How are you dealing with the Lente/Ultralente discontinuation?

[Mdude]

Now that Eli Lilly is discontinuing Ultralente and Lente, the supplies of Humulin U and Humulin L will run out by the end of the year. I just found this out, and it's Dec 23rd!!!

I managed to get a couple of vials so I'll be good for a few months, but I'm not sure what I should try to get to replace it. Nph is so ineffective, it should be considered medically unethical to prescribe it, but a lot of people still get that.

When I got diagnosed with type 1 the other year, my doctor said I had to be a better expert than anyone else. It was good advice, because I do find that lot of doctors out there aren't up to date on anything besides good ol' N and R types.

I can go to Lantus, but it requires a prescription. This worries me about what to do if I get caught out of town and need vials.

What are you (readers) doing?

[DeusXM]

As far as I'm aware, most T1s here are on Lantus or Levemir. They're simply better insulins than Lente, which is why it's being discontinued - so few people are now using it that it's simply not profitable to make it anymore.

Other alternatives are the isophanes, such as Humalin I and Insulatard. I realise I'm something of an outsider on this issue but IMO isophane insulins are perfectly capable of getting good results - provided you split the dose into 12hr shifts. If you do this, you avoid the massive hypos attributed to the insulin, as well as avoiding the downtime stage after 15hrs or so.

However I would recommend that you try Lantus or Levemir first, and of those two I would strongly recommend Levemir.

[drewgolden]

Now that Eli Lilly is discontinuing Ultralente and Lente, the supplies of Humulin U and Humulin L will run out by the end of the year. I just found this out, and it's Dec 23rd!!!


I too *just* found out a few weeks ago.

While it may well be the case that Lantis is a better form of L than the older Lilly Humulin L product, I shudder at changing my regime or adding a new/different type of insulin (as I fear someday developing insulin resistance based on all the different flavors.)

So my plan (and it is a bit drastic) was to try the following:

1.) Pump. Yep, I am biting the bullet and trying the pump. I take Humalog anyway; so replace the L with a pump and you essentially have the same thing... with some costs and benefits that will have to be carefully assessed.

Appears there is a learning curve as getting used to, well, wearing a mechanical pancreas.

Will give the pump a six month 'shot.' If it does not work out for me, then I plan on.....

2.) Switching back to the old regime (that has served me well for so many years) and just replace the Humulin L with the newer Lantis.

Probably would be less drastic to switch to Lantis directly. But I think, having looked at the newer pumps, that the pump technology is pretty cool and well suited. Assuming the insurance works out, it should be a breeze to test out and, worst case scenerio, I gain better control.

Cheers,
drew