What is considered low doses of insulin?

[Trixy83]

I know it varies person to person and I'm not asking what everyone needs/takes etc, but the question I have stuck in my head is.... I see lots of threads folks saying low carbing is good because the lower the carbs the less insulin you need which in turn helps your weight. What do people think of as a low insulin dose? I currently have 10 units levemir in the morning, then my novorapid varies throughout the day, average is about 4/5 units per meal but sometimes its 8/9 depending on what I fancy, then at night I have another dose of levemir, currently 16 units but I think this this too high so dropping to 14. I consider that to be quite a lot of insulin and I'm currently working on getting my doses down. I'm down to 2 units for breakfast but working on lunch and dinner (doesn't help that I'm a total food lover!!) I don't need to lose weight as such, but I don't want to put anymore on so just wondering what the general thoughts are. Thanks

 

[noblehead]

I average between 4 -7 units (for each meal) for my bolus doses and currently using 17.6 units for my basal needs, I don't low-carb but eat carbs in moderation, averaging around 160 - 180g of carbs a day.

But your right by what you say in your opening sentence, insulin needs vary from person to person.

 

[Juicyj]

Hey Trixy,

I think it's easier to think along the lines of your daily carb consumption, low carb generally means eating less than 80g carbs per day, so if your insulin ratio is 1 unit to 10g of carbs then it's 8 units of novorapid a day.

I personally eat low carb, so avoid breads, pasta, rice, sugar and eat around 60-80g a day, it's means less room for error for me as the more carbs you eat the easier it is to get the dose wrong and go high or low, that's my reason for low carb, also better BG control and better moods the more stable my BG is.

You can test to see if you background is right by eating protein only and measuring throughout the day or even by fasting, but that's a bit too much to ask I think, I wouldnt necessarily tweak your background if you just think you're taking too much as it could be working fine, instead if you want good weight management then exercise more and reduce carbs, and record your results too as you can then see for trends and patterns in your daily insulin/BG.

 

[noblehead]

You can test to see if you background is right by eating protein only and measuring throughout the day or even by fasting

Juicy, the correct way of doing a basal check is to fast completely, protein in the absence of carbs converts to glucose by around 50% so it would interfere with any bg results and give a false picture as to whether your basal dose needed increasing or not.

 

[Marty10000]

I typically use 3x12 units of Novorapid and 1x32 units of Lantus glargine every day, which compared to average is a high dose regime. My weight is pretty stable around 12 stone which is fine for my build (Male - 5'9" / 175cm) and dips down then up a bit when I am sick.

Your insulin doses are only part of the equation, your activity, diet and metabolism will all affect your weight just as much. Keep an eye on your BG and weight obviously, but remember there is more than just your dosages at play.

If you are having trouble managing do the fasting test, but it sounds like you are more concerned about potential trouble than actually having them from your initial post.

Hope this helps.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Your dosage sounds fairly typical. The need increases in line with your body weight together with many other factors

 

[LaineyK]

Hi tricky.
I sometimes wonder about this too. But I keep remembering it's not how much you put in, it's how level ur bg levels are and that they Are in range. I'm a bit like you and noble.. I have basal of 16 with my tea, along with 6/8 units of Novorapid. Then 4 Novorapid in morning, and 6 for lunch, but it varies with illness, and naughty meal once in a while, lol

 

[Wurst]

I don't use much more than 4 units of humalog for a meal. Although my carb ratio changes dramatically throughout the day, for example 4 units in the morning covers a meager breakfast of sardines and celery whereas this would same ration would give me a severe hypo in the evening time. Insulin resistance / DP also come into play when considering dosages.

 

[kevinfitzgerald]

I am quite liberal with my doses. It all depends on what I chose to eat.

Breakfast 4 - 8 units Novorapid
Lunch 6 - 12 units Novorapid
Dinner 12 - 20 units Novorapid
Bedtime 16 units Glargine (Lantus)

I've never really carb counted, I just use my own experience of living with this illness for over 33 years.

Highest HBA1c in the last 6 years has been 7.5 and lowest was 6.7 so my range is pretty good.

I am 10 stone and 5 ft 7 inches and have maintained this weight for what seems like forever !

It's about finding your own balance isn't it !

 

[Charles Robin]

To give you an idea, I currently take 12 units of long acting insulin. However, the pen can actually deliver 80 units in one go if needed!

