I think I made a mistake in switching insulins

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MissMolly

MissMolly

Member Since 2017
Previous conversation http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...d-i-increase-or-decrease.182992/#post-2029583

After Molly's failed reduction I thought perhaps it would be a good time to switch to Levemir as I hear such good stuff about it. However, since I've switched her, she's reverted back to how she was back in Dec. She's eating more, drinking more, peeing more and not to mention she has no interest in anything other than sleeping in the closet or under the covers. I'm heartsick over it.

Looking back on her spreadsheet I'm not even sure I should have reduced her when I did as she didn't drop below 50. Should I have stuck with the increase after she didn't respond to the reduction? I don't want to get to far into Levermir to have someone say to me a month down the road, perhaps you should have stuck it out with the lantus.

Thoughts please and be gentle lol I truly have been hard enough on myself lately :) I feel completely responsible for how crappy she's feeling right now. My gut is telling me to just quit the levemir as she was a much happier kitty on Lantus it seems.

And if the mindset is to switch her back to lantus do I go back to the 2.25 with perhaps not giving her a dose tonight and start tomorrow?

Hopefully I have her spreadsheet correct this time with both number formats.

Thanks for taking the time to look and respond I really do appreciate it :)
 
MissMolly said:
Previous conversation http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...d-i-increase-or-decrease.182992/#post-2029583

After Molly's failed reduction I thought perhaps it would be a good time to switch to Levemir as I hear such good stuff about it. However, since I've switched her, she's reverted back to how she was back in Dec. She's eating more, drinking more, peeing more and not to mention she has no interest in anything other than sleeping in the closet or under the covers. I'm heartsick over it.

Looking back on her spreadsheet I'm not even sure I should have reduced her when I did as she didn't drop below 50. Should I have stuck with the increase after she didn't respond to the reduction? I don't want to get to far into Levermir to have someone say to me a month down the road, perhaps you should have stuck it out with the lantus.

Thoughts please and be gentle lol I truly have been hard enough on myself lately :) I feel completely responsible for how crappy she's feeling right now. My gut is telling me to just quit the levemir as she was a much happier kitty on Lantus it seems.

And if the mindset is to switch her back to lantus do I go back to the 2.25 with perhaps not giving her a dose tonight and start tomorrow?

Hopefully I have her spreadsheet correct this time with both number formats.

Thanks for taking the time to look and respond I really do appreciate it :)
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You've only been on Lev a few days and you started at a lower dose. It's likely she's not feeling well because her numbers are higher. You're following TR so you can start increasing her dose according to those rules and give it time. Don't be hard on yourself - all we want is for our fur kids to feel better and it's hard not seeing them at their best. :bighug:
 
I remember being very worried when I made the switch from Lantus to Lev. I felt like a newbie all over again.:bighug:

First things first, Molly is on too low a dose of Levemir. When we make the switch, we suggest going to 70% of the Lantus dose, which would be around 1.5 units. I would go ahead and increase the next cycle. You may end up being on a similar dose as the Lantus dose was. Once you have been on 1.5 units for six cycles, increase if she's not giving you the numbers you want. She will feel better as her numbers improve.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I remember being very worried when I made the switch from Lantus to Lev. I felt like a newbie all over again.:bighug:

First things first, Molly is on too low a dose of Levemir. When we make the switch, we suggest going to 70% of the Lantus dose, which would be around 1.5 units. I would go ahead and increase the next cycle. You may end up being on a similar dose as the Lantus dose was. Once you have been on 1.5 units for six cycles, increase if she's not giving you the numbers you want. She will feel better as her numbers improve.
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Thanks so much Wendy I'll increase her next shot :) 6 cycles is equal to 3 days correct? Just want to make sure to not make a mess of it. I wasn't very aggressive with the lantus on the first go wrong I don't want to make the same mistake this time.
 
Just took another peak at her SS. Don't forget those night time tests.

I also noticed in the comments a couple days ago "fur shot not in the monprning". What does hat mean? Fur shot can interrupt the depot and cause higher numbers. It'll also help us help you if you put something like FS in the units column if you know you did a fur shot. I had lots of FS and PfS (partial) in my spreadsheet. :rolleyes:
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Just took another peak at her SS. Don't forget those night time tests.

I also noticed in the comments a couple days ago "fur shot not in the monprning". What does hat mean? Fur shot can interrupt the depot and cause higher numbers. It'll also help us help you if you put something like FS in the units column if you know you did a fur shot. I had lots of FS and PfS (partial) in my spreadsheet. :rolleyes:
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Yup, I'm almost sure she got a fur shot that morning. I'll fix it up :) Thank you I hope she feels better soon too :) Lets see what the few days at 1.50 brings her. I was getting in a few evening tests but to be honest I felt so disheartened I hated to test her if that makes sense. Every time I test and she's high I feel like I've failed her.
 
