Can Someone Answer This Question

[FeelinGreat]

I am on 2 shots a day with a 70/30 mix. I am told to only take so much in the morning and at night (before breakfast and dinner). Right now my blood sugar is 280... the question is...
Can I just take another 5 units or so to make it drop quicker or no?! :mad:

[panda1076]

sorry, I don't know anything about 70/30 mixes. But can't you call your doctor or educator??

[Scratch]

No, you wouldn't want to take more 70/30 mix most likely.

Hasn't your doctor consulted you about using a fast-action insulin such as Huma/Novolog or even Regular to administer corrections for high blood sugars?

[Scratch]

Also, I'd really suggest that you see about getting more information about treatment options. MDI, mulitple daily injections, would end up offering you greater flexibility and better control than using 70/30 mix 2xday.

[Gordonm]

I am told to only take so much in the morning and at night

This is the kind of statement that just makes me mad. Your daily insulin usage will very from day to day and actually hour to hour. There is no way anyone can say just take this much insulin and have it be correct. YOU are the manager of your diabetes. You have to take control. Have the doctor or educator give you all the options and learn what to do if you go high or low and adjust accordingly. You should have a bottle of just Humalog or Novolog for just this occasion. A shot of either one of these will bring down you BS level.

Depending on your excercise level and food intake and overall stress or lack of it will change your requirements. Unfortunatly it is not an exact science you just do the best you can with the info you have. Lots of checking will verify your results.

[Oradev]

I agree. I think you have to look into some kind of different insulin treatment. I currently use Lantus as my basal, and Humalog for meals and corrections. I would be glad to help you out.

Send me a pm if you have any questions.

Adam

[duck]

Ah, the wonderful "mixed" insulin(s). They're great. That is, if you can live healthy on two shots a day. And if you eat the exact same food every day. And if your blood sugars NEVER vary. And if you do the exact same amount of activity every day. And if you thrive under rigid conditions...

As you can probably see, there aren't many members here who are big fans of the mixed insulins, for various reasons. Talk to your doctor about getting on a basal (long lasting) insulin like Lantus or Levemir (neither of which peak like the NPH that makes up the "70" part of your mix) and a fast acting insulin like Humalog/Novolog/Apidra. You may need to take more shots per day, but the flexibility achieved can be very liberating.

[xMenace]

I am on 2 shots a day with a 70/30 mix. I am told to only take so much in the morning and at night (before breakfast and dinner). Right now my blood sugar is 280... the question is...
Can I just take another 5 units or so to make it drop quicker or no?! :mad:


You have the right idea, but as others have said, your regimine is not suited for corrections. You'll be adding long and short term insulins, and while you may bring short terms down, your long or medium term numbers may fall dangerously.

Please ask your doctor about going on MDI aka Intensive Insulin Therapy Intensive insulinotherapy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensive_insulin_therapy)

[scara]

Yeah, I agree with everyone here so far, you posted about this so obviously you want better control. From my perspective the mixed insulins are for people who want less needles at the risk of looser control. MDI, for me at least, meant I felt I actually had control.

Good luck dealing with your health care team, try to question everything they tell you and make sure it allows you to meet your goals, not just the ones that they set for you.

[ladytaz]

FeelinGreat, this is what I am on, EXCEPT I also have instructions to use Regular insulin anytime I am running higher than 160 (2u from 160-189, +1u for every 29 points above that). Why your doc doesn't have you on a rapid acting or Regular, I have NO idea! I think I'd be on the phone to my doc asking WHY!!!

As to the whole looser control thing. I do very well with the mix. But then, I dont eat alot of carbs in the first place, and usually know my limits with the mix. I RARELY have to use my Regular insulin. I am learning how to bolus, if I know in advance I am going to eat a higher carb meal. Again, just as everything else Diabetes .... it's different for everyone. ;)

[dgrilli]

I was using 70/30 mix in the beginning. Thanks to Duck I have been liberated. Thanks Duck!!!!

I never had any sort of control. I went from the BG's of High 400's just going over into the 500's to in the 200's to 300 range. My a1C was 11.6.

After Ducks reconmendation to a Fast acting insulin went to 7.6 within 3 months. Run don't walk to gettng a Basal Insulin and a Bolus Insulin whether by Pump is which what I did or by MDI.

There was not control on 70/30 but 70/30 did make me feel better.

Happy Times are Ahead

[kgm0612]

I was also originally put on 70/30. It worked well for me if I consumed VERY little food and exercised to keep my BS from rising. In plain english..........it sucked!

As the others have mentioned, I'd consider switching insulins, or asking your doctor to add a long acting.

Karen

[sviskan]

I was on mixtard 30/70 at one point. Back then the doctor also prescribed novorapid (fast acting insulin) for me to use whenever needed. Maybe you could ask your doctor for some fast acting insulin to use when needed?!

[aeromarv]

I too did the 70/30 mix for a while. The problem you are having is that this therapy is a hold over from the old days when you were prescribed a certain amount of insulin. You basically had to (and in your case still do) take your insulin, and eat foods in amounts that fit the insulin you take.

In today's therapy world, you should consult with your doctor on taking both long acting and short acting insulins (not mixed). What happens is the long acting is supposed to simulate a basal insulin, which takes care of the sugar your body naturally produces (this is the long acting portion of your mix). What you eat would be taken care of via a bolus insulin (the fast acting portion of the mix). So you are basically locked into one bolus, which locks you into how much you can eat.

Like most of the other responses, I would strongly suggest inquiring about and persuing another therapy. Learn to carb count and switch to a long acting as your basal and a fast acting as your bolus. That way you can eat whatever, and bolus for it. Just like your pancreas would. I progressed from NPH & R to the 70/30, to taking Lantus once a day and Novolog whenever I ate, and finally to the pump.

The bolus / basal therapies with carb counting in my opinion is the best therapy out there so far (pumps are the absolute best for me anyway). Its as close as you can get to the way a functioning pancreas works.

[spirosway]

hi my friend!!!dont make mixtand!!!change to lantus-humalog to see good results...or put a pump!!!if you do humalog or novorapid or actrapid maybe you can make some units more to to drop quicker your glycose!!

[PinCushion]

I'll trade you./...you go MID and I'll take your two injections a day :) deal?? haha. On a more serious note, I would look into getting a regular or fast acting insulin for correcting higher blood sugars. It's been YEARS since I was on 70/30, but if I remember correctly I was also on regular for each meal.