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Why is my insulin not working?

N

nosweets

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Why is my insulin not working?
I have started using Novomix30. It is not reducing my bloodsugar. I used 4units when my BG was 13.7 (morning fasting) and did not eat or drink anything and then tested myself after an hour. My BS was 16.8mmol/l. What am I doing wrong and is the BG not supposed to go down especially if I had not eaten or drunk anything. I tried 12units, but it did nothing for me. My fasting levels were about 10mmol/l in the mornings when I was just managing my BG on sitagliptin. I am avoiding sugar. So what am I doing wrong and why is the Novomix not working. My BS was about 25mmol/l before bed and my GP freaked out when the reading was 17mmol/l. I then tried 14units, but that did not work so much. I am having trouble getting my BG below 13mmol/l. I have not changed my diet since I was just watching carbs.
 
Hi @nosweets, do you have a diagnosis of which diabetic type you are? I am assuming T2 because you mention sitagliptin but I realise that is an assumption. Also, have they done any tests (eg cpeptide) to see how much insulin of your own you are still producing?

The trouble with insulin is that some people need 200 units where other people need 2, and you have to start people out on a low dose and work up gradually, because the short term damage from getting too high an initial dose is much higher than the long term damage from it taking a while to get the dose right. So it may (note I'm not saying it is) just be that you haven't got the right dose yet. And because insulin doesn't act immediately, you also have to be careful about just injecting more if you think it isn't working, because you may end up taking too much because the first injection hasn't had tome to act yet and is still in your system.

What instructions have you been given on how much insulin to inject? Do you have someone you can phone to get help from? Insulin is a potentially very dangerous drug and though as a T1 I love it I also know to treat it with respect and would expect all new users to be getting supervision and help on dosage.

When you say you haven't changed your diet is it low carb or full keto? Now you are on insulin you should make sure you have access to some form of fast acting sugar, because if your blood sugar does go too low (4 or below) you'll need sugar to treat a hypo.

Please try not to get too discouraged that it doesn't seem to be working yet. Lots of virtual hugs.
 
OK, and I should add that some people find they temporarily need masses of insulin eg if they are ill or taking steroids for some reason.
 
nosweets said:
Why is my insulin not working?
I have started using Novomix30. It is not reducing my bloodsugar. I used 4units when my BG was 13.7 (morning fasting) and did not eat or drink anything and then tested myself after an hour. My BS was 16.8mmol/l. What am I doing wrong and is the BG not supposed to go down especially if I had not eaten or drunk anything. I tried 12units, but it did nothing for me. My fasting levels were about 10mmol/l in the mornings when I was just managing my BG on sitagliptin. I am avoiding sugar. So what am I doing wrong and why is the Novomix not working. My BS was about 25mmol/l before bed and my GP freaked out when the reading was 17mmol/l. I then tried 14units, but that did not work so much. I am having trouble getting my BG below 13mmol/l. I have not changed my diet since I was just watching carbs.
Click to expand...

Hi,

We all tend to have certain levels of insulin resistance. Sometimes BGs reflect liver dump of glycogen too?
You would need to consult your diabetes specialist regarding your dosage.
There can be other reasons for insulin not working. A dodgy batch? Not stored correctly & spoiled?
You may need to rotate injection sites if you've been preferring one area?

To be fair, with the insulin I use. (Novorapid.) I wouldn't expect to see a drop if correcting high BGs in an hour. It may halt a rise in its tracks by just over the hour then start to drop in the second hour..?

You could also check (unscientifically.) to see if your pen I working OK?
After an airshot. Fire 20u into the needle cap to check the pen is delivering corectly up to the line I drew in the picture below..
It should come up to the point where the cap starts to funnel out.

image.jpeg
 
nosweets said:
Why is my insulin not working?
I have started using Novomix30. It is not reducing my bloodsugar. I used 4units when my BG was 13.7 (morning fasting) and did not eat or drink anything and then tested myself after an hour. My BS was 16.8mmol/l. What am I doing wrong and is the BG not supposed to go down especially if I had not eaten or drunk anything. I tried 12units, but it did nothing for me. My fasting levels were about 10mmol/l in the mornings when I was just managing my BG on sitagliptin. I am avoiding sugar. So what am I doing wrong and why is the Novomix not working. My BS was about 25mmol/l before bed and my GP freaked out when the reading was 17mmol/l. I then tried 14units, but that did not work so much. I am having trouble getting my BG below 13mmol/l. I have not changed my diet since I was just watching carbs.
Click to expand...
 
Hi I had the same problem I am a type 1 and only ever take 1 to 2 units 3 times a day depending on the food I eat sometimes I don’t need to take any my back ground is sometimes enough.

I had the high levels on the morning but now I think I have sorted it I have a biscuit with peanut butter on just a little bit and it seems to work fine waking level for me is now 6 . As for the insulin not working I always found to eat maybe half of apple or a biscuit with your correction I found it works better then just taking it with nothing. Also moving injection sites help as sometimes it can cause pockets of insulin and can release when you not expecting it so I would wait at least 2 hours after injection and at least 4 hours to make sure it’s out of your system. But to be safe I would go back to your specialist nurse for advice.
 
Hi. I assume you are T2? What is your BMI? A high BMI will imply insulin resistance and may need loads of insulin. You mention keeping sugar down. Note that sugar is just another carb so all carbs need to be kept down; 150gm/day is a good target to start with.
 
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