Insulin glargine

[Rigel]

Has anyone had any experience with this extra long acting insulin? Does it work much better than NPH for instance? Would you require a higher dosage due to the longer peak durations? I would like to have something like this to replace my 2 daily NPH shots. Unfortunately it's not available in Canada yet as far as I know... :(

[statdeac]

yeah, i think this is the same thing as the brand name Lantus. it's peakless, so you don't have to worry as much about lows during peaking periods.

i use it now, but i didn't switch from nph so i can't give you a comparison of number of units.

i like it though, and you might get away with a single shot.

[Jon]

This is the first time I have heard it called Glargine, but Lantus is supposed to be 24 hours of insulin with no peaks. From what I understand, it cannot be mixed with other types of insulin, so you have to take it by itself. Also, since it doesn't peak, you may have to take an extra shot of fast-acting during the day.

[Mick]

I've been taking the Insulin Glargine, brand named Lantus, since it came out 2 years ago. In fact, I was the first patient in my endo's practice to try it out. It is not yet available in Canada, It definately DOES require a bolus of insulin with every meal. It may or may not last the full 24 hours--time duration may range from 18-28 hours. It can NOT be mixed in the same syringe with any other insulin. I does not have any noticable peak, so there is no need to cover peaks with food at specific times. I can sleep in on the weekend, and eat a large brunch, or skip breakfast altogether. I'm often not humgry at lunch--If I don't with to eat lunch, all I need to do is skip my injection. One generally requires quite a bit LESS of Lantus than NPH, sometimes only 3/4's or 2/3rds as much. I switched from NPH, and on NPH I needed 22 units total per day. I take 16 units of Lantus, which is about average. I used to have a LOT of lows, and I had stopped being able to feel them. Since going on Lantus, I have not had a single low that I was unable to treat myself. As with all of this, your milage may vary...

Michael
T1 since 1965