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janah

Updated 1y ago

Best insulin for diabetes treatment?

what insulin yall think works the best for yall

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1stMayflowers

2y

The one I take? 😉 I am lucky enough to get my insulin 100% covered, but it means I don't get a lot of choice. I was prescribed Lantus and Humalog. I take Basaglar and Novalog. I've used all, as well and NPH and R. I never noticed much difference between the Lantus/Basaglar and Humalog/Novalog. There is, of course, a HUGE difference between those and NPH and R.
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janah

2y

i was taking lantus and novalog and they recently changed it to nph 30/70 and i dont feel its making my sugar any better i think its makin it worse
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1stMayflowers

2y

why did they change it?? Was it your doc that changed it or forced by insurance? It seems so odd to me, because that is a mix of older, and (what are thought to be) inferior insulins. I've never been on a mixed though. Back when it was NPH and R I could mix them to reduce the shots, but that's it. Those mixes have always seemed strange to me, and limiting. I had way less flexibility with diet when I used the NPH and R, and it seems like a mix would be even worse. If it's insurance that changed it, talk to your doc. They should be able to force it, though it might cost more. If it was the doc who changed it, tell them how you feel. They work for you, they need to listen. Or get fired. I actually don't rely on doctors to tell me anything about my insulin needs anymore. I do a better job myself, and my health team's MVP is an educator/nutritionist who blows everyone else COMBINED out of the water. So if I need help adjusting, he's who I go to.
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janah

2y

it was my doc who changed it i got hospitalized for dka and once i left and went for my follow up he change it to that ive had diabetes since i was 14 and im not 32 and i still dont fully understand it or the insulin
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1stMayflowers

2y

that is so weird! Was your DKA unexplained? I guess that might help make sense...? But I think NPH is known for being a bit unpredictable, or at least not as smooth in its curve. Have you asked why your doc changed it that way, or told them you feel it's not working as well? The best thing I was ever told, for multiple reasons, is that this is MY disease. That means I have to deal with it and take ownership of it. I don't allow anyone to tell me what to do or change what I do without a good reason that makes sense to me. I do occasionally need to be guided back on course, as I sometimes lose the big picture in the midst of life, but that's more just opening my eyes, not so much changing things. Once I've got my head straight about it, I can make my own changes or work with my educator to fix things. Learning to properly count carbs was the number 1 best thing, especially for my freedom. If I want a piece of cake that randomly shows up, I can eat it. I just take insulin for it. I am also careful to do so for even relatively small snacks or meals with few carbs. I do have a higher insulin/carb ratio the last few years (4 carbs=1 unit), so it's even more important. These days, I will even take a single unit to get me back to a good level (my ratio here is 1 unit for every 20 over a blood glucose of 140). I feel SO much better, both physically and mentally, because I can do that. You are pretty close to as experienced as I am, so I don't know if this is all a giant "duh" or an eye-roll for you...I have been frustrated in the past with people who act like I'm new, but I have also had a few times they said something valuable. I'm hoping for the latter. 😉
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janah

2y

sorry i am just now seeing this but i have asked question after question and get no answers that i understand i went to the doc on the 23 and now the talk is puttin me on the pump all the info you give is help full cause even thou ive had it for a while i feel like i was never properly educated on it so alot of what you say is new to me and i appreciate it ive delt with this alone for awhile so having somebody that kinda understands my life finally feels great i jus want to get my sugar under control and live my life stress free of my diabetes and not let it take over my life my dka came from missing one shot of my meds i take 5 shots a day and i forgot to take one and it sent me into dka another reason i want to get it under control so i can not have to take so much meds
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1stMayflowers

2y

you missed one shot and ended up in DKA? Do you take extra insulin to cover high BG levels? Did you know, that once your BG gets up to (if I'm remembering right) around 250, your liver will kick out stored glucose? It's because all it knows is your cells aren't getting glucose into them, so it assumes there's none available. Insulin is like a key, or a passageway, to get glucose (energy) into the cells. Anyway, if you don't get extra insulin to drop a BG higher than 250, you'll just keep going up or, if lucky, stay high. Being dehydrated will also cause higher BG, by the way. It happened to me recently. I was very dehydrated from being sick, and no matter how much insulin I took, I couldn't get it down. Once an IV got me hydrated again, my levels came down. It does sound like your doctor/s have done a $h!t job in educating you. I'm sorry that's the case. It makes you far less free, and so much more dependent on them. That's dangerous. If they miss something, or you don't know to tell them something, or just can't see them quickly enough, it can put you in hot water, and adjusting your own insulin is difficult, scary, and dangerous. I'm afraid that your desire to take fewer shots might actually be sort of a back-step for control. It's totally understandable, but when the body works right, there is a constant flow of insulin, with boosts when you eat. A pump is the only way to mimic that, so that might be a really good option for you. I have only ever used shots (and a few sad weeks with Omnipod, which I hated), and I take a MINIMUM of 3-4 shots per day. Usually more. I will even take extra shots of just 1 unit to bring a slightly high BG down. It sounds like you don't understand the differences in different insulins? This next bit is long. If you look up "types of insulin" you should be able to find a chart with everything I'm saying, plus more. If you aren't in the mood to look but want to "hear", keep reading. 😉 A main goal is to have your insulin work when you need, like at about the time the carbs in your food hit. I can't tell you all exactly, because insulins each have some variance, but there are several types, in regard to time. Some start acting quickly (looks like as little as 4 minutes), peak quickly (little as 30 minutes), and are done in a short time (little as 3 hours). Those are best for meals/snacks. Some take longer to work, and last longer overall, with or without a peak. Those are better for a base control. There are extremes on either end, and mid-range. R is considered short-acting, but takes 30 minutes to start, peaks in 2-3, and can last 6.5 hours. That makes it difficult for a lot of people to use effectively. It's especially bad if you aren't sure how many carbs you're going to be eating, or don't have the ability to predict being able to eat 30 minutes in advance. NPH is intermediate, starting after 1-3 hours, peaking at 5-8 hours, then ending around 18 hours. This means, if it's your longest acting, you'll need 2 shots to cover a day, and the coverage won't be smooth. Long-acting insulins vary too, but an example is Lantus or Basaglar (what I take). It starts about 1.5 hours in, and lasts 24 hours, WITHOUT a peak. That means the coverage is smooth. I really don't know that much about insulins I've never used--I looked up most of that info--so I couldn't guess why your doc put you on what they did. But I really think you would be best served by getting them to spell it out. From my experience, even if you dislike something, it helps a ton if you at least understand it.
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janah

2y

thank you so much your such a bigggg help fr you've taught me so much i never knew

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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