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Change of insuiln

C

Cavalier2027

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi, my name is steve and i am new to this. I am type 2 diabetic and was on insulatard insulin and all OK. I have been changed to Humulin now and all is not OK. I was told that i don't need change my dosage but I am increasing my dosage in an attrmp to bring levels down. Has any one on here had issues Himulin? Thanks.
 
Welcome @Cavalier2027 🙂 Is it Humulin i you’ve been put on (that’s a letter i after Humulin)? How often did you take the Insulatard, and how often are you taking the Humulin? Finally, are you also taking a fast/mealtime insulin?
 
Inka said:
Welcome @Cavalier2027 🙂 Is it Humulin i you’ve been put on (that’s a letter i after Humulin)? How often did you take the Insulatard, and how often are you taking the Humulin? Finally, are you also taking a fast/mealtime insulin?
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Hi Inks, typo re the letter i. It is Humulin. I was on Insulaterd for 18 years. As a type 2 I do not take fast/mealtime insulin. I am now taking Humulin but not helping much with same doses.
 
Cavalier2027 said:
Hi Inks, typo re the letter i. It is Humulin. I was on Insulaterd for 18 years. As a type 2 I do not take fast/mealtime insulin. I am now taking Humulin but not helping much with same doses.
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No, you misunderstand me, I think @Cavalier2027 Humulin comes in a number of different types. I asked if you were taking Humulin i (note that letter i ) rather than another type of Humulin.

Humulin i is an isophane insulin and I believe Insulatard is too, so they should be pretty similar. If you’re finding you’re having issues, check the pen you’re using for the Humulin.
 
Inka said:
No, you misunderstand me, I think @Cavalier2027 Humulin comes in a number of different types. I asked if you were taking Humulin i (note that letter i ) rather than another type of Humulin.

Humulin i is an isophane insulin and I believe Insulatard is too, so they should be pretty similar. If you’re finding you’re having issues, check the pen you’re using for the Humulin.
Click to expand...
Inka said:
No, you misunderstand me, I think @Cavalier2027 Humulin comes in a number of different types. I asked if you were taking Humulin i (note that letter i ) rather than another type of Humulin.

Humulin i is an isophane insulin and I believe Insulatard is too, so they should be pretty similar. If you’re finding you’re having issues, check the pen you’re using for the Humulin.
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Thank you for the update, very informative. The pen is an Humapen Savio and it has clear plastic so you can see the plunger and the insulin being delivered. I have noticed here that some people had issues where the pen is not delivering the full dose expected so I will start to up mine slowly. Fingers crossed. Thank you
 
As @Inka has said, the insulins themselves should be very similar so may be it is the pen (Novopens are far superior to the others but the cartridges are not compatible with it)

1750265221961.png

The reason you have been changed to Humulin I is that Novo Nordisk have added Insulatard to their growing list of insulins they are discontinuing - hope you find a solution to the problem
 
Sorry to hear you aren’t getting on with Humulin I @Cavalier2027

I’ve changed insulins at various times over the years, and it rarely seems to be an entirely straight swap. Each have their own idiosyncrasies, and sometimes a small dose tweak is needed.

Some insulins suit some people better than others, and it may be that there’s something in Humulin I that you don’t get on with. In which case you may want to ask about swapping to a longer-acting insulin, or possibly MDI (multiple daily injections) where you have a long-acting background insulin, and then a shorter acting mealtime insulin that you can tweak to match whatever you are eating.

Hopefully you can find a dose of Humulin I that works well for you, and things will settle down again soon.
 
Hi and welcome from me too.

Sorry to hear your levels are being stubbornly high, Do you take the Humulin i morning and evening? I ask because recently we have had a new member report that they were advised to just take it once a day, but twice a day provides better cover although that might not be the same dose morning and evening. Some people need more in the morning and very little in the evening and others need more in the evening with a smaller dose in the morning and some people do manage fine with an even split. How people react to different insulins is quite individual and you do need to carefully experiment to find the right doses and timings for your particular body, so it is good that you feel able to cautiously increase your dose(s) until you see better results. Generally leaving 3 days between any increases is a good idea so that you can assess if the adjustment is enough or you need to increase again.

I will most likely be moving onto Humulin i next year when my current insulin is discontinued so I am interested in posts like yours to see how others find they get on with it but always knowing that my experience with it may be different.

Good luck rebalancing your levels.
 
