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

When to eat after taking insulin

keebie

Member
Messages
8
Location
BRISTOL
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I know this may sound stupid, but when I wake in the morning, my sugars are high. (usually 15+) I take my insulin but don't often feel like eating. Can I just skip breakfast or should I still force myself to eat? I usually force myself to eat a small piece of toast, but wondered what would happen if I just have a coffee. My sugar level often go mad overnight, up and down like a yoyo and I wake feeling rubbish! HELP X
 
Sorry, I'm not familiar with how a mixed insulin works. Hopefully someone who knows better will be along shortly with words of wisdom.
 
what are your blood sugars like the rest of the day?
 
Are you on set doze of insulin? (calculated to take x-amount and 'so many times per day').
Does your body/blood sugar levels respond to the insulin well?
How much insulin you are you taking at the time? Humulin is short acting insulin..are you taking any long acting one too ( usually prescribed to take in the evening).
 

M3 is actually a 30/70 mixture insulin so will be a set dose 2 or 3 times a day
 

I used mixed insulin many years ago when I was first diagnosed, but my blood sugar was in range in the morning.

If you're getting a lot of highs like that, I suggest you speak to your team to see if your insulin needs adjusting. Do you count carbs? When I was on mixed insulin, I had set amounts of carbs to eat for each meal. If you don't count carbs, then maybe that's something you could ask your team about too.

As for your specific question, have you tested your blood sugar after eating the toast? That would inform whether you can skip the toast on high days like that.
 
Hi, I have never been told to count carbs! I did wonder about it but wouldnt know where to start. I dont get much info from my Diabetic Nurse, just go twice a year for check up and she says increase evening if high in morning, and increase morning if high in evening. I take 50 in morning and 52 evening, I then have some really bad lows in the night but extream highs in the morning. If I go below about 6.5 I am hypo I need to run quite high but not as high as I am. I cant get any sense out of my D.N. not much help at all. Just make me feel guilty but dont suggest anything else. Been on Insulin for 3 years now.
 


I would highly suggest you go to your GP and ask to be referred to your local diabetic department. Sounds like you need to be taught carb counting and switch insulins not to mention have a more sympathetic ear!
 

There are online courses but it may be that a course you can attend in person would be best for you if you're not getting much help.

I don't know if this would be appropriate for you, but you could also ask about swapping to a basal/bolus insulin regime. It's easier to adjust your insulin that way, and you can also do correction doses more easily. Worth asking.

I found that mixed insulin was quite inflexible.
 
azure said:
I found that mixed insulin was quite inflexible.
Click to expand...
I agree. I've never been on mixed myself, but it's amazing to me that it's still prescribed to people. It's 30+ year old technology and the only value I can (personally) see is that it's very cheap.

The problem with mixed insulin is that you're essentially forced to eat the same foods at the same times every single day in order to have good control. Any deviation from that would mean you're either giving yourself too much/little bolus (fast-acting), and/or too much/little basal (slow-acting).

By moving to a 2-pen management system, you gain control of being able to correct one without necessarily affecting the other.
 
Hi I was started on humulin m3 end of Jan this year, I'm t2 and my sugars were running in the 30's. The insulin brought my numbers down to the 20's but I couldn't handle not having any control. I did a lot of research, taught myself carb counting off the Internet and found the carbs and cals book and app, they are a godsend. I went back to my practice nurse middle of Feb and asked if I could change to basal bolus, she agreed changing me to humulin I for my basal and novo rapid for my bolus, I am still learning the whole time but my blood sugar levels are much improved. When I was on the mixed insulin you couldn't miss meals, had to have roughly the same amount of carbohydrate at the same time every day. I would like to do a carb counting course but not sure how feasible this is. Yes for me it means 5 injections a day and I still have to take a deep breath if out in public but I'm getting there, I'm on 4mm needles which are tiny, hardly feel them. I feel so much better on mid
Jo
 
Hi - I have never been on mixed insulin myself. But I would imagine what you're doing by eating something small would be more helpful than eating nothing. It just may be that the level of basal in the mixed insulin is wrong for you. I would think going on a basal insulin and a bolus insulin would be better for control. It's a good idea to speak with your doc.
 
I'm on humulin m3.
I inj 3 times a day because only up to 8hr coverage per inj.
I currently inj 60units/40/80 but hoping to reduce. I still spike after a treat. Which can be anything from a white baton to some ice cream.
I was sticking to lchf diet but my dietician has confused me so took her advice with porridge and good gi foods but need more insulin. I've tried all different ways to refuce my insulin resistance but just adding weight.
I'm back on lchf on monday as I was happiest on it and strict 20g carb only too. This carb introduction has not worked for me on hm3.
By the way you take inj 15 mins before food to prevent spike. I still spike regardless but my hba1c is 54 where before hm3 it was 114.
I'm not impressed with this insulin but I think most people are put on cheaper ones first.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…