Table of insulin to inject depending on body weight and blood sugar in mg/dl

[Lionel12]

I would welcome a table of how many international units of insulin to inject given a body weight of e.g. 135 kgs and blood sugar of e.g. 160 mg/dl. No such table/s seem/s to exist so I limit my insulin to a max of 50 i.u. per injection. This may sometimes be too much or too little - I've no way of knowing for lack of a definitive table. In my case for Type 2. Anybody know where such a table or tables exist/s?

 

[Rachox]

Hi @Lionel12 , I’m type 2 but not on insulin, however I think no such table will exist as everyone’s insulin requirements will be individual. I’ll tag in some people who maybe able to help @Annb , @Antje77 , @EllieM , @Nicola M

 

[Hopeful34]

The amount of insulin someone needs will be very different to another person of the same weigh, and with the same bg. It's very individual, and if you're unsure how much to give, I'd speak to your health care provider for guidance,who can help you.

What insulin are you on, and do you carb count?

 

[EllieM]

I'm afraid I agree with @Hopeful34 . One person can literally need 10 units a day while another might need 100 units (or more) for the same weight. The dose can be dramatically affected by a lot of things other than body weight, eg illness, stress, weather, medications (particularly steroids) and of course, insulin resistance. As a 135kg T2 diabetic I would guess that you probably/possibly have some insulin resistance, and you may or may not have impaired insulin production of your own.

But as regards limiting your insulin, they make x3 and x5 strength insulins specifically for people who are insulin resistant and need large doses, so I would suggest you talk to your team about what maximum dose is appropriate in your case.

 

[SimonP78]

Perhaps there is some confusion about the availability of dosage tables - there are tables used to guesstimate basal doses for newly diagnosed T1 diabetics which are based on body weight, though these really are guesstimates based on historic average basal requirements. These are almost certainly not what you require and are only used in the very first instance as a starting point from which personalised dosages are worked out.

As @Hopeful34 says above, your insulin sensitivity is personal and will also vary across the day (and across the month for women) and also depending on recent activity levels and illness.

It would be useful to know which insulin you're taking, but the general approach is to try something (insulin dose, food quantity/type) make a note of it and then see what the response (finger prick testing or CGM) was over the coming hours and then use that knowledge to adjust and see what happens next time - eventually you should see a pattern.

 

[searley]

No such thing as every body is different you could have an identical twin and have different insulin needs

You can create your own chart as you can find out how many mg/dl 1 unit of insulin drop you

And you can find out your carb to insulin ratio

But even then it changes.. mine has over 10 years

 

[Ushthetaff]

If only diabetes treatment was that easy , unfortunately it doesn’t exist . Diabetes is ALL about finding out what works for you with regard insulin requirements to food eaten , to moods to infections etc etc etc. It takes time and unfortunately there is no easy fix

 

[Transplantme]

I would welcome a table of how many international units of insulin to inject given a body weight of e.g. 135 kgs and blood sugar of e.g. 160 mg/dl. No such table/s seem/s to exist so I limit my insulin to a max of 50 i.u. per injection. This may sometimes be too much or too little - I've no way of knowing for lack of a definitive table. In my case for Type 2. Anybody know where such a table or tables exist/s?

My diabetic nurse gave me the easy way of checking insulin to carbs ratios. Take blood sugar , note it down. Eat exactly 10g carbs, wait 2-3 hours depending on how long your body takes to fully utilise insulin . Take Blood sugars again after this time. The results should show exactly the same number. I use this method always xx can be used when on pumps too.
Don't forget rises when becoming ill colds infections etc. so don't do this at those times xx

 

[Transplantme]

My diabetic nurse gave me the easy way of checking insulin to carbs ratios. Take blood sugar , note it down. Eat exactly 10g carbs, wait 2-3 hours depending on how long your body takes to fully utilise insulin . Take Blood sugars again after this time. The results should show exactly the same number. I use this method always xx can be used when on pumps too.
Don't forget rises when becoming ill colds infections etc. so don't do this at those times xx

Then you make your own table. Depends on his good your diabetes units are for info like this.

