[JudithAnnGrace]

Hello, I finally figured out the forum does not cooperate with my AOL browser, I hope it updates soon!
I am a Type 2 who is sensitive or allergic to just about EVERY diabetes medicine. Prandin served me well for many years, but isn't now. I take Levemir at night and have good #'s in the morning but when I take the Levemir in the morning, about 2 hours later it knocks me out and I can't do anything all day. I'm afraid to take it tomorrow morning because I have to drive somewhere. I've gone from 12 to 10 and now I'm going to try 7 to see if it will affect my blood sugars but yet allow me to do what I need to do during the day. Both my mom and dad are sick and I have a lot to do. I can't be being all cotton-headed and not able to keep my eyes open. I can't get into a diabetes doctor until 1-20, I meet with a nurse next week 1-13. I'm scared of these medicines. The next step would be the Huma-whatever or the Novolog. I'm scared of those too.
I'm a little person, 4 foot 6 and am not certain how that plays into playing with the medicine. Well, I better go to bed. Good night.

 

[Shanny]

I'm about ready for bed too, Judy, but want to welcome you before I leave here. Do you test throughout the day & are your sugar levels weird during these cotton-headed spells?

There are many here who have fought the insulin wars year after year . . . I'm not one of them - I'm just on metformin, but I know they'll have good support for you when we see you tomorrow.

Wish I had some tips about your browser, but I've never used AOL.

Take care and thank you for joining us!

Hello, I finally figured out the forum does not cooperate with my AOL browser, I hope it updates soon!
I am a Type 2 who is sensitive or allergic to just about EVERY diabetes medicine. Prandin served me well for many years, but isn't now. I take Levemir at night and have good #'s in the morning but when I take the Levemir in the morning, about 2 hours later it knocks me out and I can't do anything all day. I'm afraid to take it tomorrow morning because I have to drive somewhere. I've gone from 12 to 10 and now I'm going to try 7 to see if it will affect my blood sugars but yet allow me to do what I need to do during the day. Both my mom and dad are sick and I have a lot to do. I can't be being all cotton-headed and not able to keep my eyes open. I can't get into a diabetes doctor until 1-20, I meet with a nurse next week 1-13. I'm scared of these medicines. The next step would be the Huma-whatever or the Novolog. I'm scared of those too.
I'm a little person, 4 foot 6 and am not certain how that plays into playing with the medicine. Well, I better go to bed. Good night.

 

[breezeonby]

Hello, I finally figured out the forum does not cooperate with my AOL browser, I hope it updates soon!
I am a Type 2 who is sensitive or allergic to just about EVERY diabetes medicine. Prandin served me well for many years, but isn't now. I take Levemir at night and have good #'s in the morning but when I take the Levemir in the morning, about 2 hours later it knocks me out and I can't do anything all day. I'm afraid to take it tomorrow morning because I have to drive somewhere. I've gone from 12 to 10 and now I'm going to try 7 to see if it will affect my blood sugars but yet allow me to do what I need to do during the day. Both my mom and dad are sick and I have a lot to do. I can't be being all cotton-headed and not able to keep my eyes open. I can't get into a diabetes doctor until 1-20, I meet with a nurse next week 1-13. I'm scared of these medicines. The next step would be the Huma-whatever or the Novolog. I'm scared of those too.
I'm a little person, 4 foot 6 and am not certain how that plays into playing with the medicine. Well, I better go to bed. Good night.

Hi Judy and welcome to the forum! If you are having problems with Levemir then try Lantus and get with your doctor and figure out if taking a higher dose at night with no morning dose would work for you. Lantus and Levemir is meant to be taken once per day. I have never had a problem taking my entire Lantus dose at 9PM every night and I am very diligent about taking it at 9PM. I don't think that being a little person really makes your body any different when it comes to insulin dosing. Insulin is a great way to control your blood sugar but everyone is different in their response to it. Novolog and Humalog are rapid acting insulin and are meant to be taken at meal times. The dose taken at mealtime is best when you take enough insulin to cover the amount of carbs that you eat and rapid acting insulin is no longer effective after 4-6 hours. IMO, I would drop your morning insulin dose way down until you talk with your doctor. Driving drowsy is not safe, find out the cause. Good luck and visit often!

 

[jwags]

Some people do have allergic reactions to the newer insulins, talk to your doctor about switching. Have you tried all the type 2 meds- metformin, glipizide, onglyza, januvia, actos, victoza and byetta. Sometimes it is trial and error in finding what works. Also what is your diet like. You say the Levemir knocks you out. What do you normally eat for breakfast. If you are eating a breakfast high in carbs, that may be part of your tiredness. I have to eat a very low carb, high protein and fat breakfast otherwise I tend to nod off, too.

