PROBLEMS TAKING LANTUS INSULIN

[ROXEEGIRL]

MY DOCTOR PRESCRIBED LANTUS INSULIN TO REPLACE THE HUMULIN L INSULIN THAT I HAD TAKEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I HAVE NOTICED THAT WHEN I TAKE THE LANTUS INSULIN PRESCRIBED DOSAGE(S) THAT APPROXIMATELY 15-30 MINUTES LATER I START TO SWEAT PROFUSELY. IS THIS A NORMAL REACTION TO THE LANTUS INSULIN? I VOICED MY CONCERNS TO MY DOCTOR AND HE HAD NO COMMENT. I AM ALSO TAKING SEVERAL DOSES OF HUMULIN R AND HAVE GAINED WEIGHT SINCE I STARTED TAKING THE LANTUS. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU.

[JDRF-VOL-RL]

Hello!  I'm not a medical professional, just the parent of a kid with diabetes.  Lantus begins to work in about the time frame that you're beginning to sweat.  Have you checked your blood sugars when you start sweating?  It's possible that it's just your body reacting to a long acting insulin that it's not used to.  The body reacts in strange ways, but this isn't a normal reaction.  It could just be that your body is learning to adjust to the lantus, and the sweating will go away when you get used to it.  Your weight gain could be because of the same thing, your body reacts differently to different types of insulin, and now your body is trying to figure out how to deal with lantus.

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

My first question about the weight gain would be whether your control has been considerably better since starting the Lantus. Many people find that their a1c numbers drop considerably when they start this insulin regimen after being on older routines for years. If this be the case, it could explain the weight gain... you may no longer be burning off your own body fat, and your body may be utilizing the foods you eat better with better glucose contro;. You may need to talk to your doctor about lowering your dosage and lowering the carb/calories you eat appropriately to stabilize the weight. Now that your body is using the foods you eat properly, you may find that you don't need to eat as much.

And as for the sweats about a half hour after taking Lantus, there IS a slight peak action with Lantus, although this peak action for most people is several hours after taking the Lantus. In my case, I usually take my Lantus at about 6 am, and I notice a peak that causes my glucose levels to drop by about 8 am. This happens even if I have not taken any Novolog or eaten breakfast (sometimes I wait until I get to work to take Novolog and eat breakfast), so it has to be the Lantus peaking. I find that a half cup of juice is about what I need to stave off a low at that time. I would suggest that you test to see if your glucose is either: a) low when you break out in the sweat, or b) starting to drop -- you can test when the sweating starts and test again about a half hour later to see whether glucose levels dropped quickly at that time. Some people do react just like they do with hypoglycemia when sugar levels are dropping quickly even if they have not yet dropped below normal. I personally will break out in a sweat if glucose levels are dropping quickly even if I NEVER get hypo when this happens. Again, a tiny bit (about 6 swallows) of juice seems to stop the icky feelings.

[carlysmom]

My daughter was diagnosed in May of this year so we are still new to all of this, but we have experienced the sweating after starting Lantus. It started the very first night she recieved her first dose in the hospital. The nurses checked her sugar and it was in a good range and passed it off to being warm in the room, but it happened everynight after that. I brought the problem up to our educator, who ran it by the doctor and they both agreed that people react differently when starting the longacting and it should get better. It took about 10 days and then it stopped. She is still on Lantus now. Hope this helps.

[duped]

I had a reaction to Lantus that involved big red raised welts appearing on my legs that itched.  I started taking Benadryl (an antihistamine) at bedtime and controlled itching that way.  After a couple of months it went away.  When I went off Lantus, I had same problem for about a week or two -- very strange and makes you realize how potent the stuff is.  There might be something else to take more suitable for her exact symptoms (throat sprays or something like that), but it will probably involve use of anti-histamine if this is a reaction.