I am a T1 for over 38 years and I use lantus/humalog combination to level BG.
As far as Lantus is concerned I take 10 + 10 (8-8:30 am; 8-8:30 pm). All goes well if the physical activity is low (or if I do not hit a blood vessel when injecting) , ie the kinetics of lantus release goes according to the manufactures info. If by any chance I have to go for a walk ( say 30-40 minutes) then the release of lantus changes from the flat curve to some kind of steep climb that is more likely the NPH release curve. And BG drops fast ( reduction of 60 mg/dl within 1/2 hour ). I sometimes use this technique to lower BG and put it within acceptable limits 100-110 mg/dl before noon meal. You get a similar reaction at 5 pm and beyond but the BG reduction is not as steep. This probably indicates that Lantus is wearing off especially if more was consumed during the first part of the day. This is my personal experience and in no way should be taken as advice to others. Each one of us reacts in different formats to the intake of insulin.
Hi, Well after having a "hypo" attack in the movie theater i began to study the lantus more closely and arrived here. My situation happened at 8pm: My sugar dropped at the exact time when i took my 20 units dosage 24 hours earlier. Now im not sure how quickly the insulin wears off but im curious; can my BG drop after the injection has worn off? And if not, then what exactly caused my drop? My diet has been closely monitored, im 128 pounds on 20 units of insulin.
Richard, you shouldn't go low from an insulin injection 24 hours after you take it. The "Lantus lows" I wrote about happen about 40 minutes after you inject and are most likely caused by injecting into or very close to a vein.
But things don't always operate as they should. Maybe for some reason your Lantus precipitates didn't dissolve right away but only later. However, I would suspect something else. In most people, depending on dosage, Lantus lasts about 24 hours, so most of the Lantus should have been gone by the time you went low.
There are many reasons we can go low, and it's sometimes difficult to figure out why one goes low, and almost impossible to figure out why someone else has gone low unless you have a complete medical history, and even then it's difficult.
Even nondiabetics sometimes go low. So I'd suggest that you do more investigating of hypoglycemia causes and see if anything sounds like it might apply to you. If you can't come up with anything, talk to your endocrinologist, if you have one, or your CDE or GP if you don't. If this has only happened once, it might not be a big problem. If it happens often, try to figure it out.
Always carry a meter and glucose tabs with you in case it does happen when you're not close to food.
Last night i took my 22 untis of lantus and my reading before bed was 8mmol.. next min in exactly 30 mins i woke up with a huge fright checked my sugars and it was 0.9mmol.... i was terrified i drank a hige glass of fruit juice with glucose in it and ate handfuls of chocloate peanuts... i was sweating and shaking nd then i felt so nausea after. My hear rate was going crazy.. i was so scared..!!! then i woke up this morning and my sugar readings have been sitting around 15 - 18mmol all day.... i havent felt well either. In 14 years of injecting i never knew you could inject into a vein. I did it in my upper thigh.. I am terrifed to inject tonight..!!! What if it happens again.! any advise as to how to inject with a penset in a way this may not happen..!!!
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I agree with you that Lantus injection into a blood will make you "Hypo".
I learned from others if you are using a syringe and not a pen, after inserting syringe, pull back on plunger maybe 10 units or so to see if blood is drawn back ino the neddle which tells you if you are into a vessel. I do it every time and it is one reason I stay with the vial versus a pen!!
Larry