 

[JudithAnnGrace]

I do eat cereal for breakfast with some Activia yogurt, some fruit. What do you eat for breakfast. I have been trying to stick with a VEGAN diet since a year ago September.
Yup, tried almost ALL Type 2 diabetes meds: Metevil=violent reaction; byetta=stopped my whole system; Lantus=pain all over and have a document on my harddrive "No More Lantus;" Actos=tried but it didn't make it probably due to severe myalgia; Januvia=severe myalgia, strange dreams. I'm very very very sensitive. I am now having weird dreams with the Levemir. The only thing with minimum side effects is Prandin, which is now not working for me.
I

 

[Shanny]

Are you modifying your diet to limit fast-acting carbs? How do you maintain lower blood sugars when so many diabetes meds aren't working for you?

 

[jwags]

I tend to be much higher in the morning so I can't eat any carbs. I have given up cereal and bread mostly and fruit. The only yogurt I can eat is plain greek yogurt in very small amounts (3 oz) about 2-3 carbs. I usually eat bacon and eggs or a bran cracker with coconut oil, almond butter and Walden Farms 0 carb jam. Sometimes I make my very low carb waffles using whey powder instead of flour. Since you cannot take most type 2 meds and insulin bother you I would suggest you try to go very low carb, mostly proten, fat and green veggies.

 

[JudithAnnGrace]

Are you modifying your diet to limit fast-acting carbs? How do you maintain lower blood sugars when so many diabetes meds aren't working for you?

I have been Type 2 for about 10 years. Diet and exercise served me well for a long time. I eat only wheat, only brown rice, fruits and vegetables. I did the Diabetes Vegan Program from Arizona, and it's a fantastic program. I have a lot of stress in my life since last February when my aunt had a stroke and then she died in June and then we all got a virus @ the nursing home and my mom has been sick ever since. My dad just got out of the hospital after having a traditional gall bladder surgery and he was in the hospital for 12 days. I'm unemployed.

I truly believe in the Vegan program I am on but a nutritionist @ Mayo Clinic said because I had kidney stones I shouldn't eat soy which is almost the whole program -- or the part of the program for "variety" and foods that are more like regular diets.

I don't eat beef any more and I don't really miss it. I haven't had bacon in forever. Today I am major hungry and unfortunately conceded a little, but I still biked for 1/2 hour, walked for 20 minutes and did stretches, drank my milk, drank my water.

I suppose I need to fill out my vitals part. My last A1C was 8.2. With Levemir I have morning numbers between 87 and 110. I HATE BEING A NUMBER -- I AM A WRITER, NOT A SCIENTIST. There, it's out there.

So I work @ the food part, I'm sure there's more I can learn, but I just don't do white potatoes, or rice, or pasta or bread and I haven't for a long time. I understand exchanges and all that but this Vegan program has all the recipes, all the menus and you just follow. The first time I did fantastic but I think the stress every day is really making things hard and there's not much more I can do about it. I don't like the medicine, that's why I went Vegan and I do have to crack open the book and get some more recipes under my belt and maybe buy some more soy products again.

Wednesday, I took 7 units of levemir before bed on Tuesday night and tonight. And I took 7 units @ 9:30am to see if I could make it through the day. I did. Many appointments. Tomorrow I'll have to do the scientific part.

But I hate waiting so long to see the doctor, so I'm doing my own laboratory experiments. I don't think they know much more than me, sometimes I think they just push what the pharmaceutical sales people say are the latest and greatest. I've asked: what do you do for people who are sensitive? What do you recommend? And then they give me something sulfa based when I told them on my sheet that I'm allergic to sulfa!

I have been to Mayo Clinic and I think he's the most knowledgable, but with my dad sick I don't think I'll be able to go down there. I've called him several times but he wonders if something else is wrong with my body -- but all my blood tests and etc. come back normal, so the main thing "wrong" I think is the stress.

I think I've lost weight though -- which is good -- even though I feel like crap almost every day.

I better go to bed. On my Vegan program they say to be of utmost health to go to bed by 10:00pm and get up EARLY. Ugh. I've ignored that part.

Good night.

 

[onaughmae]

Some people do have allergic reactions to the newer insulins, talk to your doctor about switching. Have you tried all the type 2 meds- metformin, glipizide, onglyza, januvia, actos, victoza and byetta. Sometimes it is trial and error in finding what works. Also what is your diet like. You say the Levemir knocks you out. What do you normally eat for breakfast. If you are eating a breakfast high in carbs, that may be part of your tiredness. I have to eat a very low carb, high protein and fat breakfast otherwise I tend to nod off, too.

Turns out I having allergic reaction to Humalog. Switched to Novolog and everything is all good again!