Lantus Need help

[drifter22]

Hi everyone, I've been diabetic for 16 years now 17 in may(currently 27 years old). Up until November of 07 i was one Regular and Nph. It worked well for me but i switched over to Novolog and Lantus. My blood sugars are very inconsistant for the most part they are always running high (200-320). Well I've been expirement with the lantus and decided to take it during the day rather than at night in conjunction with my novolog. The question is this Can u mix novolog and lantus simultanously? Ive read today that u cant. So how can I take it? do i shoot up novolog first followed by lantus? Need help? and what are the consequences to mixing the doses? Thanks.

[Scratch]

Do not mix Novolog and Lantus in the same syringe.

I always try to avoid injecting Novolog around my Lantus injection site as well.

[Jan B]

Don't use together because there is a good chance you will either weaken the Novolog by putting a bit of Lantus in it & you don't want fast-acting insulin accidentally getting in your Lantus. I believe that's why you don't mix.

[dar917]

No, you can't mix them but you can take the shots both at the same time.

[drifter22]

thanks alot for the help. My nurse practioner never told me i could not mix them.

[JBUD]

I Use Lantus but I take it in the morning and dont need my humalog at that time. Although I take my Lantus in the evening at dinner time and then take my Humalog B4 Dinner in a different location.

[Funnygrl]

Lantus works by it's acidic pH causing crystallization under the skin that is slowly broken down over 24 hours. Mixing novolog with this would change the pH, essentially preventing the acid crystallization, and making the Lantus work faster than it should.

[Jan B]

Lantus works by it's acidic pH causing crystallization under the skin that is slowly broken down over 24 hours. Mixing novolog with this would change the pH, essentially preventing the acid crystallization, and making the Lantus work faster than it should.

Thank you for that explanation -- wow. This is much more important to know than just the possibility of getting some Lantus in the Novolog and Novolog in the Lantus.

[Alice]

I take Lantus in the morning...as well as a breakfast dose of Humalog...not always at the exact same time. Still, I inject in two completely different areas. I use my sides/tummy for Lantus and arms for Humalog...Humalog get rotated all over...legs, arms, hip...

[JJM335]

Drifter:

How and when are you taking your shots? Analog insulins e.g. Lantus and Novolog are designed to be used by T1's as part of an MDI regime - this means 1 or for many of us 2 shots of Lantus plus at least 3 shots of Novolog to be taken before meals as a bolus (and best as part of a carb counting system). The old-style 2 shots a day of mixed R + N won't work with analogs because analog rapid acting insulins like Novolog are designed to act over a maximum of 4 hours (i.e. whilst your meal is digesting). Also N is quite peaky and will give you some coverage of your meals - Lantus won't work like that.

Talk to your medical team about how you should be using these insulins. If you are not familiar with these books, order them from Amazon - they are not expensive and give a really clear explanation of how to best use insulins to control your BGs

Using Insulin by John Walsh
Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner.

Joel

[Eddy]

Lantus works by it's acidic pH


Quick side note: This is why Lantus sometimes feels like a bee sting.

[Eddy]

Mixing novolog with this would change the pH, essentially preventing the acid crystallization, and making the Lantus work faster than it should.


It's kind of like mixing N and U/L insulins. (PLEASE, nobody do that, either!) The chemicals in N react with U/L, leaving one with something resembling R...

[lilituc]

It's kind of like mixing N and U/L insulins. (PLEASE, nobody do that, either!) The chemicals in N react with U/L, leaving one with something resembling R...

I don't think there's much chance of that - they stopped making U and L several years ago.

[Eddy]

I don't think there's much chance of that - they stopped making U and L several years ago.

I'd heard that was so in the US, but didn't know about elsewhere in the world...

I just hope that N continues being made.

[lilituc]

I'd heard that was so in the US, but didn't know about elsewhere in the world...

I think it was discontinued in 2006 for the rest of the world.

[drifter22]

Well i started taking my lantus shot in the morning 50 units. Prior to this i use to take it at night but i would always wake up with high sugar readiings. I have been expirementing on my own for that past 3 days and found that taking lantus through out the day helps me stay within ranges more consistantly than just taking my novolog with meals. I only inject in my left arm, either by my bicept or deltoid. Also one more question can you reuse the same needle to take the novolog and lantus?

[lilituc]

Well i started taking my lantus shot in the morning 50 units. Prior to this i use to take it at night but i would always wake up with high sugar readiings. I have been expirementing on my own for that past 3 days and found that taking lantus through out the day helps me stay within ranges more consistantly than just taking my novolog with meals. I only inject in my left arm, either by my bicept or deltoid. Also one more question can you reuse the same needle to take the novolog and lantus?

You shouldn't use the same needle or syringe for different kinds of insulin. One thing you may want to do is break the 50 units up for better absorption. So say, inject half and then move the needle to a different spot and inject the rest.

[shiftzor]

I would go further and suggest that you use a new needle each time to do an injection and don't inject through cloths. My endo told me this when I first started, it is a lot more hygienic and stops you punching holes in yourself from blunt needles (apparently after the first injection the needle becomes blunt). I am in no short supply of needles though so I guess I have that luxury.