Which method would you prefer (if you had to choose one)?

[Dewey]

Ok...I may be at a decision point, and would like some input from others on what they think or feel....I've read some posts and threads on both the untethered regimen and Novolog, but was looking for a little more...Have you (ever) switched from Humalog to the "untethered regimen" or to Novolog? If you have, or have tried both, is there a method you prefer more? All input is appreciated. My current regimen no longer seems to be working the way I'd like, and I'm now exploring other opportunities...Thanks for any info. :thumbsup:

[nantomsuethom]

Hi Dewey, 50/50 so far. :)

Speaking for Thomas (I haven't asked him), I don't think he would go for the untethered regimen. But only being 11 (almost 12) he would have to carry his pump with him everywhere anyway and it would be another shot for him that he wouldn't care for.
We did switch him from Humalog to Novolog (back in November) with very good results. His sites last longer and his bgs seem to be better.

[middnite03]

Nancy, when you say that his sites last longer, what do you mean by that.. right now I am on humalog, and after reading alot of sites, including this one,I am at least interested in trying novolog on my pump... and the old"they are the same thing" I get from my doctors just does not cut it especially when others around the world on all the chat boards out there say theres a big difference.....

[ricardo]

Nancy, when you say that his sites last longer, what do you mean by that.. right now I am on humalog, and after reading alot of sites, including this one,I am at least interested in trying novolog on my pump... and the old"they are the same thing" I get from my doctors just does not cut it especially when others around the world on all the chat boards out there say theres a big difference.....

Last time I checked on Novolog, it lasts longer than Humalog. Is that the sort of insulin action you want for your pumping therapy?? If any insulin mfg comes out with something faster than Humalog, I'll be the first to try it. I found a huge improvement in my ability to control my bg's when I switched from Velosulin to Humalog.

I'm curious what you perceive to be the benefit of using Novolog.

Ricardo

[middnite03]

Actually one I have been watching is Apedria, from aventis.. it's supposed to be faster then humilog. but it's not on the market yet. they have given samples to endo to try out, but thats the extent. they did get fda approval in april 2004, but will not market it untill they can come up with a pen format also.. which according to the rep I spoke with, will be early next year, but it was approved for the pump already, and is supposed to pack a bigger punch then either humilog or novolog, at least according to the marketing rep...

[Amanda_Jo22]

I prefer Novolog. My endo recently had me try Humalog, and it did not work for me at all! I had to raise my basals from 0.65/hr to 1.3/hr and I still couldn't get my bg's under 300.

[nantomsuethom]

Nancy, when you say that his sites last longer, what do you mean by that.. right now I am on humalog, and after reading alot of sites, including this one,I am at least interested in trying novolog on my pump... and the old"they are the same thing" I get from my doctors just does not cut it especially when others around the world on all the chat boards out there say theres a big difference.....

Since he has switched from Humalog to Novolog he doesn't have the increase in bg on day 2-3. When he does have a high bg, because of miscalculated carbs or bent cath., the correction bolus kicks in within 15 min.

[ricardo]

Actually one I have been watching is Apedria, from aventis.. .

I googled Apedria and came up empty. Are you sure you spelled it correctly? I looked at Aventis and didn't find anything there either about new insulin. I checked their press releases too.
Thanks in advance!
Ricardo

[Amanda_Jo22]

Ricardo, I'm fairly sure it's spelled Apidra.

[ricardo]

Nancy, when you say that his sites last longer, what do you mean by that.. right now I am on humalog, and after reading alot of sites, including this one,I am at least interested in trying novolog on my pump... and the old"they are the same thing" I get from my doctors just does not cut it especially when others around the world on all the chat boards out there say theres a big difference.....

I looked up Novolog today and found info that contradicts what I had thought about the peak and duration. I hate it when I "mis-remember" things! :)
Ricardo

[ricardo]

Ricardo, I'm fairly sure it's spelled Apidra.

Thanks, Amanda! I'm reading about now...

Ricardo

[Amanda_Jo22]

No problem Ricardo! Has anyone actually tried Apidra? My endo was thinking about having me try it but he decided against it (only because it's new). Does anyone have any good/bad experiences w/it?

[ricardo]

No problem Ricardo! Has anyone actually tried Apidra? My endo was thinking about having me try it but he decided against it (only because it's new). Does anyone have any good/bad experiences w/it?

I got thoughts of "guinea pig" when I read the passage, "My endo was thinking of having me try it..." Ask him about it after it's been out a while! Just like electronics suffering from "infant mortality", patients suffer from adverse reactions more often while taking brand new drugs. I'd give it a while. Humalog is a "known entitiy". At least that's how I feel about using newly marketed meds.
Ricardo

[Amanda_Jo22]

Lol Ricardo, I did have an endo like that! He was horrible! Actually the endo I have now made the decision not to try it until it's been out on the market for a whilte.I was hesitant because I hadn't heard of it at the time. He asked me if I would like to try it and I said I wasn't sure. He just said he would rather wait to see how people react to it.

