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Levemir changes according to season...

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LisaM76

Newbie
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2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi, I am new here :-) I have been type 1 for 7 years and started counting carbs about 3 years ago. I have noticed over time that my levemir dose needs adjusting seasonally and I wondered if others generally find they need to do the same? In Winter I am taking 25 units (in one dose before I go to bed) and when it gets warmer I'll need to reduce this to 15 units in the Summer or else I will hypo at night. Nice to meet you :-)
 
That is my experience too @LisaM76 :)

Always need slightly more basal in the cold Autumn/Winter months than I do in Spring/Summer.
 
Hi, I've been type 1 for some 30 years now and since the start I've noticed that in the good season my need for insulin of whatever kind drops abruptly. I think this change is related to the increase in daytime duration (sorry for my poor English; in Italian I would say 'aumento delle ore di luce'), rather than a rise in temperature. Where I live (in a mountain area), we had some rather fresh summers in the past years, but my need for insulin plummeted all the same. So I think it depends on daylight: shorter in winter and longer in spring and summer. By the way, that's the reason why (at least here in Italy) the endos insist that we take our blood analyses ALWAYS in the dead of winter, usually in January. So that we can know what is the worst-time scenario, I suppose, and take appropriate action. I really loathe getting up early to start my queueing at six in the morning, though. Next year I'll take my yearly blood analysis in spring, definitely.
Have a nice day.
 
It sounds silly, but it may also be related to the holiday season and the tendency for most people to eat more (just a thought).

I've heard a lot of other factors come into play as well (most already mentioned): long days, higher change of getting sick, let active outside, etc
 
LisaM76 said:
Hi, I am new here :-) I have been type 1 for 7 years and started counting carbs about 3 years ago. I have noticed over time that my levemir dose needs adjusting seasonally and I wondered if others generally find they need to do the same? In Winter I am taking 25 units (in one dose before I go to bed) and when it gets warmer I'll need to reduce this to 15 units in the Summer or else I will hypo at night. Nice to meet you :-)
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Mine changes but only by 1 or 2 units, so that is a huge change! Torqpenderloin may have a point. Does your daily routine change a lot too? Do you 'hibernate' in winter :)? (Even if you eat more, you shouldn't be using your basal rate to deal with more food. You should increase boluses.)
Have you done separate basal tests for summer and winter?
If you have, that's just the way it is. It's not a problem.
 
Since I would say October Ive been increasing my basal rate. It was 120% and now in December is 130% (sometimes 140%). Definitely need more in winter
 
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