BURNING AT LANTUS INJECTION SITE

[wooley]

I am experiencing burning at my Lantus injection site.
I keep my lantus refrigerated and have tried hand warming it, but it still burns upon injection. I have been using Lantus for 2 years now, and in the past 3 months have experienced this. Is it possible I have developed an allergy to Lantus? The burning is almost intolerable. Or could it be a bad batch of Lantus?
I am Type 1 times 27 years. Thank you

[JDRF team jhg]

There are three dominant companies in the "pump world":  Animas, Medtronic (MiniMed) and Deltec.  As to the best, it's truly a personal choice and to insure you make the best choice for YOU, it's going to take research.  Your endo or hospital probably has pump information seminars to allow interested parties to learn about the process of acquiring a pump, such as insurance questions, how pumps operate, the pros and cons of pump therapy as well as introduce you to the various pumps out there.  Each pump has its positive aspects and some have negatives depending on your needs and lifestyle.  Each of these companies has websites where you can find information regarding their products.  The more you know about pump therapy and the various pumps available the better chance you'll have of making the right choice for YOU!  Pump therapy can be a truly wonderful, liberating method of insulin delivery ~ it changed our lives when our son, then age 13 went on his pump!  It gave me some peace of mind and it gave him back his teenage years.
Hope this helps ~ keep us posted on what you choose.

[wooley]

well, avantis (lantus) was not much help or all that interested
they took the lot# of the lantus at my suggestion, it was not their belief that burning was related to an allergic reaction
i am on my 3rd bottle of lantus w/same burning sensation, so it's not just the bottle, turns out there are no studies of lantus' long term effects in humans, which i found interesting, i have been reluctant to switch, but that seems to be where i am heading with this, i really wanted to stay with lantus, guess i'm ready for the pump, what is the consensus on the best pump?

[JDRF Team SGG]

Another woman with whom I have corresponded wrote of suffered severe fat tissue atrophy as a rare result of allergic response to insulin injected into those tissues. Please watch carefully, and if you see any pitted areas in locations where you normally inject insulin, talk immediately to your physician. I have a sister with diabetes who has suffered allergic reactions to other types of insulin, although not with the burning you mention. In any event, she simply had to change insulin types and is fine now. We wish you the best.

[wooley]

lantus has asked me to call them directly
i only take 20u
will let you know

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

I agree, it's a really good idea to check in with your endo and/or a certified diabetes educator.  These folks see dozens (hundreds?) of folks with diabetes and have a great inventory of experiences to drawn upon.

I'm not an MD, but I've read that many folks fare better when they store their opened vial of Lantus at room temp ...

If your dose is rather high, you might also try injecting slowly rather than a very "rapid shoot"

I'd be interested to read what your doc has to say about this.  Will you post again when you get more info?

[JDRF-Team-gg]

Dear Wooley,
Even though I am not a physician, it sure sounds like some kind of reaction to me.  You are doing everything according to the manufacturers recommendation to avoid discomfort, and the symptoms you are experiencing are not among the typical ones that they list on their website.  You should definitely contact your endocrinologist and let them know of this burning you are experiencing.  You may also want to check out the manufacturers website a www.lantus.com.  Good luck to you.