Low insulin dosage <30 units per day
Options
okulyd
Posts: 147 Member
Just wondering if anyone out there is type 1 and on a very low insulin dosage?
I have had significant trouble managing lows and highs and I suspect some of that is because I am so sensitive. I have been diabetic since 1984 so I don't think I have LADA or MODY. Since I was diagnosed so long ago nobody ever checked for these.
I weight 165 pounds, I'm 36 and my total daily dose averaged over the past 30 days is 23.35. Of that just over half is basal and the rest bolus. On any given day I take between 15 and 30 units Novolog total depending on what I eat. I use a CGM and Medtronic pump. I am very carb sensitive as well, i.e. 4 carbs will bring me from 50 to 100.
Just wondering if anyone else is sensitive and if so how do you manage it? Do you do anything different than any other type 1?
I have had significant trouble managing lows and highs and I suspect some of that is because I am so sensitive. I have been diabetic since 1984 so I don't think I have LADA or MODY. Since I was diagnosed so long ago nobody ever checked for these.
I weight 165 pounds, I'm 36 and my total daily dose averaged over the past 30 days is 23.35. Of that just over half is basal and the rest bolus. On any given day I take between 15 and 30 units Novolog total depending on what I eat. I use a CGM and Medtronic pump. I am very carb sensitive as well, i.e. 4 carbs will bring me from 50 to 100.
Just wondering if anyone else is sensitive and if so how do you manage it? Do you do anything different than any other type 1?
0
Replies
-
wow that is low...my usuals range from about 30-35 units if Humalog daily. But I have been batting some weird lows and highs. Basal rate is 19 units total per day0
-
Hi! I was diagnosed at age 10 and I'm now 34, 5'7" and 150lbs. I'm on MDI now, so I don't know exactly how much I'm using, but when I was on the pump (I went back to MDI about 9 months ago) I was using between 25-30 units/day. I think the key for me was fine-tuning my carb/insulin and correction ratios. I wasn't able to do that until I go the Dexcom CGM. Once I had that, I was able to use the reports from Dexcom to understand what my ratios needed to be. Sadly, the reports from Minimed were not terribly helpful, other than fine-tuning my basal rate.0
-
Hi, I've been T1 for 41yrs. I've been on a pump nearly 2yrs. My endo's NP has been tweaking my doses a little at a time trying to stop so many lows. Currently I take a total of 20-30u/day with 12.60u being basal. My carb ratio from 11am to midnight is 12:1 & from midnight is 15:1. She just changed my sensitivity from 40 to 60 I'm still having too many lows. Go back next month & will probably have more tweaking!0
-
I am on high doses because I have both type 1 and type 2. However, as I've lost weight, I've cut that in half so far. I'm now taking 70-80 per day on average of U-100.
With that said, there is a pumping group on Facebook with a lot of users who talk about being in the 20-30 unit range.0 -
No you are not alone.
I use a dexcom and a tslim and am pumping diluted insulin.
I use novolog and the pharmaceutical co makes a diluent for it. Need to get it through your endo if you want to try U50 insulin like I use. Once made it has the same shelf life as any open vial.
My 30 day pump average of U50 are TDD 24.47, basal 9.57, bolus 16.7 correction 1.19.
To translate that to U100 need to divide by 2.
So TDD 12.24U. Basal 4.79, bolus 8.4, corrections 0.59
It lets me get better fine control, my A1C runs in the mid fives. Dexcom puts my average BG at 105ish with SD in low 20s, and less than 5% below 70. Granted that my be my willingness to manage aggressively with 85 as my target. I'm not particularly low carb - do a minimum of 40gm carbs a meal, and am not opposed to an occasional sushi night out with lots of good rolls.
. My pump programs are based on U50 strength so once we did the initial conversions there is no mental math involved. I:C ratios and C.F.s. are based on the insulin strength as well.
My bible is John Walsh's "Pumping Insulin" I don't wait for my endo to change my settings if i see a trend. The data from my Dexcom has made a huge difference in how I manage my D. I was not aware of how much I was missing before I got it. Would give up pump be for my Dex.
