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Lumps after Levemir injection into thighs

cz_dave

Well-Known Member
Messages
450
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
When I would inject Levemir (ca. 6 units) into my thighs, I would get the occasional lump. Now I get them every time, immediately after injecting.

Any advice? Should I switch to Lantus?

P.S. I have been diabetic for less than a year.

Thanks.
 
After being on Levemir for a fair number of years without issue I started having the same thing happen to me, I was then put on Lantus for 2 month but I was having many Hypo episode with it. I was then lucky enough to be put on Tresiba which is a great insulin and just a shame it costs so much. I'am not on a pump.
 
I was only on Levemir for 3 months, but I had red lumps at the injection site that lasted for about 3 days - it seemed to be a localised allergy, so I switched back to Lantus (never had allergy to that).
 
the lumps I was having werelike large blisters but just under the skin and they were very itchy
 
If they occur all the time then I'd tend to agree with @robert72 that it might be a allergy to the insulin, are your injection sites fine when you inject your QA insulin @cz_dave?
 
Thanks everyone for your input. It looks like I am not the only one having issues with Levemir. I have recently been given Toujeo to try, so I guess I could test it out. I am just a bit hesitant as it is similar to Lantus and I am not convinced about Lantus.

I would prefer Tresiba but it's not available where I live.
 
noblehead said:
If they occur all the time then I'd tend to agree with @robert72 that it might be a allergy to the insulin, are your injection sites fine when you inject your QA insulin @cz_dave?
Click to expand...

Injecting NovoRapid causes me no issues whatsoever. Also, I have just started experimenting with injecting Levemir in my arms. A red stain appeared today at the injection site but disappeared afer a few minutes. It looks like thighs are more sensitive...
 
I always got lumps from Lantus myself, but I also have not found any difference when not injecting it even though I did always inject it into my abdomen, with my novorapid, rotating injection sites aswell.
 
I get red lumps from levemir on my thighs but no where else. Ends and I figured since everything else is going well that we would stick with levemir and not switch anything at this time.

I do 15 units once a day. Been injecting less than a year.
 
I use Levemir and don't have any issues. I rotate my sites quite a lot and use the 'clock' method so that I don't hit the same spot twice in a day.

I've read that the solution the insulin is mixed with can cause allergic reactions in all basal/bolus products- rashes, lumps, itchy bumps. Sounds like an allergic reaction.

Hope you get it sorted buddy!
 


Does look like you have an allergy to one or more of the ingredients in Levemir, hopefully the Toujeo insulin will be less problematic for you.
 
noblehead said:
Does look like you have an allergy to one or more of the ingredients in Levemir, hopefully the Toujeo insulin will be less problematic for you.
Click to expand...
It looks like I will have to give it a try.
 
cz_dave said:
It looks like I will have to give it a try.
Click to expand...


No harm in trying and see how you get on, when on MDI I would mainly inject my basal insulin into my bum.
 
C-Mack said:
I get red lumps from levemir on my thighs but no where else. Ends and I figured since everything else is going well that we would stick with levemir and not switch anything at this time.

I do 15 units once a day. Been injecting less than a year.
Click to expand...

So, where do you inject?
 
robert72 said:
I was only on Levemir for 3 months, but I had red lumps at the injection site that lasted for about 3 days - it seemed to be a localised allergy, so I switched back to Lantus (never had allergy to that).
Click to expand...

How did you find Lantus and especially compared to Tresiba?
 
noblehead said:
No harm in trying and see how you get on, when on MDI I would mainly inject my basal insulin into my bum.
Click to expand...
I have tried injecting Levemir into my bum twice and did not seem to have these allergic reactions.

Would you advice to continue with Levemir but inject into my bum?

And: When on MDI, would you inject anything into thighs?
 
cz_dave said:
How did you find Lantus and especially compared to Tresiba?
Click to expand...
I was on Lantus for many years before I tried Levemir - I found Lantus to be erratic and was looking for an alternative when I tried Levemir, which was OK apart from the allergy. I've been on Tresiba for a couple of years now and find it very flat and predictable. The only issue is that it's more expensive and some areas won't prescribe it for that reason.
 
cz_dave said:
I have tried injecting Levemir into my bum twice and did not seem to have these allergic reactions.

Would you advice to continue with Levemir but inject into my bum?

And: When on MDI, would you inject anything into thighs?
Click to expand...


Sorry but can't advise on what you should do @cz_dave, but you have to remember that it's best to rotate your injection sites regularly to avoid lipohypertrophy issues, so if you were to use only your bum from here-on you may encounter problems further down the road.

Although I mainly injected my basal into my bum I would occasionally use my legs to avoid lipo problems, it was the same with bolus doses, I would alternate between the stomach and arms and very occasionally the legs.
 
An update: This is my third day on Toujeo. It is, I guess, a decent product but probably not for me. Before I started using Levemir, I used Lantus and I would have problems with running a little higher than I would like during the night and then running too low during the day. I have the same problems, obviously, with Toujeo. At least I gave it a try. I think I will switch to Levemir today.

My endo's comments on Toujeo are interesting. He said that overall Toujeo is a bit of a disappointment as it does not bring a whole lot of innovation/improvement. He told me he read the Toujeo trial reports and there really are only a few improvements over Lantus:
- The fact that it is concentrated
- The insulin lasts more than 24 hours, so you can inject it within a 3-hour window every 24 hours (this is nice)
- It is supposed to be very flat
- It does not cause gain weight as much as Lantus

The claim that it causes less hypos in patients, he said, is unconvincing based on the findings from trials.
 
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