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Sudden change in insulin needs - scary [ type 1]

bhk

Well-Known Member
Messages
49
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey guys,

Sorry to bother you again with my struggles... Just wondering if anyone lived a similar situation. So since 3 days I have a drastic change in my body's response to insulin; I became MUCH more sensitive, my insulin apparently being 500% stronger?? I started having constantly big and fast hypos, I started reducing my insulin dosage and I am still struggling; it is like if my body almost doesn't need insulin injections; that is totally unpredictable and scary. I could eat a full "typical" meal and use just 1 unit instead of 5 as usual. I am on tresiba since a few months and on humalog since many many years. I have had no changes in:

- diet (not even changes in lipids/proteins quantities)
- travels
- gym habits
- temperature/weather change
- walking habits
- lifestyle
- stress
- not used any new vial of insulin
- no sign of infection/other illness

Has the situation happened to anyone ?

Thanks so much if anyone has a clue on how to investigate/resolve the issue...
 
This kind of thing happens to me fairly often - 2 years in and still in the honeymoon period - but you mentioned having diabetes for many years so I'm guessing you're out of yours by now. You said that you don't feel like you're getting sick, but it may have just started and your blood sugars are affected, but you're not getting symptoms yet. Are you male or female? If female, it could be period/hormones causing the issues - last time I had a period, I got a stubborn low that seemed to stay around 4 forever, and only raised by about 2-3 after a couple of juices.

Other than that I have no idea, sounds very strange! Good luck!
 
Thanks a lot for your reply and support! I am 28, diabetic since I am 5 years old, no complications yet, and a male.
 
@bhk at the beginning of the recent heatwave I was suddenly massively prone to hypos, until I adjusted the basal rate on my pump a few days into this bout of summer. It has now cooled down here a lot, thankfully (UK southeast), so I'm likely to see a difference again.

That might or might not be the reason for your increased sensitivity to insulin, but I was certainly very surprised with the effect it had on mine!

Hope things calm down for you soon - it's really frustrating isn't it when things we think we've got sorted suddenly start playing silly wotsits...?!

 
Have you lost any weight recently? I know insulin sensitivity can change with weight loss.

You have been diabetic many years. Did you experience many problems through puberty and your teenage years? I have not long turned 18 (diabetic for over 10 years) but I struggle with insulin resistance from my teenage years and am trying to get it down so I need less insulin. The reason I'm asking this is because sometimes resistance can drop and sensitivity can rise. Despite my high resistance, it doesn't take much for me to go hypo or hyper if I fail to get any doses right!

I'm not sure what else I can suggest if there hasn't been a drastic change in your lifestyle as listed above. Hope this is of some use to you.
 
@Snapsy diabetes is all fun and games with how volatile it can sometimes be! How drastically your control can change.
 
Could be down to the very hot weather, I had a quite a few hypo's and had to reduce my Insulin.
 
@ljmercer No weight chance. And I know what you mean... When I was a teenager I struggled SO much, and the only thing I could get from doctors is "well when you're lax you're results are lax"... Most people don't get that diabetes is not 1+1=2. I met so many idiots and careless doctors that I decided a couple of years ago, despite having done many studies, to apply to medicine and I am now in med school since 2 years. I really hope I'll be a real help for diabetics in the future.
 
bhk said:
I met so many idiots and careless doctors that I decided a couple of years ago, despite having done many studies, to apply to medicine and I am now in med school since 2 years. I really hope I'll be a real help for diabetics in the future.
Click to expand...
Terrific!
 
go you @bhk !!!!!!!!
 
I had a difficult time with Tresiba and hypos, and I tried several different times in 7 months. My doctor had me 20 units of 200 units/ml (U-200) 2 times a day. I now am on Levemir and Novolog at adjusted doses. While I have experienced hypos, they have been 100% milder and controllable (quicker to catch), than when I was on Tresiba.
 
Reactions: bhk
@bhk you're so right! Diabetes is one of the most illogical conditions out there. I wouldn't ever have said that for a hyper with ketones that you needed to eat more carbs in order to bring them down! (I know the reason why but it is illogical at face value).

That advice from doctors isn't very helpful. No matter how "on the ball" you are with it, there are sugars or BG readings you can't explain. Once, I forgot to take insulin for 70g of carbs at a ratio of one unit per 6g, and woke up the next morning with a perfect reading! I mean, what's that all about?

Good for you that you want to be useful. It's inspiring to see that you've taken it into your own hands by going to med school. Good luck with your studies and for the future!
 
Sounds like you have a handle on it. Just make sure you didn't get a stronger Tresiba strength pen. For years all insulins only came IU100. Now they come IU200 and IU300. I think they did that because unlike vials that hold 10cc of insulin, the pens will only hold 3cc, so if you take say 50U of something like Tresiba, one IU100 pen will only last you 6 days. An IU300 pen will last 18 days. My Lantus vials used to last 40 days (25/d) now the Basaglar pen lasts 12. I realize with the stronger insulin you still click 25 units on the pen which gives you 1/3 the volume of an IU100 dose but still, there's possibility of an error in a stronger insulin.
 
Only couple of things I can add to this are:

Have you changed insulin sites (hitting muscle / not injecting into a problem spot any more)
I tend to run quite low in the week or so before a cold (even if I don't have any symptoms yet) so it might be that...

Maybe try dropping your basal dose by one or two and see if that helps.

Or even try a basal test to see if your dose is right...

Matt
 
bhk said:
Hey guys,

Sorry to bother you again with my struggles... Just wondering if anyone lived a similar situation.
Thanks so much if anyone has a clue on how to investigate/resolve the issue...
Click to expand...

Like yourself, I was diagnosed with Type 1 as a little kid and did go thru a honeymoon period as a small kid - this resulted in my parents taking me to the hospital every time I had a hypo - it must of been really scary time for them. But no honeymoon period like that since then although I seem to get weeks where I can do no wrong and other weeks while I can do no right and yet my diet, activity and stress seem to remain consistent.

I've always had this issue and after 51 years of Type 1 still have like a mini honeymoon and still have no answers as to the catalyst.

Looks like you will have to test yourself often to ensure you don't go in to a hypo. Let us know if you ever figure out the cause. Good Luck!
 

Hi BHK
The same thing has happened to me, just this week. I’ve been in insulin for Type 1 for over 37 years, so I do understand all about it. Suddenly, it’s almost as if I no longer have diabetes. I haven’t changed my activity level or my diet. I have ho symptoms of any other illness. I just simply do not need the insulin. Lots of glucose readings unexpectedly low! No reasonable explanation!!! What is going on?
 
I have this too.
I am newly diagnosed just 5 months ago and have been taking levemir and humalog but for the past couple of days I have not needed to take any and my suger levels are within range. I do though work a very strenuous job for 12 hours a day, could this be the cause of my levels being normal without insulin?
 
Last edited:
Yes, high activity levels and summer temperatures around 20 degrees bring my insulin sensitivity up massively.
 
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