[middnite03]

try this link..

http://www.apidra.com/index.do

sorry about the spelling before :)...

[gettingby]

I've heard alot about this untethered regemin. Just wanted to see what everyone's choice would be in this situation. :D

[ricardo]

I've heard alot about this untethered regemin. Just wanted to see what everyone's choice would be in this situation. :D

None of the above. You'd have to kill me to take away my pump.

Ricardo

[Dewey]

None of the above. You'd have to kill me to take away my pump.

Ricardo

I love my pump, too...However, because the "Humalog only" method isn't working well for me lately, I'd like to pursue other methods. The untethered regimen Does include the use of the pump....usually, when used in conjunction, it is an approximate 75%/25% regime (75% Lantus injection - once or twice a day, depending, and 25% in Humalog or Novolog through the pump). It's definitely of interest, as it (Like all pump therapies) can be used in a myraid of ways. One way Doesn't work for all, hence my questions and poll....

[UpNorth]

I'd chose Lantus and Novorapid, it was the one i was on b4 pumping (and it worked really well for me) and going back to as soon as summer heat comes. I'm going back to injections over summer. Only reason i got a pump at all was because of a scaphoid *sp?* fracture earlier this year, but when the plaster was taken off i was so in love with the pump :) And all the paperwork is finally done and i get to keep my pump :thumbsup: They all throught it was better than beginning from zero in a few months.

[Dewey]

Ok, I went to my endo today, and talked to him about the various regimens.
He didn't say "No" to the "Untethered Regimen," but he wanted me to give Apidra a try first. When Humalog (by Eli Lilly) first came onto the market (or possibly just before), I was put on it immediately. Apidra is made by Aventis, and they too, have been making insulin for a while. I'm not really concerned about trying it out. Aventis has also been making insulin for the implantable pump (in Europe) for quite some time now...
My endo and I both believe that because I receive Humalog through mail order, the last batch may have lost potency due to sitting out for a time (possibly while being loaded onto a plane, or onto the truck, etc..). After using up the last bit of "new Humalog" (and having higher sugars, more issues, etc.), I reverted to my old supply. Doing so made a great deal of difference. Though the old insulin was "recycled" and had not been in the fridge for a spell, it still worked better than the new batch. However, I think it may be time to try something new anyway. Just some thoughts to ponder....

[am1977]

Hey, Dewey,

I hope the Apidra works better for you! ;) Please keep us updated.

I have decided to try Novalog instead of my usual Humalog, that is when I finish up the two vials I just filled. My CDE said that their office really didn't notice a difference in which works better, but I wanted to give it a shot (no pun inteneded, lol :D .

BTW, is that you in the avator? If so, you look a lot like Kelly Osborne (sp?). Cute pic :thumbsup:

[Dewey]

Hey, Dewey,

I hope the Apidra works better for you! ;) Please keep us updated.

I have decided to try Novalog instead of my usual Humalog, that is when I finish up the two vials I just filled. My CDE said that their office really didn't notice a difference in which works better, but I wanted to give it a shot (no pun inteneded, lol :D ..
Thanks, Andrea. :) I'll definitely post my experiences with Apidra (good or bad...). Hope you'll do the same, as Novolog is another route I'm interested in. :thumbsup:

BTW, is that you in the avator? If so, you look a lot like Kelly Osborne (sp?). Cute pic :thumbsup:
Thanks! :D I wish it was me... :D It's Milla Jovovich, though. D'oh...lol ;)

[duck]

As of five minutes ago, I started on Novolog...I'll probably vote in about a week after I've used this stuff. :thumbsup:

[Dewey]

As of five minutes ago, I started on Novolog...I'll probably vote in about a week after I've used this stuff. :thumbsup:
Thanks, Duck, and good luck on it. Hope it works better for you. :thumbsup: I'm getting ready to switch over to Apidra, so I'll also post about it after I give it a go. :) Everyone's input really helps, especially when going to the doctor's office with a new request. It's good to have "ammo" in the form of info. Thanks again. :thumbsup:

[Eri's mom]

OK, Eri's not on the pump yet, but she has been on both humalog and now novolog...and I do notice a difference between the 2...she drops quicker w/ the novolog.
The endo did say we could use the extra humalog pens when we run out of the novolog(unless we FINALLY get the insurance by then!!!)...if we don't...it is going to be extremely hard to pay for her supplies...