You may find that because the Levemir onset is later, that a +2 or +3 test at night will be higher. Neko didn't onset until +5 on Lev, but if she was flat or not up much by my bedtime (before +5), then I set an alarm for a later test.
 
So I guess a good starting point for me would be +3 and +5 and take it from there. I'm pretty much up all night anyways worried sick about her lolol I'm up when she's high and I'm up when she's low. Good thing sleep is overrated :)
 
From what I have seen so far on her SS, I would do some checks around +4, which is supposed to be the typical onset. Neko didn't like being typicical.:p Learning the onset and nadir all over again was frustrating for me.
 
Once you get back to the right dose, I think you will be happy with the switch. I quickly went right back up to the same dose after I made the switch after knowing Lev did not cause any abnormal low numbers during the first few cycles.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
From what I have seen so far on her SS, I would do some checks around +4, which is supposed to be the typical onset. Neko didn't like being typicical.:p Learning the onset and nadir all over again was frustrating for me.
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Will do with the +4 just in case Missy likes being typical lmao

Bronx's dad said:
Once you get back to the right dose, I think you will be happy with the switch. I quickly went right back up to the same dose after I made the switch after knowing Lev did not cause any abnormal low numbers during the first few cycles.
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Thanks so much :) You've all made me feel much better. I was honestly ready to toss the Levemir in the trash and put her right back on Lantus lol
 
I can't give dosing advice...but can relate to the constant worry. I am starting Jimmy on Levemir Wednesday...Jimmy is a high dose Acro kitty. Hoping the Lev will last longer through the cycle than the Lantus.

Looking at ur notes on the SS I see Molly has some hairball and constipation challenges. How has she been doing lately? Is she still vomiting hairballs often? This is a really good site that talks to hairball issues.
http://www.foodfurlife.com/how-to-best-manage-hairballs.html
 
Susan G & Jimmy G said:
I can't give dosing advice...but can relate to the constant worry. I am starting Jimmy on Levemir Wednesday...Jimmy is a high dose Acro kitty. Hoping the Lev will last longer through the cycle than the Lantus.

Looking at ur notes on the SS I see Molly has some hairball and constipation challenges. How has she been doing lately? Is she still vomiting hairballs often? This is a really good site that talks to hairball issues.
http://www.foodfurlife.com/how-to-best-manage-hairballs.html
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Thank you and Good luck with Jimmy. They sure are a constant worry but they are so worth it :)

Thanks I'll check out the link. She has been doing much better, we started her on 1/8 tsp Restoralax daily (miralax). Knock on wood she hasn't had a furball since the 1st of Sept. She was having a little black in her stool. We took her to a emergency clinic and they gave us pepcid and a liquid medicine for her. I forget the name of it now. She felt that she probably had irritation in her upper GI tract from the constant fur balls and constipation. She said that if it were a constant bleed she would be pooping more than once a day as the blood would have to go somewhere. But that didn't satisfy me so we took her in for x-rays just to make sure there was no blockage or something else going on :) So I'm praying we have the poop issues and the furball issue under control.
 
Squeaky and KT (GA) said:
Patience! Dakota has done better since I switched him to Lev almost 4 years ago. The biggest difference is getting used to the different testing schedule needed due to later onset.

HUGS!
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Thank you :) I upped her to the 1.50 units as suggested. She seems to be doing much better on that dose. Her numbers aren't perfect but her overall condition is improving if that makes sense. She's more alert, active, eating and peeing less.
 
MissMolly said:
Thank you :) I upped her to the 1.50 units as suggested. She seems to be doing much better on that dose. Her numbers aren't perfect but her overall condition is improving if that makes sense. She's more alert, active, eating and peeing less.
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Oh that makes me dance a silly big ole Yard Dance! About the biggest thing I like about Lev is that Doc's cycles stay so steady even when he's bouncing.

HUGS!!
 
The first time I swapped to Lev with Sheba (pre forum days) I switched back to Lantus after a week.
However a few months later I tried again and was very glad I did. I ended up loving the Lev with its later onset and later nadir and I thought Sheba was happier on it as well.
If I knew then what I know now.....or I had had the help of L&L land..... I would have been successful the first time.
 
Bron and Sheba said:
The first time I swapped to Lev with Sheba (pre forum days) I switched back to Lantus after a week.
However a few months later I tried again and was very glad I did. I ended up loving the Lev with its later onset and later nadir and I thought Sheba was happier on it as well.
If I knew then what I know now.....or I had had the help of L&L land..... I would have been successful the first time.
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Even now I'm still struggling with switching her back but I'll stick with it for another little bit. As long as I'm not hurting her and she seems to be doing ok I'll try :) Pretty sure she needs a increase though but I'll post another thread for that later.
 
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