[lelggren]

Hi! I just got my first little bottle of symlin today. I start taking it tonight. And, I just have a question or several. Ok, so you are supposed to cut your meal ratio in half. So, then in my pump, do I just change the one ratio that I had set already (1:6 goes to 1:12)? What ratio do I use for when I have a snack? Do I use the 1:6 ratio when I am eating something that is less than the 30 carb "must take symlin" limit?

Thank you

[koblenz]

Welcome to the cult of the little Symlin bottle!

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't mess with my pump settings, I just half my number of carbs and enter that in the pump. Yes that alters my reports of total carbs eaten.

... of course I only need it for breakfast, and sometimes I skip it all together if I have a small breakfast or if I am going for a long drive right after eating.

Good luck and I hope it works as well for you as it does for me!

[lelggren]

Originally Posted by koblenz

Welcome to the cult of the little Symlin bottle!

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't mess with my pump settings, I just half my number of carbs and enter that in the pump. Yes that alters my reports of total carbs eaten.

... of course I only need it for breakfast, and sometimes I skip it all together if I have a small breakfast or if I am going for a long drive right after eating.

Good luck and I hope it works as well for you as it does for me!

I went into my pump and did my insulin/carb ratio according to when I eat, and I just halfed it at the times when I normally eat a meal. But, this concerns me because what if I eat a meal at a non-typical time? Then, I am risking going low. I don't really download my pump and so it is ok if the grams intake data is a bit off. I'm not worried about that. Maybe I'll try it like you do it. Thanks!! Any other feedback on Symlin and it's working or failing for you would be great. I'm my dr's first patient to go on it, and so he didn't really have much feedback on the in's and out's of it.

[psilocybin]

question...u guys have to take an injection for symlin plus your boluses for pumping?

[duck]

Originally Posted by psilocybin

question...u guys have to take an injection for symlin plus your boluses for pumping?

Yeah, you need to bolus and inject symlin...My understanding is you can forego the symlin if you wish and take a "normal" bolus. Or take the symlin and do your I-just-took-symlin-bolus.

But I have a question (and sorry if I derail this topic, just punch me later): Can you go hypo just with taking symlin and no bolus (assuming you eat no food or not enough food)?

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by lelggren

Hi! I just got my first little bottle of symlin today. I start taking it tonight. And, I just have a question or several. Ok, so you are supposed to cut your meal ratio in half. So, then in my pump, do I just change the one ratio that I had set already (1:6 goes to 1:12)? What ratio do I use for when I have a snack? Do I use the 1:6 ratio when I am eating something that is less than the 30 carb "must take symlin" limit?

Thank you

I started Symlin about 2-3 weeks ago. What I've been doing is putting the carb content and current blood glucose into the pump along with the ISF and carb ratio (depending on my current metabolism) then let the wizard suggest to me how much insulin to take. I then take 60% of this number and bolus it over 2 hours with a 40/60 combo bolus. That seems to work well for me with a normal meal (non-high-protein meal).

BTW, I started a Symlin thread because I also have some questions to knock around with you fellow Symlin users. It's here if anyone wants to participate.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by duck

Can you go hypo just with taking symlin and no bolus (assuming you eat no food or not enough food)?

I think you can go low if you just take Symlin and no bolus, but not positive. They say to only take Symlin if you are going to eat 30g of carbs and 250 calories so that's why I am assuming you can go low with Symlin alone. I did try to call the support line once for some answers but only got the offer for a callback the next day. I was either not home the next day when they called but did not leave a message, or they never did call.

[koblenz]

Originally Posted by duck

Can you go hypo just with taking symlin and no bolus (assuming you eat no food or not enough food)?

I don't know either, never tried. As the Symlin is supposed to "work" on digestion, logic would suggest no. But, I don't know what "other things" it affects, so the answer could be yes I suppose.

I have a regularly scheduled checkup with my Endo this Friday morning, I will add this to my list of "gee whiz" questions to ask. My Endo loves it when I come in with a list of questions!


My Endo has been training new interns my last few visits, and he usually sends them in to give me the once over before he comes in. He asked me if I mind this, and I said no, they all have to learn some time.

The interns usually ask me if I have any questions, and I LOVE to hit them with these esoteric questions. They get this deer in the headlights look, note it down, and then say that we can ask my endo when he comes in. My endo will come in with the intern, the interns notes, he reads the questions, looks at me and grins and proceeds to ask the intern "so what do you think about 'x' ". I get my answers and I get to watch an intern squirm. Oh, that never gets old! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha

End

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by koblenz

The interns usually ask me if I have any questions, and I LOVE to hit them with these esoteric questions. They get this deer in the headlights look, note it down, and then say that we can ask my endo when he comes in. My endo will come in with the intern, the interns notes, he reads the questions, looks at me and grins and proceeds to ask the intern "so what do you think about 'x' ". I get my answers and I get to watch an intern squirm. Oh, that never gets old! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha

Oh Oh Oh! Ask them my Symlin questions. Please... Pretty Please...

[koblenz]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Oh Oh Oh! Ask them my Symlin questions. Please... Pretty Please...

Reply with your question and I will copy it to my list!

Muh ah ha ha ha ha ha

[soremom]

This doesn't really answer the question about going low if not eating enough carbs, but I have had a problem with the Symlin.

If I am in the low 70s or lower before eating, when I inject the Symlin I end up going low in the middle of the meal. This is before I do any boluses, I do them at the end of my meal. They seem to take extra long time to bring up also. The doctor told me to do less Symlin or forgo it if around that range. So far cutting back has helped. The hardest part for me is I loose my apetite when I am low and with having the Symlin in me hits even quicker. That makes it hard for me to get any more food in which why it takes so long to come back up. When this happens, I don't give any boluses until I see my bgs going above 120.

Just thought this may help. I don't know anyone else on this and the doctor had not heard of this reaction before so not sure if it is me or can happen to anyone.

Kim

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by soremom

This doesn't really answer the question about going low if not eating enough carbs, but I have had a problem with the Symlin.

If I am in the low 70s or lower before eating, when I inject the Symlin I end up going low in the middle of the meal. This is before I do any boluses, I do them at the end of my meal. They seem to take extra long time to bring up also. The doctor told me to do less Symlin or forgo it if around that range. So far cutting back has helped. The hardest part for me is I loose my apetite when I am low and with having the Symlin in me hits even quicker. That makes it hard for me to get any more food in which why it takes so long to come back up. When this happens, I don't give any boluses until I see my bgs going above 120.

Just thought this may help. I don't know anyone else on this and the doctor had not heard of this reaction before so not sure if it is me or can happen to anyone.

Kim

I thought I read in the starter kit not to take the Symlin if you were hypo or near hypo.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by koblenz

Reply with your question and I will copy it to my list!

Muh ah ha ha ha ha ha

You sound just like the real Butters on South Park!

Ok, I copied my 2 questions over from the other thread:

I know we are supposed to ideally take our Symlin about 15 minutes prior to eating. Are we supposed to bolus (type 1's) at the same time as when we take the Symlin or when we start to eat? Or does the insulin timing depend upon our bg values?

Here's another... We are supposed take approximately 50% of our insulin dosage (as a starting %) while taking Symlin. Does this mean 50% of the insulin required to cover the carbs when we dose at meal time? Or does it mean 50% of the total meal time bolus (carb + correction)?

[psilocybin]

is symlin worth trying? how much does it actually help?

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by psilocybin

is symlin worth trying? how much does it actually help?

It's da kind!

Just kidding... It works really good. It cuts my meal bolus insulin needs by approx 40%. It does slow digestion, it levels the spikes due to eating and it does decrease appitite. The spike leveling I witnessed with the CGMS. Long term effects are still unknown for me. I'm still not up to the full dose and I don't take it with every meal since I still don't eat 30g carb with each meal yet. Hard to break old habits!