 

[Lionel12]

Hi @Lionel12 , I’m type 2 but not on insulin, however I think no such table will exist as everyone’s insulin requirements will be individual. I’ll tag in some people who maybe able to help @Annb , @Antje77 , @EllieM , @Nicola M

Given a body weight of 140 kgs, BS of 135 mg/dl, how many i.Us. of insulin need I inject to get the BS down? The idea is to keep HbA1c below 6.5. BTW - if anyone's interested - COVID messes things up nicely. As did my annual 'flu jab. The trouble and strife is not diabetic and had no problems with either.

 

[Lionel12]

My diabetic nurse gave me the easy way of checking insulin to carbs ratios. Take blood sugar , note it down. Eat exactly 10g carbs, wait 2-3 hours depending on how long your body takes to fully utilise insulin . Take Blood sugars again after this time. The results should show exactly the same number. I use this method always xx can be used when on pumps too.
Don't forget rises when becoming ill colds infections etc. so don't do this at those times xx

Handy info. Thanks! My diabetologist intends sending me on a cure to get my BMI down to normal as he's certain my problem is insulin resistance and not "real" diabetes. I wait with bated breath, Such cures BTW are covered 100% by the German version of the NHS. Unfortunately there are very few vacancies so I just hope I beat the undertaker... .

 

[Lionel12]

The amount of insulin someone needs will be very different to another person of the same weigh, and with the same bg. It's very individual, and if you're unsure how much to give, I'd speak to your health care provider for guidance,who can help you.

What insulin are you on, and do you carb count?

I'm on Actraphane and do not carb count.

 

[Lionel12]

If only diabetes treatment was that easy , unfortunately it doesn’t exist . Diabetes is ALL about finding out what works for you with regard insulin requirements to food eaten , to moods to infections etc etc etc. It takes time and unfortunately there is no easy fix

Yerss...and I cannot resist the occasional chocolate. Very naughty of me.

 

[Rokaab]

Given a body weight of 140 kgs, BS of 135 mg/dl, how many i.Us. of insulin need I inject to get the BS down? The idea is to keep HbA1c below 6.5. BTW - if anyone's interested - COVID messes things up nicely. As did my annual 'flu jab. The trouble and strife is not diabetic and had no problems with either.

As said there is no such table, insulin usage depends on lots of difference things (there is a list somewhere of the 40ish different things that affect how much you need), only testing can tell you how much you (in particular) need .
For example, I'm fairly thin, but I need a a more units per carb than many others of similarish size need,

 

[Lionel12]

The amount of insulin someone needs will be very different to another person of the same weigh, and with the same bg. It's very individual, and if you're unsure how much to give, I'd speak to your health care provider for guidance,who can help you.

What insulin are you on, and do you carb count?

Actraphane and no carb count. I was almost glad to start injecting - Metformin is bloody awful. Made me ill and this went on for 3 months. I then called a stop and had to blow €20 a month for other tablets without side effects.

 

[SimonP78]

Which Actraphane are you on? I think you're going to have to do some carb counting as otherwise it's impossible to work out a dosing level. Once you establish that, and assuming your diet remains constant you could probably stop carb counting (or indeed it may be second nature so you don't need to keep such accurate track of it.)

 

[Africanaussie]

There isn't really a one-size-fits-all table for insulin doses based on weight and blood sugar, as it depends on a lot of factors, like your activity level, diet, and how your body responds. But some people use a rough guideline where about 1 unit of insulin is given per 10-15 grams of carbs, or adjust based on blood sugar levels, aiming for a certain target range.

 

[EllieM]

There isn't really a one-size-fits-all table for insulin doses based on weight and blood sugar, as it depends on a lot of factors, like your activity level, diet, and how your body responds. But some people use a rough guideline where about 1 unit of insulin is given per 10-15 grams of carbs, or adjust based on blood sugar levels, aiming for a certain target range.

I think that is a pretty typical starting guess for new T1s who aren't insulin resistant. But the situation for a T2, who may be very insulin resistant and also may still be producing some of their own insulin, can be very different. Manufacturers produce x3 and x5 strength insulins specifically for very insulin resistant people who need literally 100s of units a day.

so I limit my insulin to a max of 50 i.u. per injection.

Have you spoken to your diabetic team about this? They may (or may not) want you to limit your insulin like this.