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which insulins cant be taken when pregnant?

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kimberleyk45

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hello, i'm currently planning a pregnancy with my partner. i have been told that some insulins arent safe to take whilst pregnant. i'm on levemir & novorapid. if my insulin has to be changed, will this happen when i'm trying for a baby or once i'm pregnant? i have an appointment in april with diabetic consultant so i'm going to make them aware of my plans. i just want to be prepared & roughly know what to expect
 
Hope you can get specific help and advice from a pre-conception diabetes clinic. Many drugs, not just insulins, have not been tested / approved for use in pregnancy, but that doesn't necessarily mean than they can't be used during pregnancy.
 
Unless things have changed since I was last pregnant (3 years ago) there are no insulins licensed for pregnancy because it would be unethical to test them on pregnant women!! However, we obviously have to carry on taking our insulin so not advised to change. I remember waiting till after one of my pregnancies to change onto a newer insulin analogue as they wouldn't switch me while I was pregnant (think that was the lantus). Good luck!
 
None of them have been specifically tested on pregnant women, however there's absolutely no reason to think that any of them would have any mechanism of harming a foetus.

The disruption of blood sugar while you're changing would do harm, so best to leave things as they are.
Always discuss it with your nurse / doc though
I have a gorgeously healthy 2 yr old girl, throught the entire pregnancy was on Lantus and Novorapid.
 
thanks for the replies ladies. i was told by sum1 else on here that i would have to stop taking my novorapid because it wasnt safe, however you were on novorapid :roll: i guess i'll just have to wait until my next appointment on april 14th & see what the diabetic nurse & constaltant have to say
 
Hi Kimberley,
I said I was taken off Novorapid, however that was in 2001. I was changed to Humalog because the doc reassured me it was safer in pregnancy, and I assume there must have been published data to suppport this. However it is worth remembering that patients on newer insulins are the long-term safety studies on which such data is based.
Personally, and with hindsight, i would not have gone though my last pregnancy on an analogue insulin.

Good BG control throughout pregnancy is the most important thing for your baby's health, this is what you need to focus on. If there's any issue regarding stable control and your current insulin, your doc is the best person to advise on any changes, if any, that need to be made. if you have any other concerns regarding insulin, you could contact the iDDT (insulin dependent diabetes trust).http://www.iddt.org/
Best of luck with your pregnancy
Jus
 
thanks for the reply jus i think i should talk to my diabetic team about insulins etc as i have also been told that women have been taken off levemir before trying for a baby, i also take levemir. i know everyone is different but i just didnt want to seem totally clueless when talking to my diabetic team about insulins, complications with pregnancy etc
 
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