[Annieliese]

I have been on Lantus for almost seven weeks. I had got the dosage set up such that my fasting and pre-meal BSL's were good. Now for the last three mornings my fasting BSL has been way way too high! Plus all day the before meals levels have been way too high! I also take NovoRapid before meals. But the doctor and diabetes educator, and the books Think Like a Pancreas and Using Insulin, say to adapt Lantus so your morning fasting BSL is correct and you are not having night hypos. I am no longer having any night hypos that i am aware of.

I am eating the same as I have the last few weeks and I am counting carbs as per Gary's counting carbs book.

What has gone wrong for me? I am getting the helpless feeling i got when my BSLs were very high, before I went on insulin. Help!!

 

[Shanny]

Letting you know we're still open for business, Annieliese, but I have no experience to help you out, so hang on until another member gets here who knows about insulin. Sorry things are out of sync again already.

 

[diabetes86]

Have you gotten a 3:00 AM BGL that will tell you if your going hypo and doing a liver dump

 

[Annieliese]

I only get up and test during the night if I feel I am definitely having a hypo. I wake up having a hot flush (I am menopausal) but assume it is only that as I don't feel too bad. I am too lethargic to actually get up and test unless I am sure eg pounding heart etc. Maybe I should get up anyway and test. But if it is only a very mild hypo, I wouldn't have thought it would raise my morning pre-breakfast BSL all that much -especially as I have not had any carbs during the night.

 

[Shanny]

I do know about those pre-waking liver dumps, and yes, they can raise you quite a bit. And if you've gone a bit hypo, I would expect the dump to be even more. I used to keep beef sticks on the nightstand just in case I wakened in "liver dump" territory, I could eat some protein to signal my liver that I didn't need any help, thank you!

 

[Annieliese]

What are "liver dumps", Shanny?

 

[breezeonby]

I have been on Lantus for almost seven weeks. I had got the dosage set up such that my fasting and pre-meal BSL's were good. Now for the last three mornings my fasting BSL has been way way too high! Plus all day the before meals levels have been way too high! I also take NovoRapid before meals. But the doctor and diabetes educator, and the books Think Like a Pancreas and Using Insulin, say to adapt Lantus so your morning fasting BSL is correct and you are not having night hypos. I am no longer having any night hypos that i am aware of.

I am eating the same as I have the last few weeks and I am counting carbs as per Gary's counting carbs book.

What has gone wrong for me? I am getting the helpless feeling i got when my BSLs were very high, before I went on insulin. Help!!

I hope this reply doesn't disappear like the other one. For starters, do not throw in the towel. Begin by adding 2 units of Lantus every three days. You thought you were at the right dose, but Lantus does some mysterious things. If that does not help, you may need to split your total daily dose in 1/2 and take Lantus twice a day. You can also change to the other long acting insulin Levemir. Keep trying different things, something will help-hang in there! Try the increase first.

 

[Shanny]

A liver dump is when glycogen stored in the liver is turned into glucose - a process known as glycogenolysis - and is released into the bloodstream. This causes a rise in our blood glucose, despite no food having been eaten. It is a natural process & often happens when it has been a long time since your last meal, which is why a lot of people get liver dumps in the morning (and why I was keeping beef sticks at my bedside). It also happens when we diabetics go begin to drop lower than our liver likes, so it helps out whether we need it or not.

 

[Annieliese]

Well I tested at 5 am and was 81. I tested because I was perspiring. Obviously only due to a hot flush- which being menopausal, I get alot. My fasting level now is 100 so I guess my liver has done a "dump". Still the level is ok and not too high. I actually had a carb snack before bed (sultanas which I love) so I would not be as likely to really hypo so I guess it worked. I had taken 28 units of Lantus at bedtime.

 

[breezeonby]

Well I tested at 5 am and was 81. I tested because I was perspiring. Obviously only due to a hot flush- which being menopausal, I get alot. My fasting level now is 100 so I guess my liver has done a "dump". Still the level is ok and not too high. I actually had a carb snack before bed (sultanas which i love) so I would not be as likely to really hypo so i guess it worked. I had taken 28 units of Lantus at bedtime.

Annieliese-your fasting level is within an acceptable range. When you wake up really early or if you are perspiring, be sure and test. When I wake up really early, I always test to make sure I am not low. I am perimenopausal and I have an occasional hot flash, not looking forward to menopause

 

[Steph]

I have been using Lantus and Humalog for a few years now. I began with one night time doseage of Lantus but my sugar levels were still haywire! I was told to split the dose - morning and night, and have not had the same level of problems since.

I am in New Zealand and find some of the terminology - particularly re blood sugar levels - to be foreign to me on this forum. Not sure if that is just becasue I am not up with the play, or because we really do things differently here. Anyone else from NZ using this that may be able to clarify?

 

[Shanny]

Hello Steph - welcome aboard. Most of the world uses mmol/l, same as you, measuring the blood glucose by counting molecules. Mostly it's the US that measures by weight - mg/dl - measuring the milligrams.

Here is a conversion tool you can use: OnlineConversion.com - Blood Sugar Converter

Or you can multiply by 18 to convert mmol/l to mg/dl;

Divide by 18 to convert mg/dl to mmol/l.

Thank you for joining us! I hope you visit often and we can get better acquainted.

take care,

 

[jeremiahtren]

that happened to me after I took lantus for two months.

 

[jeremiahtren]

get your dr to try levemeir

 

[Bryant]

This is great information. I became very frustrated when I began to experience the same thing. My solution was to take a few (3 or 4) Ritz crackers with peanut butter about an hour before bedtime. I have also split my Lantus dose into two injections. I'm not there yet but getting there.

Bryant