 

[RuthW]

I am on between 28 and 39 units per day. Novorapid because I am on a pump. I am not particularly lo-carbing. My average per day is 150 over the last three or four months. My hba1c is about 6.3 these days.

I would like to reduce my insulin requirements even more. But by exercise, not by cutting carbs.

I am Type 1. (It's less interpretable to give your insulin take without stating your type. Expectations should be different.)

 

[L3wisr]

Currently have;
2 novo
4 novo
4.5 novo
4 lantus

Still I'm honeymoon period though, dreading when it has to go up

 

[ElyDave]

I'm about 5'9"/1.75m, 67kg, I'm on a pump which is generally more efficient i.e. lower doses. I'm on 100g average carbs per day and my average TDD is about 3-4U basal (depending on how I apply temporary basals or off pump time) and about 3-4U bolus.

I've been diagnosed just under 2 years, but I'd consider myself still in honeymoon as well.

 

[Robinredbreast]

About 30 per day, which includes 11 Levemir at bedtime. It used to be less, until sometime last year ? and I have remained a steady weight for decades.

 

[tim2000s]

@ElyDave, how did you get a pump so quickly?

 

[donnellysdogs]

@ElyDave, how did you get a pump so quickly?

I would imagine that the doses needed were so small that it would be very difficult to fine tune them... But will be interested.

Some hospitals are fantastic. Mine in Wales 4.5 years ago had bought 30 accuchek combo's and went back for more.. And due to a bad incident I could have had one almost immediately. However due to nurse being on holiday then I had to wait 2 weeks.
There was no choice of pump though, but I still consider accuchek is currently the best tubed pump. I had never been to this hospital at all previously. I had a bad incident the day before my first appointment with them. The consultant shouted and ranted at me but the DSN was fantadtic and sorted iut a pump immediately.

 

[ElyDave]

@ElyDave, how did you get a pump so quickly?

Small doses, high insulin sensitivity and a need to be able to manage doses around exercise - essentially all components of being able to better manage and prevent unwanted hypos.

Essentially I worked out the citeria early, kept up a continual dialogue with the DSNs, gave them loads of data and just happen to be lucky enough to be at Addenbrookes, where there are several very pro-pump consultants and lots of good research going on.

@donnellysdogs went past your neck of the woods today. Picked up a new bike this morning, meeting the guy at Chievely services, came back up the A34/A43/A45 route

 

[donnellysdogs]

Small doses, high insulin sensitivity and a need to be able to manage doses around exercise - essentially all components of being able to better manage and prevent unwanted hypos.

Essentially I worked out the citeria early, kept up a continual dialogue with the DSNs, gave them loads of data and just happen to be lucky enough to be at Addenbrookes, where there are several very pro-pump consultants and lots of good research going on.

@donnellysdogs went past your neck of the woods today. Picked up a new bike this morning, meeting the guy at Chievely services, came back up the A34/A43/A45 route

Hope you peddled the bike back and got your OH to drive the car!!! You could have stopped off for a cuppa!!!
I hate A34... The worst place apparently to have a puncture..(3 police cars!!) .. At least it is in a car-(not peddling! How did you avoid all the McDonalds en route? I only get to Towcester and have to stop the car diverting to the drive in!!

 

[Spockraptor]

Type 1 since October last year so still honeymooning. I was taking 3 novorapid with each meal and 5 lantus on an evening but stopped with breakfast dose completely as was heading to hypoland around 10.30am. Sometime miss lunchtime dose too for the same reason. Yesterday was a random day as I didn't need any bolus as hit 3.8 in the afternoon without any insulin so went the whole day with zero bolus and the same today and have never been above 8.2. A little part of me would like to think the diabetes has gone away but I know that's only in my dreams

 

[ElyDave]

Type 1 since October last year so still honeymooning. I was taking 3 novorapid with each meal and 5 lantus on an evening but stopped with breakfast dose completely as was heading to hypoland around 10.30am. Sometime miss lunchtime dose too for the same reason. Yesterday was a random day as I didn't need any bolus as hit 3.8 in the afternoon without any insulin so went the whole day with zero bolus and the same today and have never been above 8.2. A little part of me would like to think the diabetes has gone away but I know that's only in my dreams

The thing wth being that newly diagnosed is that you may still be producing insulin of your own, unpredictabley, so every now and then your panccreas will give a squirt and you'll go hypo