When do people take Levemir?

[GrantGam]

When she was on two doses daily we were getting hypos at night when her evening dose was peaking and then she was running out of basal in the evening before her second shot.

Just my tuppence: those hypers in the evening when you assumed that the basal was running out, could well have been rebound highs in response to the hypos.

Splitting Levemir three ways does work, although it's pretty taxing in doing so. I'd imagine it demands a lot from you, going on the assumption that you're doing the injections. If I required 3 doses of Levemir in a 24 hour period, I'd seriously consider finding an alternative basal.

 

[CathP]

No they definitely weren't rebound highs, we've got dexcom and can see pretty well what's going on. Three levemir is a pain in the bum to be sure (quite literally!) but lantus was no good as it stung so much it made my daughter cry. I'm happy with whatever regime works for her. I guess we'll return to twice daily once on larger doses as they'll last that bit longer so cover the 24 hour period more successfully.

 

[GrantGam]

No they definitely weren't rebound highs, we've got dexcom and can see pretty well what's going on. Three levemir is a pain in the bum to be sure (quite literally!) but lantus was no good as it stung so much it made my daughter cry. I'm happy with whatever regime works for her. I guess we'll return to twice daily once on larger doses as they'll last that bit longer so cover the 24 hour period more successfully.

Sorry to hear about the Lantus stinging, that's the last thing anyone would want!

Another technique that those who suffer 'lack of coverage' often use, is to apply an increased I:C ratio at the meal leading up to the second injection. DIA of Novorapid is somewhere between 3-5 hours, so an increased I:C can often keep BG's in range before the second background dose gets to work. Just a suggestion to try and lessen your work load

 

[Grumpy ole thing]

Hi @Little My
I take Levemir at 9.30 (or near as), 8 units in the morning and 14 at night. My ratios vary through the day, I need less than 1:10 at breakfast, and a little over at tea time.

 

[Shannon27]

Just my tuppence: those hypers in the evening when you assumed that the basal was running out, could well have been rebound highs in response to the hypos.

Splitting Levemir three ways does work, although it's pretty taxing in doing so. I'd imagine it demands a lot from you, going on the assumption that you're doing the injections. If I required 3 doses of Levemir in a 24 hour period, I'd seriously consider finding an alternative basal.

@GrantGam I'd recommend a slower acting insulin, such as Tresiba or Lantus (tresiba is more flexible with timing!) These both tend to last about 24 hours. Then she won't be getting hypos in the night, which are stressful for everyone involved

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[Shannon27]

No they definitely weren't rebound highs, we've got dexcom and can see pretty well what's going on. Three levemir is a pain in the bum to be sure (quite literally!) but lantus was no good as it stung so much it made my daughter cry. I'm happy with whatever regime works for her. I guess we'll return to twice daily once on larger doses as they'll last that bit longer so cover the 24 hour period more successfully.

Also, the Lantus hurt me too which is part of the reason I came off it. What needles are you using, 4mm or 5mm? Generally doctors don't tell you about the 4mm ones when you pick up your prescription, they're much better to use and nowhere near as painful! BY Microfine Ultra 4mm the tresiba injection is also much better to use in that you don't need to force the insulin out so much, so less likely to create lumps under the skin do you change your daughters injection sites? I always vary from one side of my belly to the other, sometimes the tops of my legs. Hope this helps

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[slikwipman]

I'm a 36 year old type 1 diabetic and was diagnosed Oct 2013. I currently take small doses of Levemir 8am in the morning & 9pm evening (4 units x2 daily)
I am desperate to get tight control of my blood sugar and seem to be experiencing highs in the evenings before my second dose and sometimes hypos around 3am in the morning.I often find I'm on the low side early evening around 4pm too.I'm getting very frustrated as I carb count constantly and try and be as accurate as I can with my fast acting novarapid injections but can't seem to get my hbA1c below 57?! I have even invested in the Freestlye Libre sensor CGM to track my blood across 24 hours.
I'm about to start IVF as I've been trying for a baby for 3 years now and really want to have the best chance of getting pregnant.
I was thinking of having my evening Levemir earlier to see if that helps?! Maybe 6pm? I read that Levemir can last around 18 hours and sometimes people experience slight peaks around 4 hours after injecting? Do people agree? All advice welcome and I'm interested to know how other type 1 diabetics take Levemir and if they split their doses?! x

I use levemir once a day at nine pm. The way I look at this is it is a 24 hour dose. The main effect it has for me is giving me lower readings before breakfast and making my doses of novorapid at mealtime much more effective. I was advised that bg readings before bed should be around 8 so I always make sure I have a supper