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Questions about Lantas and Novalog

Hi, I'm a 36 yr old male, T1 diabetic since age 14. I'm currently taking Novolin N & R, 3 shots a day. I'm switching my insulin to Lantas and Novalog (4 shots per day). I have a couple questions that I didn't have time to ask the dr. yet.
1) Do I still make adjustments on the novalog according to my BS readings before eating? Ex: If it's high, do I take more than prescribed?
2) Do I make adjustments for a heavy day of exercise? Ex: For a 50 mile bike ride, I would usally take less Novolin R in the AM.
3) What kind of adjustments / problems have others had in switching over to this regiment?
4) Finally, my Dr. was in on the study of Inhaler Insulin, anyone on it? He says the switch from the Novolog would be really easy, if I decide to try it.

Thanks!!
Bill
5 Responses
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792510 tn?1236957644
Where is the cheapest place to purchase your meds?
Helpful - 0
143123 tn?1274300825
Hi Bill.  I'm not a diabetic, but my husband is a T1.  He is 29 (almost 30) and was diagnosed at the age of 8.  He is also on the Novolog/Lantus combination and like the other posts, loves it.  It works well for him.  He also adjusts his dosages pending on his readings, what he's eating, or what kind of activities he's doing.  Of course, this was all ok'd by his endo in the beginning.  Hope it works well for you as well.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello Bill,
  I love the Lantus Novalog mix it has brougt my HGA1C down from 7.5 to 6.8 and it's still comming down.  I do make adjustments according to what my bg is, I have a base then I go up 2 units for every 20 units I'm over 100 and down 2 units for every 20 under 100.  But I am not a Medical professional and I am going to a perinadial (spelling?) specialist, so our situations are different.  I also am on a strict diet I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks everyday. Hopefully in the next few months I will be approved for the pump and I will not have to be so strict and my HGA1C will be @ 6 or lower, I am very excited about this.  Good Luck!
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Avatar universal
I am also a long-time type 1 diabetic, and I love the Lantus/Novalog combination. I find that tight control is very possible with this combination. I do adjust for high or low readings, and I even adjust the TIME that I take the Novalog according to glucose levels. By this, I mean that if my glucose levels are on the low side of normal I sometimes wait a half hour before injecting the Novalog if my meal carbohydrates are the type that are slower to be digested, such as fats mixed with carbs. The Novalog does peak fairly quickly, so you may have to check at about 2 hours after a meal to see if your dosage is matching digestion times perfectly. I am very tightly controlled, and so I sometimes have to help by drinking a half cup of juice at about 1-2 hours after a meal if the carbs were high-fiber, slow-digesting carbs. I agree that you may want to check glucose levels every few hours especially at first so that you can see how the combination of insulins is working with the meals and snacks you eat. For the first time in my life, my a1c stays perfectly at 6.1 without any real effort other than testing every few hours and adjusting according to the numbers I see. I find that I can live a very flexible life now, not having to eat at specific times. Yes, you do still have to adjust according to exercise or meal variations or sickness, but the beauty is tha tthis quick-acting insulin does its job quickly and then is out of the system with no surprises happening many hours later. I wish you the best.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Bill!  I'm a volunteer, not a medical professional, so please check & verify all information received here with your endocrinologist before taking any action.  I am the parent of an 18 year old who was diagnosed at the age of 21 months and we've done shots (N&R, Lantus&Humalog), inhaled insulin (did a 2 year study), and currently she's on an insulin pump (& loving it!).

My daughter's endo had her on a sliding scale dosage, dependent on her bg reading.  She would also make necessary adjustments to her dose if she had a soccer game or some other form of activity going on.  You need to address this with your endo so that you're both on the same page.  

As far as adjusting to the new regime, I do not remember going through any major problems.  You may want to check your bg a little more frequently to make dose changes a little easier.  I'm sure that after living with diabetes for the last 22 years, you know that the more you know about where your bg is at, the easier it is to know what dose changes need to be made.  We did end up switching the Lantus injection to the evening as my daughter's bg readings warranted this change (and that did the trick!).

The inhaled insulin worked great.  My daughter's HA1C actually came down a little while she was on it.  The only time that we had to make noticible adjustments was when she had a chest cold.  Her insulin needs went up.  I believe that it is not recommended for people who have asthma or other lung diseases.  The gear that you need to keep with you isn't that bad and hardly larger than keeping your insulin & syringes with you.  You still have to have 1 injection daily of lantus while you are on inhaled.  

Have you considered the insulin pump?  My daughter loves hers and it has made her life so much more like a normal 18 year old (sleeping in, eating whenever etc.)- she loves the freedom it has given her.  Especially if you are athletic (I'd say a 50 mile bike ride would put you into that catagory), you want to check this option out too.  Making small adjustments to reach your optimal bg is as easy as pushing a button.  Ask your endocrinologist about pumping and it's advantages (or post here to get some responses from real users!).

You have a lot of exciting changes on your horizon and I wish you well with them.
Helpful - 0
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