Timing of Injections
Ok, so last night I couldn’t sleep (fire insomnia) so I started
reading the American Diabetes Assn Complete Guide to Diabetes. I got
about 140 pages into it and came to the chapter on timing of
injections.
Since we got home, I’ve always been told (by MDs) to give the insulin
to Maddie right before she eats, unless her BS is low, then wait
until after she eats. However, this book recommends a sliding scale
of some sort, where the insulin should be given up to 45 minutes
before a meal. Now they are talking about regular insulin.
I have a confession, I am confused about the difference between short
acting and regular. Madelyn gets Novolog (which I refer to as short
acting) and Novolin NPH (which I refer to as long acting). In the
morning I mix the two and give it in one shot, right before she eats,
at night she gets the novolog alone with dinner and the NPH at
bedtime.
What is the timing of insulin injections for some of you out there?
January 14th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
I’m on Novolog also, and I am supposed to take it just before I eat, unless I’m low. Novolog is faster acting than Regular, I believe. (I think it is something like 45 minutes for regular, only 15 or 20 for Novolog.) I’ve found that if I take my shot for what I think i will eat, then find I am still hungry, I can take another shot & eat some more. (Yes, I know….more needle sticks….ick…but it works….)
world2003@…
Ok, so last night I couldn’t sleep (fire insomnia) so I started
reading the American Diabetes Assn Complete Guide to Diabetes. I got
about 140 pages into it and came to the chapter on timing of
injections.
Since we got home, I’ve always been told (by MDs) to give the insulin
to Maddie right before she eats, unless her BS is low, then wait
until after she eats. However, this book recommends a sliding scale
of some sort, where the insulin should be given up to 45 minutes
before a meal. Now they are talking about regular insulin.
I have a confession, I am confused about the difference between short
acting and regular. Madelyn gets Novolog (which I refer to as short
acting) and Novolin NPH (which I refer to as long acting). In the
morning I mix the two and give it in one shot, right before she eats,
at night she gets the novolog alone with dinner and the NPH at
bedtime.
What is the timing of insulin injections for some of you out there?
January 15th, 2006 at 7:06 am
Hi Stephanie, I am on Regular and NPH. Regular is different in the sense that it can start to work 30 mins - 2 hours after injecting and peaks 6 -8 hours later. The NPH is her long acting that is supposed to help create a baseline for her throughout the day and night.
. I have that timetable as well that tells you what to inject for the shorter acting insulin at meals according to the blood sugar range. I use it from time to time. 168 sounds very close to stable to me since if she were to have too many lows, you are looking at brain cell damage when they happen.Every Endo I ever saw said a little high is not going to damage you as much as going too low.
I would place bets also that the 168 is due to the added weight. That’s not that unusual either. Anytime I have practiced very tight control I fluctuate between 10 lbs and 15 depending on how stringent I am.
In the book you were reading last night, was there any mention of ‘brittle diabetes’? Years ago they claimed there was so no such thing. They have since found out different. I am brittle and by being so my sugar has to be up some because I am too susceptible to drop rapidly. Hope this info helps.
Take care,
Carol
January 18th, 2006 at 12:20 am
Becky is on a sliding scale for Humalog, (10 grams to 1 unit at breakfast and dinner, 12 to 1 at lunch) and 23 units of Lantus at bedtime. If her snacks are over 20 grams, she has to have a shot with those too.