[duck]

Like the title states, can you use REGULAR as opposed to Novolog or Humalog? What are the ramifications, you think? Obviously, R will act a bit slower, so I'm thinking basals will need to be adjusted, and boluses (boli?) will need to be planned a bit better.

Any input?

[JediSkipdogg]

I would say yes, but it would be extremely tough. Pumps have been out for 10+ years, so I would assume Regular was used in it at one point. However, anymore it would be hard to say what you would need to calculate for basal rates and what you have to do if you need to make changes.

[Tony]

Before Humalog and Novolog R was approved for pumps and probably someone out there is still using R in their pump. I would say your better off with Humalog or Novolog.

[am1977]

I agree :dito:. I have heard somewhere that it's possible to use Regular in the pump. However, I know I've also heard that a faster acting insulin is more effective and better in controlling blood sugar levels, so I'm not sure why someone might opt for Regular (unless it's a cost issue).

[camjen1]

Originally Posted by duck

Any input?

Yeah, I wouldn't want to go there!

[spike]

Originally Posted by duck

Like the title states, can you use REGULAR as opposed to Novolog or Humalog? What are the ramifications, you think? Obviously, R will act a bit slower, so I'm thinking basals will need to be adjusted, and boluses (boli?) will need to be planned a bit better.

Any input?

I started on Velosulin, which was quite similar to regular. Basals needed to be adjusted a couple hours before the desired effect would kick in. Boluses had to be taken well before eating to prevent high post prandials. It wasn't nearly as cool as with Humalog, but I still got better bg's from pumping then, than I did with MDI. The very DAY that Humalog was available in my area, I got my first few vials of it. Nice improvement!

[playgtar]

Can you use the Novalog insulin from a pen in a pump? Transfer it from the pen to the vile, and then fill your pump resivor?

[lelggren]

Originally Posted by playgtar

Can you use the Novalog insulin from a pen in a pump? Transfer it from the pen to the vile, and then fill your pump resivor?

Yes, you can One day, one of the educators that I work with, she had someone donate 4 boxes of humalog pen cartridges (I think like 5 cartridges/box) and she couldn't give them out to patients, and so she gave them to me. All was well because they weren't opened or anything like that. But, I don't use the pen. I use a pump. So, what I just did was I filled my reservoirs from those humalog cartridges. It worked really great! And, I didn't have to buy insulin for a while

[playgtar]

Originally Posted by lelggren

Yes, you can One day, one of the educators that I work with, she had someone donate 4 boxes of humalog pen cartridges (I think like 5 cartridges/box) and she couldn't give them out to patients, and so she gave them to me. All was well because they weren't opened or anything like that. But, I don't use the pen. I use a pump. So, what I just did was I filled my reservoirs from those humalog cartridges. It worked really great! And, I didn't have to buy insulin for a while

Ah.........yeah, that's what I did. I was just afraid I'd catch some flack for doing it. They told me it was the same. I just finished the sample pens they gave me and was on my first "perscription" pen when switched to a pump. I had 4.5 pens left. I didn't want to waste it. My co-pay wouldn't mind it either.

[duck]

Originally Posted by playgtar

Ah.........yeah, that's what I did. I was just afraid I'd catch some flack for doing it. They told me it was the same. I just finished the sample pens they gave me and was on my first "perscription" pen when switched to a pump. I had 4.5 pens left. I didn't want to waste it. My co-pay wouldn't mind it either.

I do the same...my pens are my back-up, and I'll fill almost-empty vials with them before I refill my pen prescription. I try and make sure the vial is not close to expiration, though, as I don't want to chance even a fraction of the insulin being expired...

[parrotletzoo]

I've used Regular in my pump before instead of Novolog and I kept my basal rates and insulin to carb ratios the same. The only differencie I really saw was that R takes longer to effect bs to correct (obviously) and is slower to respond when suspended for lows or during temp basals. etc. My control was not as fine tuned for the week or so I used regular in my pump but in an emergency it can be done. I order my insulin online, waited too long to order and managed to break my last vial of novolog so I purchased a bottle of R OTC. I use minimed paradigm 512 and under PRIME MENU you can change insulin types from humalog/novalog to Regular if need be.

[duck]

Originally Posted by parrotletzoo

I've used Regular in my pump before instead of Novolog and I kept my basal rates and insulin to carb ratios the same. The only differencie I really saw was that R takes longer to effect bs to correct (obviously) and is slower to respond when suspended for lows or during temp basals. etc. My control was not as fine tuned for the week or so I used regular in my pump but in an emergency it can be done. I order my insulin online, waited too long to order and managed to break my last vial of novolog so I purchased a bottle of R OTC. I use minimed paradigm 512 and under PRIME MENU you can change insulin types from humalog/novalog to Regular if need be.

Well that's a cool feature for the 512!

I'm pondering switching to R and using Symlin. I don't want to bring up the topic of my "driving anxiety" drama, but I wonder if part of that is because of the much more agressive profile of the *log insulins. Also, since the pumpers on Symlin have to basically "tone-down" their fast-acting insulins, from what I can tell, they are making their pumps mimick the "R" profile when they started using Symlin...

Hmmmm...did any of that make any sense?

[spike]

Originally Posted by duck

Well that's a cool feature for the 512!

I'm pondering switching to R and using Symlin. I don't want to bring up the topic of my "driving anxiety" drama, but I wonder if part of that is because of the much more agressive profile of the *log insulins. Also, since the pumpers on Symlin have to basically "tone-down" their fast-acting insulins, from what I can tell, they are making their pumps mimick the "R" profile when they started using Symlin...

Hmmmm...did any of that make any sense?

If you have widely varying basal rates, you'll have to push them forward a couple of hours so that their effect with Regular will take place when you want it. IIRC, I used to lead by either 90 minutes or 2 hours when I used Velosulin. I'd hate to have to go back to that stuff!

My lowest rate is .4/hr. My highest rate is 1.1/hr. If I switched to Regular, I'd have to change the starting times of my basals to make up for the slow onset of Regular.

Why do I get the feeling you are taking a step backwards, to accomodate Symlin?

[duck]

Originally Posted by spike

If you have widely varying basal rates, you'll have to push them forward a couple of hours so that their effect with Regular will take place when you want it. IIRC, I used to lead by either 90 minutes or 2 hours when I used Velosulin. I'd hate to have to go back to that stuff!

My lowest rate is .4/hr. My highest rate is 1.1/hr. If I switched to Regular, I'd have to change the starting times of my basals to make up for the slow onset of Regular.

Why do I get the feeling you are taking a step backwards, to accomodate Symlin?

If anything, I'm taking a step backwards to accomodate this irrational $^%&* driving anxiety...Only when I am driving in a car do I feel like "it's coming to get me..." Since I can over-analyze ANYTHING, I have come to the conclusion that it only happens when I am low...or dropping in blood sugar (I could be 300 dropping 50 points an hour, and that will do it). And it's not as prevalent in the AM as it is in the PM, after I am more "awake". So it could also be caffeine-related, as I am known to consume a lot (which, BTW, is getting shut off PDQ).

It could be any number of things, and I could be completely off-base and grasping at the wrong straws. But in reading Bernstein's book, I am also wondering if I need to cut back on my overall insulin uptake as well, so Symlin may be a step in that direction, and it may work well for me if I decide to take a shot (no pun) with R in the pump.

[duck]

Oh, I vary from .8 to 1.1 in my basals, so not too much crazy variance.