[Dewey]

Ok, started on the Apidra yesterday evening. So far, so good. Sugars have stayed (thus far) in the 80's, and have not gone up or down. Will keep posting as I go along... :)

[Dewey]

Nancy, when you say that his sites last longer, what do you mean by that.. right now I am on humalog, and after reading alot of sites, including this one,I am at least interested in trying novolog on my pump... and the old"they are the same thing" I get from my doctors just does not cut it especially when others around the world on all the chat boards out there say theres a big difference.....
Hi Middnite,

I ran across a nurse this weekend who gave me the "they are the same old thing" speel. However, she also thought Humulin & Humalog were made from beef (not!).....

Meanwhile, on the Apidra... so far, still, so good. I've had a few higher numbers (i.e. 263 :eek: - mistake on my part), but overall, I seem to be doing a-ok. I'd still like the chance to check out Novolog, though. This way, I could see which method would suit me best! :D One thing I did Not dig about Apidra (and most newer meds), was that on the insert, it warns about mutagenesis & carcinogenesis (It seems alot of the newer drugs are showing studies of risked increase of varying types of cancer). This is specifically what the insert says:

"Standard 2-year carcinogenicity studies in animals have not been performed. In Sprague Dawley rats, a 12 month repeat dose toxicity study was conducted with insulin glulisene at subcutaneous doses of 2.5, 5, 20 or 50 IU/kg twice daily (doses resulting in exposure 1, 2, 8 and 20 times the average human dose based on body surface comparison).

There was a non-dose dependent higher incidence of mammary gland tumors in female rats administered insulin glulisene compared to untreated controls. The incident of mammary tumors for insulin glulisene and regular human insulin was similar. The relevance of these findings to humans is not known."

On Humalog's insert, it says the following with regards to the same studies:

"Long-term studies in animals have not been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of Humalog. Humalog was not mutagenic in a battery of in vitro and in vivo genetic toxicity assays (bacterial mutation tests, unscheduled DNA synthesis, mouse lymphoma asssay, chromosonal aberration tests, and a micronucleus test)."

Just some food for thought when pondering the "new stuff."

[Amanda_Jo22]

"Standard 2-year carcinogenicity studies in animals have not been performed. In Sprague Dawley rats, a 12 month repeat dose toxicity study was conducted with insulin glulisene at subcutaneous doses of 2.5, 5, 20 or 50 IU/kg twice daily (doses resulting in exposure 1, 2, 8 and 20 times the average human dose based on body surface comparison).

There was a non-dose dependent higher incidence of mammary gland tumors in female rats administered insulin glulisene compared to untreated controls. The incident of mammary tumors for insulin glulisene and regular human insulin was similar. The relevance of these findings to humans is not known."

On Humalog's insert, it says the following with regards to the same studies:

"Long-term studies in animals have not been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of Humalog. Humalog was not mutagenic in a battery of in vitro and in vivo genetic toxicity assays (bacterial mutation tests, unscheduled DNA synthesis, mouse lymphoma asssay, chromosonal aberration tests, and a micronucleus test)."

Just some food for thought when pondering the "new stuff."

Wow Dewey, thanks for the info. I never realized that before...

[Dewey]

Wow Dewey, thanks for the info. I never realized that before...
No problem, Amanda. I usually don't read the inserts, but my endo had given me an information packet, which wasn't very informative (lol :D). I wanted to read up on any adverse reactions or side effects, so I turned to the actual package insert. On a whim, I looked at one from my Humalog package as well. It just seems like All the newer meds (not certain whether it's the type of preservative, or what...) come with an "I can cause cancer" disclaimer. :(

[Dewey]

Ok, started on the Apidra yesterday evening. So far, so good. Sugars have stayed (thus far) in the 80's, and have not gone up or down. Will keep posting as I go along... :)
Ok, as promised, I'm giving an update. I still haven't really noticed any need to decrease basals on the Apidra. One positive is that sugars go down pretty quickly if treating a high (sugar). The negative side to that is that I've seen more highs on the Apidra lately (i.e. 349, 330, etc...:mad: ). I'm somewhat of a "hyperphobe" (if that's a word) in that I cannot stand to be higher! I still desperately want to try out the Novolog or, if not that, then definitely the Untethered regimen. While some of my higher numbers are due to the fact that I'm away from home (stress) and things of that nature (including altering eating habits as of late :(), I still do not like going to those extremes (especially if I drop from high to low, too). Another negative (and it may only be me, not sure) is that I tend to feel like I have to urinate more (even when sugars are normal). On the first week, it was almost like my bladder was a little irritated or something. Personally,....I'm tempted to just switch back to Humalog and call it good. Sorry for the rant, just grumped out about the higher numbers.