Diabetes Community

Just took second reading 2 hours after oatmeal and it reads 235,,, does this work?

Anyone on Lantus know the answer to this?

Jason, things seem to be slow on this site this morning because of the holidays, but I'll try to answer until someone with insulin experience comes on.

For me, on NO meds at all, one bowl of oatmeal would send my blood sugar soaring. Remember, diabetes is a disease in which your body does not handle carbohydrates well, so in any case, with any meds, cut way down on your grains and fruits.

Many people eat whatever they want and then cover it with insulin, but I choose to eat less carbs and take less meds in order to prevent the complications of diabetes.

What do you reccomend for breakfast?

Does anyone have an answer to this? Jesse

Jesse:

Maybe you need to call your doctor. You may an adjustment to the Lantus dosage and/or the addition of mealtime (bolus) insulin injections.

DMH

I upped my units to 14 last night and I read 154 this morning. Still not what I was hoping for... do not want to become a pin cushion with more needles... is this supposed to work immediately or does it take time?

Jesse:

Lantus is a long-acting insulin. It is intended to establish a reasonably stable basal blood glucose level.

For some people, it needs to be supplemented with mealtime insulin injections.

DMH

So I assume that means I have to find how many units I need to bring down the count to a normal level? Should I keep raising the unit level each night until I get a good result. My doctor is not available so I cannot ask him any questions.

Jason, I just looked up all your posts beginning with 3 weeks ago when you stated that you have had an A1c of 8-10 over the last 10 years with no complications. That is way too high and indicates average blood sugars of 200-275 approximately. It seems that you may be entering the "complications" era, even though you did not recognize that before.

You need to see a dietician as well as a doctor to regulate your insulin vs. carbohydrate intake levels. If you just keep eating more and taking more insulin to cover it, you will continue to get worse.

I have an appointment for a diabetic class on Dec 12th but will try to make adjustments until then with my diet. I was eating Oatmeal for breakfast but someone posted that it was bad for you so I stopped... not sure what to eat now. I didn't think that oatmeal was really bad but....

Jasonsweets, I feel your "pain." Not to make light of your situation, but is there a way to determine if it's alright that you up the dosage of your insulin yourself? Meaning, has your doctor given you the go ahead.

The best way to tell if you are using the right amount of Lantus will be your a.m. fasting number, 9-10 hours after you have eaten. If this number is within the 70-110 range, you are using the right amount of Lantus. My a.m. fasting numbers were between 250-300. I was started out at 18U of Lantus to see if this would work. My doctor would up the dosage AFTER I called him to let him know my a.m. numbers were not coming down.

Insulin shows an immediate affect. BUT, Lantus does not lower your BS when you eat carbs.

As others have stated, Lantus is a basal insuiln that works 24/7. It has no discernable peaks or valleys. Most doctors start out the dosage of Lantus at the lower end of the spectrum. It normally depends on a person's weight and gender and, of course, your blood sugar numbers.

Your numbers are high after a meal. Obviously, carbohydrates and the amount of carbs you eat affect your blood sugar.

Lantus does NOT lower your blood sugar if you eat carbs. If you see a pattern of your blood sugar rising after a meal, you may need a rapid-acting insulin that you take with meals. Humalog and Novolog are two of the rapid-acting insulins.

I take both Lantus and Humalog. I have the same problem of my blood sugar rising dramatically after I eat carbs. The Humalog I take prevents that from happening.

I cannot say, as I am not a doctor, that you should self-medicate. Please talk to your doctor as soon as you can. As I said, Lantus does not lower your blood sugar after you eat. A rapid-acting insulin is designed for this.

Invest in a carb-counting book such as "The Calorie King". It comes in pocket-book form and is also on-line. You need to count your carbs carefully even when using insulin. It's the same for any diabetic no matter if they use meds, insulin or diet alone.

I would recommend that you DO NOT up your dosage of Lantus until you have talked with your doctor. This is not a safe course of action. Limit the amount of carbs you eat at a meal to prevent your blood sugar from spiking as it does. Each person is different in how many carbs they can eat at one meal. Some meals I eat less than 30 per meal.

Jason, Lantus will not lower your blood sugar after you eat. Period. End of story.

Yes, I take Lantus. I also take Humalog with meals. Humalog is a rapid-acting insulin designed to be taken with meals. It starts to work as soon as 10 minutes after injection. I can attest to that as I have been taking it since 2006.

I haven't been on this site for a few days, so pardon the repetion. You need to talk to your doctor before you start upping your Lantus dosage.

I will repeat: when you see a high BS number, DO NOT take more Lantus. It does not lower your BS number when you eat carbs. You are going to wind up in the ER. Lantus has a 24 hour effect in your blood stream. Again, it will not lower your blood sugar once you eat carbs.

Is there an on-call doctor you can talk to if yours is not available? Please seek help and do not take any more Lantus.

Very confusing... if Lantus does not lower BS then why do I bother taking it? Seems like Humalog is what I need but does that come in a pen like lantus> And do I have to take it every time I eat?