@Trinity11 wrote:
@Jackhound Mom wrote:
Do you have a funny taste from your Lantus after using? There seems to be a smell and a floor wax taste that never really goes away. I only inject in my stomach. I have so many symptoms from any and all diabetic medicine. Please let me know side effects you have had with these medicines. Sweating, skin rash and trouble sleeping along with bathroom issues are also problematic. Thank you very much in advance.
Cathy
Hi @Jackhound Mom. I understand how daunting it can be learning what type of insulin to use. I have had Type 1 diabetes for nearly 50 years and I even find some of it confusing.
Lantus is considered a basal insulin which basically means a background insulin. It helps to keep your blood sugars down between meals. Lantus will definitely contribute to weight gain and there were some major studies regarding it may have a less advantageous profile than Levemir. Levemir rarely causes low blood sugar and I far prefer it to Lantus. In fact my insurance stopped allowing me to use it and refused to pay for it a few years ago. I use the pre-filled pen and you just need to purchase the needles to attach to it.
Are you using short acting insulin in addition to basal insulin? Sometimes the combination of both is easier to use than just the basal insulin (Lantus). It can be more fine tuned to whatever you are eating. For instance one day you might want to eat a dish of spaghetti with marinara sauce, salad and beverage so you could fine tune your insulin dose. The next day you wish to eat a salad and that would take far less insulin because there are far fewer carbohydrates in the meal. Most meals the carbohydrate content is where you need to make adjustments. One of the foods that produces higher blood sugars is pizza. For that you would need a unit or two more because of the high fat content in the cheese. I use Novolog ten minutes before a meal because it has a good profile for not promoting hypoglycemia.
Good diabetic care also involves limiting your fat intake in addition to carbohydrates. If you consume a lot of fat it slows digestion down producing hypoglycemia (sweating and anxiety) Then the fat causes a secondary blood sugar rise by causing insulin resistance and the liver oversecretes glucose. You then end up with elevated blood sugar levels. That is why you need a balanced diet of appropriate amounts of fats, carbohydrates and proteins usually prescribed and adjusted by your nutritionist.
If you are sweating that generally means you are dropping too low and need an adjustment in your Lantus. How many units are you taking and do you take it in the evening or both morning and evening?
Metformin is an excellent drug that even Type 1 diabetics use. I use it myself along with Levemir and Novolog. It helps with insulin resistance and helps with the outpouring of glucose from the liver... often an issue in the early morning for both Type 1 and Type 2. I use the slow release form of the medication. Start out slow and eventually work up to whatever your physican suggests. Studies have been done and Metformin is considered a medication that may be protective and considered a drug that prolongs life.
Have you had a test to see how much insulin you are producing ...the C Peptide Test? This will tell where you are along with your Type 2 diabetes.v If you are producing very little insulin due to pancreatic burn-out no diet no matter who says so will ever make you go into remission. You need supplemental insulin. However, if you are still producing copious amounts of insulin which many Type 2 diabetics produce initially, you may be able to get into remission with reducing your carbohydrate intake and lowering your fat intake which is the catalyst for hyperglycemia. Of course, since there is no cure for diabetes if you revert to old habits you will quickly go back to needing supplemental meds to control your blood sugar.
I have been leading Diabetic Support Group Meetings for many years and try and keep up with the latest Diabetes News and have for years. I hope that I can answer anything you need to know and if I do not know the answer, I have many sources (board certified physicians) that can answer any question you may have. Two good friends have been able to help me for many years and they are educated Board Certified Endocrinologists. They also taught so they are amazing good sources for anything new that is happening. They also know about some of the scams regarding diet and diabetes and it is essential to be careful of them. Diabetes can not be cured. Remission can be short term because the pancreas eventually may stop producting any insulin as diabetes is a progressive disease.
My best to you and I hope I haven't confused you. Hope you begin to feel better after getting your medications adjusted.
Just wanted to add the book "Think like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE is the gold standard of diabetes care. He goes into complete detail about many questions that you may have. Even after many years of diabetes, I still refer to it from time to time.
We're all different...I've experienced NO weight gain w/Lantus and I have trouble with the pens...never again. I follow a LOW carb diet..use stevia as a sweetener..became a vegetarian as well. Drink LOTS ot water..my doctor empathized that too..! I pray they find a cure someday! It runs in my family..so there must be a genetic marker~
Don't cry for a man who's left you--the next one may fall for your smile.
-- Mae West
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