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Time zones and medication adjustment

A

ashley

Newbie
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4
I am flying long haul next week, we leave at 10am our time and arrive at 7pm our time but this is 3pm at our destination, i'm not sure what to do regarding my long acting (levemir) insulin.
Currently i take 14u in the morning and 8u in the evening before bed.

Would it sound sensible to take say 12u in the morning as usual, then at 7pm our time take another 4u and then maybe another 6u before bed?
 
Hi Ashley

I fly to New York every other month or so, normally for about 1 week each trip and this has always been a concern for me, though less so now being on a pump... A bit of maths is involved, you need to work out (approximately) what your hourly consumption of Levemir would be over a normal 24 hour period, for you around 1 unit I reckon? So a 4 hour time difference means that for your outward journey you'll theoretically need to add 4 units to your 24 hour dose, then on the return journey subtract the same amount.

I would leave your morning dose at 14u, maybe have your normal evening dose of 8u around 6pm local time (a little bit earlier than your body "expects" it), then have another 4u just before retiring, assuming of course you can stay awake that long! For subsequent days you're then adjusted and can maintain your normal routine. Coming back do the opposite by reducing your evening dosage by 4u but leaving everything else the same. Hope that makes sense?

Have a great trip :mrgreen:.
 
Hey kegstore,

Thanks for the advice, I have asked for valium for the flight so this should help me to sleep whilst on the plane - i'm hoping to wake up refreshed at the other end! lol 8)

I'll adjust by what you have said, I've never been long haul before so have not had to worry about adjusting insulin doses!
 
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