what can I expect on split levemir dose?

[alliebee]

I went back to the clinic today, as ive been on insulin six weeks now, 48 units but my levels are still between 8s and 15s.

The DN said that I may do better on a split dose and she has increased me to 25 units at bedtime and the same at breakfast. increasing every 5 days until levels come down more.

I know that with me the levemir tends to work for about 18 hrs so there will be an overlap, My question if anyone can help is at what sort of time am i likely to go low? as she said to test frequently at the moment as lows may be likely

I inject at 8am and 8pm, I know the variables are many, Im lowish carbing and exersising, brisk walks, and treadmill and swimming 3 times a week and a dance class ( never been so healthy :lol: )

She said I may yet have to go onto basal bolus, but wants to try this first.

Any ideas what to expect? :crazy:

Alison

 

[alaska]

Hi Allie

If the levemir lasts 18 hours for you and you're injecting at 8am and 8pm then:

8am to 2pm: you'll have both your morning and evening doses acting.
2pm to 8pm you'll be operating on just your morning dose (which could see your levels slightly higher perhaps)
8pm to 2am: you'll have both doses operating again
2am to 8am: you'll have just your evening dose operating

Can I ask how low 'lowish carbing' is for you?

It'll just help to get an extra idea of the situation.

Ed

 

[alliebee]

Thanks so much for the reply, Ed, I didnt see it until just now,

You were spot on with your advice, and I am higher in the morning,
I get most of my carbs from veg, and breakfast porridge or cereals, but trying to move onto eggs or light protein also in the morn. I think im around 90 to 120 grams carb a day.

I initially went high on split dose, but seems to be settling now on 25 units morn and night,

been even better since ive lost a stone and 2 lbs since jan 1st, just a stone to go....

 

[alaska]

I think it's good to experiment with a few different meals and see how they effect your levels.

To test different meals:

Test before the meal
Test 2 hours after the meal
Test 4 hours after the meal

This should give you a profile of how that meal has affected your levels.

Cereals can push my levels well above 10mmol/l 2 hours after eating so I have yoghurt for breakfast instead, which usually allows my levels to keep under 8 mmol/l even within 2 hours of eating.

Different foods can affect different people though, so see what works best for you

 

[Jen&Khaleb]

Khaleb is on split Levemir. When he was younger he had a much bigger morning dose than night to avoid night hypos. He's on a 50:50 split now and can be a little prone to hypo around 10.30am. I've never tried him on the once a day dose. If he's done lots of exercise I'll reduce the dose by 10-20% and that seems to be enough to stop hypos. It can be worth experimenting with times and different splits to get what suits.