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Switching from Humalog to Lyumjev

JustLucky

Well-Known Member
Messages
61
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, everyone. This morning I went to my endocrinologist annual check and she told me I can get Lyumjev instead of Humalog, as it is faster and should be easier to manage.
I handled Humalog quite well (TIR 2 96 2 and hba1c 5.5%) so didn't feel I need a change, but still think it might be useful to bolus a bit closer to the meal.
Gave me one pen to try it out, still didn't as today I'm quite busy, but will try over the weekend.

Does someone here have experience with this kind of switch? Any advice is welcome.

Thanks
 
I switched within the last year (I honestly can’t remember when) and went from Novorapid to Lyumjev. My switch was by choice though due to wanting an insulin that works quicker.

One big thing to note is with Lyumjev when you inject it can sting, sometimes it does sometimes it doesn’t and some people don’t get on with the stinging and end up swapping back to their previous insulin. It’s up to you on whether to stick it out if it does sting and whether you’re willing to put up with it.

Although in theory Lyumjev should work quicker than your other insulin it is not always a perfect science. I still have to pre-bolus by 20 minutes for my lunch (it does beat the 45min-1hour for Novorapid though). Don’t think that just because it says it works quicker it actually will. You’ll need to see how it works for you.

Be careful around injecting for highs and doing large boluses or stacking insulin. Lyumjev can drop you very quickly and if you’re not careful you can overdo it without realising and go lower than you might think. I’ve had a couple of instances where my insulin pump has over corrected and I’ve gone down to below 2.0 mmol very quickly. I have good hypo awareness and a CGM but something to be aware of if you don’t.
 
I switched from Humalog to Lyumjev because I was needing a 45+ minute pre-bolus for breakfast.

When I first tried Lyumjev out, I made sure it was on a day where I could pay attention to how my blood sugar reacted and could easily take action if Lyumjev worked faster than expected.

While Lyumjev was faster acting in a good way at some times (at breakfast and when I was going into a meal with my blood sugar on the high end), I found it was too fast for me for me at other times (when my blood sugar was on the low end going into a meal and at points in my monthly cycle when I'm more insulin sensitive).

I decided to have both Lyumjev and Humalog on hand to pick which speed I wanted for each meal. I'm in Germany and my endo was happy with this arrangement. I'm not sure if endos in the UK would agree to prescribing two different fast-acting insulins.

One thing to think about: if you're on single-use pens and on a relatively low dose, Lyumjev is available as a half-unit pen (Lyumjev Junior), just like Humalog (Humalog Junior).
 
Thanks for the info, I stick Humalog 45mins before breakfast and eat less carbs than for other meals (2 insulin units less). As for the lunch and dinner I aim to stick Humalog 15mins before except when eating meat with carbs I inject later, maybe just before a meal, as I get a hypo or 5mmol and a spike 4 hours later. I don't eat meat much. I prefer eating meat (or fish) with just green veggies, maybe mushrooms and salad. As a low carb meal without any bolus.

I actually have a stash of Humalog, maybe 15-20 pens. I feel good about having a few years amount of insulin in the fridge... Call me paranoid, but I feel better this way. So I'll use it anyway, as I won't be trashing it surely.

As for the stinging, Humalog stings (burns) sometimes too, I don't like it obviously but I manage.

Maybe I could try to stick Lyumjev just before lunch instead of 15min earlier?
 
I'm curious about having both Humalog and Lyumjev and using them optionally. With both pens having a 28 day lifespan once engaged aren't you having to waste insulin that expires. I have both right now and just started Lyumjev. My Humalog pens are good until 2027 so I'll hold on to them for backup in case.. I have found that Humalog can take way more time to react to carbs and have gotten into trouble "stacking" shots. I'm hoping the Lyumjev will bring my glucose down more predictably. Good luck with your management!
 
Ok - so Lyumjev is Humalog with 'stuff in' to speed it up (a vasal dilator Treprostinil) - it works much faster than the previous 'Fast' generation of insulins (humalog, novarapid etc).

Watch carefully when you first use it, as it can be unexpectedly fast (i.e. working as quickly as you're digesting sometimes) so try injecting at the point you eat rather than way in advance. You may also find the quantity needed is less as it does its job better, but you need to experiment, but be ready with some extra carbs if you go low when first using.

Ultrafast (Lyumjev and Fiasp) are very useful for HCL (looping with a pump) as the loop can react quicker to us sticking a croissant in etc, and make eating with MDI easier too as you can inject at the point you eat, rather than having to predict mealtimes exactly.

I use Fiasp (found it worked better for me then Lyumjev but it does the same stuff) for a Fully Closed Loop - and its essential to have an Ultrafast insulin.
 
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