drugged up state with a heavy head and sometimes light headed. My work is quite physical and I had to reduce my hours to 28 hours per week max. When I got home I'd be falling asleep between 6-7pm. Anyway, I came to realise that I couldn't take analogue or human insulins as they are genetically modified and I have within the last 3 week managed to get myself onto porcine insulin with ......to date.....great results. I'm feeking much better and everyone around me have noticed the improvements in me since changing to porcine insulin.

I think that you may need to speak to your DSN about trying porcine. However, be prepared to be fobbed off as it seems that many DSNs have NO experience of porcine insulins. I had to complain to my hospital trust after I'd been kept on analogue insulins then human insulins.

To get more info look up..tiredness and lantus or lantus problems or porcine users.. Read what these forums say.

GOOD LUCK.
 
nigelho said:
Hi Riri and Steve,
I read that you are on novorapid and levemir or lantus. I was diagnosed with type1 3 years and was soon put on novorapid and levemir and later lantus. Well, it was hell for me. I first noticed that while on the levemir my walking pace became very slow and I was 'dragging 'my feet and very tired/fatigued. I also felt in a drugged up state with a heavy head and sometimes light headed. My work is quite physical and I had to reduce my hours to 28 hours per week max. When I got home I'd be falling asleep between 6-7pm. Anyway, I came to realise that I couldn't take analogue or human insulins as they are genetically modified and I have within the last 3 week managed to get myself onto porcine insulin with ......to date.....great results. I'm feeking much better and everyone around me have noticed the improvements in me since changing to porcine insulin.

I think that you may need to speak to your DSN about trying porcine. However, be prepared to be fobbed off as it seems that many DSNs have NO experience of porcine insulins. I had to complain to my hospital trust after I'd been kept on analogue insulins then human insulins.

To get more info look up..tiredness and lantus or lantus problems or porcine users.. Read what these forums say.

GOOD LUCK.
Click to expand...

I'm going to be discussing this when I get to my new consultant in Glasgow. The funny thing is though, 20 years ago ALL of the DSNs had experience of porcine and bovine insulins and they had very little experience of human analogues. I guess times change...
 
I have been reading this post with interest I'm Type 1 for 22 yrs now and I have been on Lantus for quite some time also.

I felt the tiredness too.....all the time just totally fatigued. I went to the doctor on numerous occasions complaining about this but I was just told "it's your diabetes you need to keep tight control".

Now, I know that I'm not the best diabetic in the world but I also know that my readings on average arn't that bad either so I refuted what the doctor had been telling me....but telling a doctor he is wrong is like shouting at a brick wall.

Anyway I moved to another surgery because of a house move and started to see another Doctor she was fantastic very understanding and very patient, she had all kinds of tests run on me and eventually came up with a diagnosis of low testosterone levels (about half of what it should be). she did some research and found that studies in America had shown that a lot of long term diabetic males were in fact running low testosterone levels (thought to be a consequence of diabetes). She sent me to the urologist to confirm my levels once they were confirmed I was put on a Testa-Gel replacement therapy and after about 3 weeks noticed a positive improvement, the main drawback was that the Mrs. had to keep her distance from me cos' if she got any of the gel on her she would developed a hairy chest like mine and probably a deeper voice.

When I went back for a check up I mentioned my wifes concerns so the doctor replaced the gel with an injection in the rump every 9-12 weeks no more issues for the wife now except she's happy the sex drive has improved and so has my general energy levels.

Now I don't know if this is the way forward for you guys but it may be worth chatting to your doctor about.....watch out though as very few UK doctors are up to speed on this and they are unaware that testosterone levels can be affected by long term diabetes.

After all guys the testosterone hormone is quite important to us chaps, so worth getting it checked out.
 
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