Feel free to PM me if your interested in more U50 info.0 -
Wow, I had no idea there was a such thing as diluted insulin. Sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing 2Hobbit. My last A1C was 5.5. I usually have good control with nice flat lines on my CGM but it only takes the tiniest bit (.25 unit) to change me from perfect to super low. I want to make this a rare occurrence instead of what has recently been happening several times per week. I am hopeful that if I am eating less correction foods I'll be able to lose some weight. Or at least use my daily calories for something I want to eat!0
-
I've been a T1 for 27 years and pump user for 13 years. I average 33 units a day with 21.9 of that being my basal. I have been following a lower carb way of living since the end of March and have lost 17 lbs! My daily average was around 50 units prior to my lifestyle change. I'm no longer a carbaholic and loving it! I weighed 175 at the beginning and now weigh 158! I'm 34, 5' 3.5" with another 15-25 to go, but I've never had this much success with weightloss EVER!! Just goes to show how much effect insulin has on weight gain and loss. I feel like I am finally living!
0 -
I had not looked at this since I made a lot of changes to my insulin rates after starting on MFP - I'm now at an average of 27u per day and used to be at 34-37 so that's good to know I've gone down thanks to my exercise. In the past 60 days, my lowest has been 17 and my highest was 34.
I too am sensitive to insulin and carbs, but am still trying to figure out my new settings for both. If I am in the 50-65 range, 1 glucose tab - 5 carbs, works for me. If I'm 35-50 - I will usually take 2. My carb to insulin ratio is 1u for 12 carbs right now, but I think it probably needs to be adjusted as I'm still going low, at least at breakfast time. My correction factor is 1u for 60 until bedtime and then I do 1 to 70. But that's not correct either because I will normally take what it suggests and only actually dose about 1/2 to 1/3 of what it suggests - I do 'whatever feels right' which I know is unscientific, a guess and not good to do.... I'm just all confused right now. Waiting to meet with my endo after doing the 5 day CGM blind study - am really curious to hear what he has to say and am trying to wait to make any adjustments until then which is driving me crazy (don't meet with him until the 25th).
Good to hear what everyone had to say on this topic.0 -
I am currently on day 3 of a week long trial of the Dexcom CGM my endo is looking at recommending to her pump patients. So far I really like it! My only complaints are 1) the sensor is kind of big and sticks out quite a bit, 2) having to carry around another contraption (the receiver needs to be within 20 ft. of the sensor at all times), and most importantly, 3) I have to calibrate every few hours and it's still reading 30+ points higher than my glucometer (ie. The CGM would read 80, and I could be actually 50 or less). I wouldn't be so bothered by #3 if it were the opposite, and the CGM was erring on the low side.
Still, I may consider this as a possibility. I tried the one made by Medtronic several years ago, and really loved that it communicated with my pump! The only downfall was that I was highly allergic to the adhesive for some reason.0 -
I'm not carb sensitive but I do take a low amount of insulin. I'm 47, weigh 167 and I take between 22 to 28 units a day on the average. Before I lost weight I was taking 150+ units a day!!!0
-
I am also in the same boat. Though I was on vacation the previous week (Disney World. I binged out on carbs and ate at least 350-400 a day in Dole Whips alone :drinker: ), my TDD for the past 30 days was 27.88 units of u100 Humalog. My basal is roughly 13.95 units and 50% of my insulin needs. My bolus is 13.65 units and 48.9% of my insulin dosage; it equates to roughly 191g of carbs. Correction only accounts for 1% of my insulin dose for a total of .28 units.
As for my carbs, I don't consider myself very carb sensitive. If I take into account my SF (1:50) and my I:C for most of the day (1:14), 1g of carbs will bring my BG up by 3.6 mg/dL.0 -
My basal is 20 units for the whole day.
My I:C is 1:15 and ISF 1:50.
I would say usually I have 10-20 units for bolusing carbs.0 -
I have LADA and I currently manage my blood sugars very well with 6u of basal insulin and no short-term insulin
If my diet is poor it usually means my carbs are higher so I then take maybe 3-6u of short term Novorapid. I have in the past been on 12u long term and 3-7u per meal short term, but my pancreas' ability to produce insulin does seem to fluctuate, I think that's just part of being LADA, currently it's been very stable for a while and I think that has to do with me being healthier overall, that I'm not over working my pancreas as I'm eating low GI foods usually and not very high carb like before and I'm exercising regularly and therefore sensitising my body to insulin. One day my immune system will beat my pancreas in their little battle, but for now my pancreas does a good enough job to mean I only need a bit of insulin
Not sure how useful this information is to you! Probably just mildly interesting if that!0
