• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Unanswered periods of dropping blood sugars and insulin sensitivity

Nathan7

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all,

I'm 26, male, type 1 diabetic, diagnosed 2005. I take novorapid fiasp and optisulin lantus injections, and use freestyle fibre 2+ sensors. In 2024 I had an intense experience in Indonesia where my blood sugars were constantly dropping and the only insulin I took for 3 days was my Lantus, at a reduced dose (12 down from 24). I was constantly taking on sugar to prevent a hypo, and would eventually fall asleep from exhaustion, only to be woken up a few hours later with a low blood sugar. I had bloods taken at a hospital over there, and they came back all normal. I hopped on a plane in pure panic back to the UK armed with an arsenal of sugary foods in my backpack, and of course as soon as I landed my blood sugars started behaving normally again. I was very active on that holiday and it was hot/humid, but I had just come from a year in Australia doing labouring, so I wouldn't say it was conditions I wasn't used to.

I'm more cautious now but I carried on with life as usual, and my diabetes management, whilst I've never been a model diabetic, was good by my standards. However, I now experience recurring episodes like the one described above, however much less intense. This has happened during periods of cold and warm weather, during periods when I'm very active and also periods when I'm not so active. As I travel a lot I lack routine, so it is very difficult to identify a cause. The reason I am looking for help again is I just experienced another quite intense one, and I was under the impression that the episodes were diminishing in intensity. I'm working as a furniture delivery driver in Australia, and yesterday I was working and my blood sugars kept dropping. I usually have reduced insulin needs when working anyway as it is a physical job, but it was out of the ordinary on that day, and I was eating like no tomorrow just to stave off a hypo. Today I'm very inactive and cutting my insulin by more than half, and still needing to eat snacks to stop a hypo after doses. I'm hoping I can find someone who's also experienced something like this, and whether they identified a cause.
 
checked against libre's reported lows against fingerprick readings?

maybe more vit d with more sun alongside general activity? see study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2994161/ would ask for medical advice.

have had simular experience eating to insulin. that was put down to honeymoon period for me. as you were diagnosed 15+ years ago way less ikely to be that.

curious if you've had perhaps had recentish c-peptide / gad test perhaps from the 2024 blood tests?

libre for me appears more accurate when well hydrated, it also for me reads slightly lower. whilst its been flat for a wee bit and take into account delay 10-15min of readings, could be worth fingerprick glucose to see if it perhaps is reading a little lower (some others find can read a little higher).

gl
 
Hi @Nathan7 .

Welcome to the forum..

“Lantus.” Been in a similar boat myself. Actually done furniture deliveries & pick up donations for a charity..
Had you started a new pen cartridge when these “dragon chasing” lows happen?
 
I'm wondering about the lantus too. I got put onto an insulin pump because it was a bit too unreliable for me....

Bu yes, were those lows confirmed by a glucometer, because I wouldn't necessarily trust a cgm for low readings?
 
I'm wondering about the lantus too. I got put onto an insulin pump because it was a bit too unreliable for me....

Bu yes, were those lows confirmed by a glucometer, because I wouldn't necessarily trust a cgm for low readings?
I play in 2 rock bands & on gig nights I’ve notice Lantus seems to keep working even long after it’s meant to have tailed off it working profile.
Similar issue when working nights in a warehouse..

I would agree that any low readings should be backed by a meter.
In the case of using a Freestyle Libre sensor. Mine can take upto 45 minutes to respond to treatment on a low even after I no longer have symptoms & the meter confirms it..

From what I can gather, interstitial fluid is the last inline when “carb aid” arrives.
 
Hi @Nathan7 .

Welcome to the forum..

“Lantus.” Been in a similar boat myself. Actually done furniture deliveries & pick up donations for a charity..
Had you started a new pen cartridge when these “dragon chasing” lows happen?
Hi Jaylee, I haven't changed cartridges. What would be the reasoning for this? Could the Lantus somehow become more potent?
 
I'm wondering about the lantus too. I got put onto an insulin pump because it was a bit too unreliable for me....

Bu yes, were those lows confirmed by a glucometer, because I wouldn't necessarily trust a cgm for low readings?
I would like to go on a pump, but I would have to self-fund here in Australia.

Yes I have been checking against fingerpicks, and the results have been consistent.

@grantg replying to you here because I can't reply to you as it has a link and I can't repost it as a new user. What exactly would the c-peptide / gad test be looking for? I have recently had bloods taken from a pathologist, requested by my diabetes team, and they didn't indicate anything unusual, but I can ask them if the things you mentioned were tested for.
 
Hi Jaylee, I haven't changed cartridges. What would be the reasoning for this? Could the Lantus somehow become more potent?
I do know that Lantus shouldn't be exposed to temperatures above 30°c. However, high temperatures reduce it's potency rather than increase it.
 

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/c-peptide-test.html
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/gad-antibody-test.html

b-cell functionality can change over time (usually downwards for type1). type1 can have insulin resistance. so could be helpful.

lantus should be nice and clear, if cloudy/seperation seen it could be off and not work as expected.
 
Hi Jaylee, I haven't changed cartridges. What would be the reasoning for this? Could the Lantus somehow become more potent?
I’ve noticed with my Lantus a correlation?

Sometimes a cartridge can loose potency about halfway to two thirds of use with the contents..
I change the cartridge & business as usual the following day.
Then oddly, I can start a new cartridge even though the basal dosage was fine the pervious days. & I’m finding I’m reluctant to use any bolus for meals..

I’ve been T1 for just touching 5 decades.
When things work well I’m on 13.5u. Sanofi do do half unit dose pens for Lantus , if that helps?
 
I do know that Lantus shouldn't be exposed to temperatures above 30°c. However, high temperatures reduce it's potency rather than increase it.
In my experience even with keeping insulin inside advised temperature parameters.
Hotter climates & activity can increase what seems like insulin sensitivity.

I’ve done some landscaping in sun traps & needed to lower my Lantus dose by a unit or so to pre-empt conditions for the following day..?
 
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…