Lantus question

[Eri's mom]

Hi again...
This has been brought up b/f I think(mind is lost somewhat!)...
Since Eri's been injecting more lantus, it has been really burning and irritating her a lot more than it has before.
That's normal, right?
Other than that, her bgl's have been doing a LOT better!(they moved her up to 34u lantus a week ago).
Hopefully, the next A1c(in March) will be at target range(they want her at 8%)...her 14 day average is now around 8.5%...which is a LOT better than the 11.1% she was at!

[KMP]

I have read that it burns less if you let the Lantus, that you pulled up in the needle, warm up a little from the cold tempurature of the refrigerator. I guess you would need to let it set for about 4 or 5 minutes to let it get less cold.

I take 24 units and it does not burn...but I was glad to read about it and be prepared for it.

[grace girl]

To me, any dose of lantus above 18 units burns....unless you draw it up and let it come to room temp before injecting. It really does help a lot!

[jillsp]

Having it at room temp will help and also have her inject, hold the needle in, count to 10 and pull it out. Lantus is acidic and can burn a bit if it drips on the skin. By keeping the needle in a few seconds after injecting you eliminate any extra drips that might drop on her skin!

[BriOnH]

Yes, the more lantus, the greater the sting. The more lantus thats injected the larger the area it effects.

I don't feel the sting anymore, personally.

[Mama Belle]

It has always stung my daughter, even when she took a small amount. I always try to let it warm up, but it still stings. It seems to hurt less if she gets the shot in a fatty area, like her tush.

[Stuboy]

Same here... more lantus... more sting, my DE says it's because the acidity of lantus is higher than the likes of novorapid, etc. But i find it stings more when it's straight out of the fridge.

[Eri's mom]

Thanks all :)
I make sure Eri always has her shot at room temp...I think it is b/c of the increased dosage.
She notices it more when she gets the injection in her leg...her arms and tummy don't hurt as bad, but you can always see the redness from the injection.

[Nita]

Just being on Lantus for a week I had no idea why it hurt. Hurt being stinging and HURTING! I had the idea last night of letting it warm up for 30 minutes and still the injection in my stomach hurt. The night before I injected it while cold above my waist and it ached for a long time. Thinking last night's warmer injection in the lower stomach would make a difference I can only say....maybe not quite as bad.

I couldn't wait to come here to see if I was one of a kind but thanks to this forum I see I am not. That makes it more believable.

Thanks all,
Nita

[ProudNanaof5]

I don't keep my lantus in the fridge. I inject 23 units in the morn and 10 in the afternoon. I keep the vial in my "bag" of tricks until used up. I always use it up before the "time out of fridge" expires. My injections doesn't sting or hurt. What size of needles to you use? I just throw like a dart in my butt and shoot. Maybe my butt is dead.:dontknow: ..Hubby says so...:whistling

[w5wjp]

Because of the sting, I kept my Lantus out of the fridge. Cold Lantus will wake you up quick.

[seanmarr]

When I was on Lantus it always hurt, my legs have also become less lumpy since I came off of it. I nearly always injected it at room temperature, but found that if I did need to do it straight from the fridge it would hurt more, so try doing that if you're not already on it. I was on 40u a night, and it was painful but I could tolerate it.

[Lloyd]

Hi again...
This has been brought up b/f I think(mind is lost somewhat!)...
Since Eri's been injecting more lantus, it has been really burning and irritating her a lot more than it has before.
!

The higher the dose, the more it stings. I was on 100 units, I split it and both sites would sting. I did not refrigerate the cartridge in use or the next to be used.

[jen_slc]

Lantus has always stung me, and I think it always will, unless I start to go numb. I only take small doses (7u in the AM, 7u in the PM), but it hurts every single time and I never keep it in the fridge. Increasing doses definitely hurts more too. And it hurts me wherever I give the shot. :hmpf:

It's the very characteristic long-term action of Lantus that's the issue here. Lantus is not very soluble at a neutral pH of 7, e.g. in our bodies. It's been designed this way (pH of ~4) in order to produce its long, peakless action profile - when we inject an acidic solution, the body doesn't like it and it neutralizes the acid solution by forming little precipitates, little "clumps" of insulin. The result is that the insulin cannot work fast, only small amounts of the insulin get released from these precipitates over time, and this is what gives you the long-action profile. It's a necessary evil. :tongue: