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Levemir making l worse

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pennell12
pennell12 Posts: 190 Member
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Hi all,

I am TTD and have been doing low card and trying to exercise more. MY FBS are high so doc suggested Levemir. Now since I started taking it at night-BS are much worse!!!

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

mdo

Replies

  • Retiredmom72
    Retiredmom72 Posts: 538 Member
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    Are you staying away from white carbs and bread? My numbers have improved since I joined mfp and am tracking what I eat. Look at your numbers and your diary. Did the doctor take you off a medicine?
  • pennell12
    pennell12 Posts: 190 Member
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    No, she added one. It.s called Levemir and it is supposed to bring down high BS readings in AM.
  • B1gH0g
    B1gH0g Posts: 361
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    When do you take it and for how long have you been taking it? Are you testing regular BS or FBS?
  • pennell12
    pennell12 Posts: 190 Member
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    I take it once per day before bed. They started me on 20 units but now I am up to 30 units. My FBS seems to be going up and not down! That throws off the rest of the day. I am overweight and INsulin Resistant. I thin k I need higher does. Doc want sme to call in every 3 days with BS readings and she will adjust does. I have been on it for about a week. I also take Metformin.
  • losecandy
    losecandy Posts: 22 Member
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    Levemir is a long acting insulin and it could take up to 12 hours to work. I'm not a dr. Or nurse, so you may want to ask. Of course people are different. Usually the morning bg is higher. I would also like to suggest reading your package insert or going to their website.

    I take my long-acting insulin at lunch. Also I have kidney disease and I was told by my dr that metformin can hurt your kidneys.
  • poodlelaise
    poodlelaise Posts: 149 Member
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    When I was put on levemir, I started out with a low dose like you did, and with monitoring and doctors advice I continued to increase the dosage until it brought my fasting sugar close to where we wanted it. It took a long time, and the dosage eventually increased up to 100 units, which took two shots to get it all with the pen, so I split it morning and evening.

    That worked for a while, but I still wasn't as low as I wanted to be, A1c was still over 7. A new doctor switched me to Lantus, but that really didn't make any difference.

    With the addition of Victoza, (a non insulin injectable), and starting on mfp, I have been able to reduce my insulin to 36 units, and my fasting numbers have been well within range.

    So my advice is to stick with it, and keep trying until you find the combination of meds, diet and exercize that work best for you.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
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    You might be suffering from rebound hypoglycemia also known as the the Somogyi effect. You might be going low overnight while asleep causing your liver to dump glucose into your blood to compensate. You can verify this by setting your alarm for 3-3 AM and check your sugar ans see if it's low. The solution would be either to cut your bedtime dose or eat a long acting carbohydrate snack at bedtime. A product like glucerna would be good and there are several bars advertised in the ADA magazine

    Here is a link to an article in Web MD explaining it and you can find others if you google somogyi effect




    http://diabetes.webmd.com/tc/dawn-phenomenon-and-the-somogyi-effect-
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
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    Here's the article:

    Somogyi effect
    The Somogyi effect can occur when a person takes long-acting insulin for diabetes. If the blood sugar level drops too low in the early morning hours, hormones (such as growth hormone, cortisol, and catecholamines) are released. These help reverse the low blood sugar level but may lead to blood sugar levels that are higher than normal in the morning. An example of the Somogyi effect is:

    A person who takes insulin doesn't eat a regular bedtime snack, and the person's blood sugar level drops during the night.
    A person's body responds to the low blood sugar in the same way as in the dawn phenomenon, by causing a high blood sugar level in the early morning.
    How can you tell the difference?
    The Somogyi effect can occur any time you or your child has extra insulin in the body. To sort out whether an early morning high blood sugar level is caused by the dawn phenomenon or Somogyi effect, check blood sugar levels around 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. for several nights.

    If the blood sugar level is low at 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., suspect the Somogyi effect.
    If the blood sugar level is normal or high at 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., it's likely the dawn phenomenon.
    WebMD Medical Reference from H

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