@rebrascora the OP has changed from Insulatard, a mixed/intermediary insulin.
This is another insulin that is being discontinued.
Humulin I is also an intermediary insulin so it is a natural replacement.

The scenario is different to your expected change from Levemir. Humulin I will not be a good replacement for that. Take a look at the Humulin I activity profile graph and you will see what I mean.
It is annoying that there are different Humulin's. I guess that is why there is often a question about what the letter is after "Humulin" whenever it is bought up on the forum.
 
Last edited:
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sorry to hear you aren’t getting on with Humulin I @Cavalier2027

I’ve changed insulins at various times over the years, and it rarely seems to be an entirely straight swap. Each have their own idiosyncrasies, and sometimes a small dose tweak is needed.

Some insulins suit some people better than others, and it may be that there’s something in Humulin I that you don’t get on with. In which case you may want to ask about swapping to a longer-acting insulin, or possibly MDI (multiple daily injections) where you have a long-acting background insulin, and then a shorter acting mealtime insulin that you can tweak to match whatever you are eating.

Hopefully you can find a dose of Humulin I that works well for you, and things will settle down again soon.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome from me too.

Sorry to hear your levels are being stubbornly high, Do you take the Humulin i morning and evening? I ask because recently we have had a new member report that they were advised to just take it once a day, but twice a day provides better cover although that might not be the same dose morning and evening. Some people need more in the morning and very little in the evening and others need more in the evening with a smaller dose in the morning and some people do manage fine with an even split. How people react to different insulins is quite individual and you do need to carefully experiment to find the right doses and timings for your particular body, so it is good that you feel able to cautiously increase your dose(s) until you see better results. Generally leaving 3 days between any increases is a good idea so that you can assess if the adjustment is enough or you need to increase again.

I will most likely be moving onto Humulin i next year when my current insulin is discontinued so I am interested in posts like yours to see how others find they get on with it but always knowing that my experience with it may be different.

Good luck rebalancing your levels.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
helli said:
The scenario is different to your expected change from Levemir. Humulin I will not be a good replacement for that. Take a look at the Humulin I activity profile graph and you will see what I mean.
Click to expand...
I am curious as to why you think Humulin i will not be a good replacement for my Levemir? From what I had previously researched the profile is as close to Levemir as I can get and I have just double checked it in case I had previously made a mistake and my consultant also feels that an NPH insulin like Humulin i is probably my best bet when Levemir runs out.
I find it quite surprising that you would tell me that Humulin is not a good substitute for me unless I am misunderstanding something?
 
rebrascora said:
I am curious as to why you think Humulin i will not be a good replacement for my Levemir? From what I had previously researched the profile is as close to Levemir as I can get and I have just double checked it in case I had previously made a mistake and my consultant also feels that an NPH insulin like Humulin i is probably my best bet when Levemir runs out.
I find it quite surprising that you would tell me that Humulin is not a good substitute for me unless I am misunderstanding something?
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It may be my misunderstanding? But Levemir and insulatard are different beasts.
Is this the profile you are expecting for your basal?

1750327448151.png
 
helli said:
It may be my misunderstanding? But Levemir and insulatard are different beasts.
Is this the profile you are expecting for your basal?

View attachment 35847
Click to expand...
Yes, that is the profile I am hoping for and is similar I believe, to what I get from Levemir.
 
I agree with @rebrascora - although the profiles are said to be different, I have also found that Levemir works for me almost identically to the "intermediate" insulin graph when you compare the two

1750328757771.png

Which is why (for me) I am looking for a change to something similar - did lots of exercise yesterday evening so skipped my evening dose altogether (something you can't do with longer lasting (once daily) basal insulins)
 
mashedupmatt said:
I agree with @rebrascora - although the profiles are said to be different, I have also found that Levemir works for me almost identically to the "intermediate" insulin graph when you compare the two

View attachment 35848

Which is why (for me) I am looking for a change to something similar - did lots of exercise yesterday evening so skipped my evening dose altogether (something you can't do with longer lasting (once daily) basal insulins)
Click to expand...
That second graph of basal insulin activity is a very generalised graph incorporating the profiles of the likes of Tresiba as well as Levemir so really is not helpful in making any real comparison.
Lantus is also known to have quite a peak of activity around 5 hours I believe for many people, so also not a flat profile.
 
The peak of activity and shorter duration of Humulin are the two things I am particularly looking for from it.
 
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