Anyone else back on pork insulin

[pebbles]

I have wondered if anyone else went back to pork insulin after taking what I call man made insulins I was on humilin for many years with bad low blood sugars having seizures passing out then was changed to novorapid with the same problems was on novorapid for 2 years I was became sick on this insulin very tired pain in joints what a nightmare I got so fedup told my doctor that i was going back to pork insulin and I no longer have these problems I also made a complaint to the ministry of health and they have told me that it is not the first complaint they have received about this problems go figure! pebbles

[David_S]

I was just reading about animal protien in insulin tonight. Protamine is an animal protien used in some insulins. protamine may stimulate the immune system to make anti-bodies against insulin. They temporarily bind to the insulin, rendering it inactive. Then.. with no way to predict it, it can release teh insulin when it isn't necessary. This effect may be small.. but when you are trying to control numbers throughout a day.. IS protamine in your new or old insulin?

[JediSkipdogg]

There is actually an ongoing investigation in Canada ONLY (that I know of) into how pork insulin is needed. It appears some people just have no reaction to synthetic insulin. Then again, I've seen people here in the US bomb on Humalog and Novolog and then try Apidra and have a drastic 180 difference. Not sure if Apidra is available in Canada though.

[parrotletzoo]

Not to discount your experience with animal based insulin. but I just don't see how insulin that is animal based could be better for you then one that is structurally identical to human insulins. That and well, i'm allergic to the preservatives in pork and beef insulins and it put me in the hospital so its rDNA insulins for me. Well not anymore, but it was ;)

[dgrilli]

Wouldn't pork insulin be on the list of no no's for Torah fans?

[seacomp]

but I just don't see how insulin that is animal based could be better for you then one that is structurally identical to human insulins.
A clarification: The newer insulins, such as Humalog, Lantus, Novolog, etc. are not structurally identical to naturally produced human insulins. They differ in one of two amino acids from natural insulin so as to give them their special properties of rapid (or of very slow) dissimulation.
The original generation of rDNA insulins, such as Humalin, are exactly the same as naturally occurring human insulin.
From what Pebbles described, it seems possible that there is autoimmune reaction to human insulin itself. A darn tough situation!

[Funnygrl]

A clarification: The newer insulins, such as Humalog, Lantus, Novolog, etc. are not structurally identical to naturally produced human insulins. They differ in one of two amino acids from natural insulin so as to give them their special properties of rapid (or of very slow) dissimulation.
The original generation of rDNA insulins, such as Humalin, are exactly the same as naturally occurring human insulin.
From what Pebbles described, it seems possible that there is autoimmune reaction to human insulin itself. A darn tough situation!
Autoimmune reactions to insulin itself are extremely rare, and having the side effects pebbles describes would be next to impossible.

[SueM]

Autoimmune reactions to insulin itself are extremely rare, and having the side effects pebbles describes would be next to impossible.

Why is it so many people use pork and beef insulin then?
There are many thousands of people who have adverse effects on the synthetic insulins but peoples concerns are just brushed under the mat.
In the UK parliment has made sure that animal insulins are avalible to people who want and need them.
People that are happy on synthetic good for them same as people who use the pork/beef.
Not everyone can have the same thing so please do not start a slanging match as to who is right/wrong or how bad 1 or the other insulin is.

I am happy on the bovine insulin and after nearly 42 years on insulin with no complications it sure is good stuff as far as I am concerned.

[DeusXM]

It's absolutely essential that there are as wide a range of insulins available as possible. This is particularly true for those who've been on insulin before synth insulins came to the market - synth insulins have a much more aggressive action profile than animal-derived insulins and this can cause major problems for those who've been used to the animal-derived products. One of these major problems is hypo unawareness.

In terms of how things should progress in the future, ideally all new insulin users should go onto the synth insulins (simply because there's a wider range to choose from) and if they have problems they should be given the option of using either porcine of bovine insulin. People who are currently doing fine on animal-derived insulins certainly shouldn't change - if it ain't broke, don't 'fix' it.

Wouldn't pork insulin be on the list of no no's for Torah fans?

Yes, pork insulin would be unsuitable for Jews with diabetes. It would also be unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans and Muslims. This is why it's important to have a wide range of insulins from a variety of different sources.

[Funnygrl]

Why is it so many people use pork and beef insulin then?
There are many thousands of people who have adverse effects on the synthetic insulins but peoples concerns are just brushed under the mat.
In the UK parliment has made sure that animal insulins are avalible to people who want and need them.
People that are happy on synthetic good for them same as people who use the pork/beef.
Not everyone can have the same thing so please do not start a slanging match as to who is right/wrong or how bad 1 or the other insulin is.

I am happy on the bovine insulin and after nearly 42 years on insulin with no complications it sure is good stuff as far as I am concerned.
All I said was that immune reactions to insulin itself our rare. That's because it's a substance that's meant to be in your body. The term "autoimmune" is a misnomer here, since autoimmune refers to your body attacking itself. Trust me, I believe in allergies. I'm allergic to Lantus. But I'm not allergic to the insulin itself, I'm allergic to some component of the Lantus. And symptoms of allergies include itching, hives, wheezing, reddness, etc. Tired joints and nightmares are not allergic responses, and I personally would look in to other causes than the insulin change. I almost think sometimes people get convinced something is bad, and prefer to stick with what they are familiar with, so then it's almost a placebo type effect. That's fine, if it works for you, you should have the option to use animal insulin.

[DeusXM]

It's not necessarily an autoimmune/allergic response. As I said, synth insulins have a more aggressive action profile. People not used to synth insulins will almost certainly suffer from significant hypoglycaemia and seizures arising from that (one of Pebbles's symptoms) and I would imagine that persistant, frequent hypoglycaemia would also result in fatigue and joint pain could be an extension of that.

Bear in mind that reactions to the insulin aren't necessarily reactions to the insulin compound itself; they can also be reactions to the effects of the insulin action. This needs to be taken into account when prescribing insulin. As I said, those who have always been on synth insulin don't tend to have the same problems as those who have made the transition from animal-derived insulins. Therefore there's little reason to put those doing fine on synth onto animal insulins, and there's little reason to put those doing fine on animal insulins onto synth.

[pebbles]

hi funny girl this is pebbles I gess you did not understand exactly what I was saying if you realy read what I posted I said that it was a nightmare ( the side effects to what I call man made insulins for myself the past 14 years for me has been a nightmare as far as the seizures pasing out became a big problem in my daily life) not that the insulin was giving me nightmares. pebbles!

[pebbles]

hi Deus xm I see here you know your stuff I agree with what your saying I had no clue when I was in a low blood sugar reaction I would go right into a seizure or pass out and to make things worse because of that I lost my independence I was no longer able to be left alone for long periods of time how nice is that! and as far as others on this forum saying that some people are convinced that something is bad obviously have never had such a problem and need to get there storie straight I have better things to do then convince myself that something is bad for me. By the way I found out today by my specialist that diabetes can cause musculoskeletal complication and the pamflet I received says this (Diabetes may affect the musculoskeletal system in a variety of ways. The metabolic perturbations in diabetes including glycosylation of proteins;microvascular abnormalities with damage to blood vessels and nerves;and collagen accumulation in skin and periarticular structures) result in changes in the connective tissue.Musculoskeletal complications are most commonly seen in patients with a longstanding history of type 1 diabetes,but they are also seen in patients with type 2 diabetes. pebbles!