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Times of jabs around meals?

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yipster29

Well-Known Member
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200
Location
Isle of Wight
Hi
I was diagnosed Type 1 a fortnight ago and whilst I've come sooo far in this time and am getting to grips with it and have my blood far more in control I do have a question around the time of one of my jabs.
I'm on 3 jabs of Novorapid in the day and 1 of Levermir overnight. Breakfast and lunch with a jab is fine but my 3rd Novorapid of a day is due around 5 - 5.30 and as I work full time and then have to pick my son up I don't normally eat until around 7p.m.
So far I've had a snack with the jab and eaten normal time and whilst this has been ok I'm noticing this is now the jab where I'm most likely to go low and a couple of days I've eatena bit more with that jab.
Really I'm wondering which of the following is the best option:
small snack and bit less insulin and eat normal 7p.m.
bigger snack, normal insulin and less dinner
piece fruit to keep me going and delay jab until dinnertime around 7p.m.

I'd be grateful of your advice.

Thanks
 
Hi there,
I'm no expert by any means (only diagnosed May 08) but I'm wondering why your 3rd Novorapid is 'due' at 5-5.30pm. If your evening meal time is 7 - 7.30pm, then you should be injecting just before this time or about 15 mins before. I think your option three is the correct one ie. small snack to keep you going and delay jab until dinnertime around 7p.m. What are your levels like usually at 5.30pm? It may be that you don't need a snack at all. How much Novorapid are you taking at this time? If you are bolusing for your evening meal at 5.30pm and then not eating it until 7pm, then you will go low for sure. Hope I've understood you correctly. If not, feel free to disregard! :D
 
Feel the need to reiterate LizzP, jabs are not scheduled. Novorapid and equivalent is for mealtimes not a specific time of day. It's concerning to hear that you may have been told otherwise.
 
hi Yipster,
if your carb counting then injecting novo with lunch which has a period of lasting in the system for around 4hrs or so, then your basal should carry you through to 7pm, a snack containing 10g or less of carbs is perfect for snacking on and keeping you going till dinner time. Thats the advise we follow and it tends to work, Basal/ bolus gives you the flexibilty to eat when you want, hope this helps,
Suzi x
 
fantastic I'll try that tonight, thank you.
It may have been I mis-understood as the night I was admitted is a little blurry!
I was told the duration of the Novorapid was 2-4 hours and in hospital over the weekend if the meal wasn't due they'd say I was due insulin and give me biscuits so I've put 2 and 2 together and made 5 I think!!
I've got my BC to between 5 and 9 for the last 3 days and am injecting 6ml a time. I'm being very careful what I eat and watching the carbs although I'm not carb counting as yet, hospital told me to wait until my appointment with the dietician comes through. Having read some posts though the Collins carb count book sounds good so think I'll be heading out for that!

Thanks again guys, so helpful having people who understand online!!

Cath xx
 
I get a bit worried seeing all these folks using levemir only once a day, this seems to be a recent development whereas previously it was normally used as a split dose, if you look at the activity curves

http://wiki.diabetesdaily.com/wiki/Leve ... ersus_Dose

you can really only expect 24 hour coverage at the lowest dose range

The bolus insulins are supposed to be used per meal. Methinks your educators need educating themselves
 
I see the clinic again mid April so will query the Levermir.

I waited tonight as advised and had the final Novorapid of the day at 7 and I've been fine so thanks again guys.
My BG when I tested before dinner and insulin was 8.6 so not too bad for the 1st day of different times :D
 
With the bolus and basal regime, in general you inject about 10-15 minutes before you eat a main meal, or having a snack that is larger than 10g of carbs..

If you learn to carb count, and work out proper ratios for insulin to carb, you find that you can be more flexible with meals and times...

Sometimes when eating a meal that has a high fat content, or consists of pasta and/or rice, which can take time for these carbs to start to asorb, so doesn't match the asorbtion/action of the insulin dose, so sending one low then high or given a higher reading after 3 hours, it can help to split the dose into two injection, taken part before the meal then the rest somewhere around 1/2 hour after you've hate the meal this latter bit and how to split the dose does need working out to what is best for the individual though..

I've heard this notion that Levemir and Lantus was designed to be a split dose, and I'm never sure where this rumour generated from, as it was liecenced for 24 hours use, by the authourities that be, and for many it does what it should and last for 24 hours, but for some it doesn't due to several reasons, for me I ended up splitting my dose into 2, as I need a far higher amount in the morning to combat DP, where I didn't need a lot in the afternoon or late evening..

My husband actually gets good results with just taking one injection of his levemir...
 
jopar said:
I've heard this notion that Levemir and Lantus was designed to be a split dose, and I'm never sure where this rumour generated from, as it was liecenced for 24 hours use, by the authourities that be, and for many it does what it should and last for 24 hours, but for some it doesn't due to several reasons, for me I ended up splitting my dose into 2, as I need a far higher amount in the morning to combat DP, where I didn't need a lot in the afternoon or late evening..

My husband actually gets good results with just taking one injection of his levemir...
Click to expand...

Not a rumour, did you look at that activity curve?

Experience of many people in the States where it has been out for longer is that Lantus is supposedly a 24 hour insulin but in practice people seem to get anything from 18 to 30 hours out of it ( even knew someone who when off his pump would use Lantus in the morning and a shot of NPH in the evening to cover its tail) whereas until recently Levemir was almost always given as a split dose, not many people can get 24 hours out of it compared to Lantus, whatever the manufacturers claim.

The big major benefit of Levemir seems to be that the results of a dose adjustment show up much more quickly, also it seems far less prone to stinging or causing hypo unawareness.

This is a rough digest of *opinion* by end users from various sources and is worth exactly what you paid for it <G>
 
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