12/28 Ella pmps 331 Switching from Lantus to Lev?

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tpr

tpr

Member Since 2012
last post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/posting.php?mode=edit&f=9&t=85683&p=917873

Hello lovely Lantus Land folks!

Thank you for all of your warm holiday wishes for Ella, Greg and I. It was so nice to hear from some of you:)
I've finally updated Ella's SS and boy oh boy was that a tedious task! My New Year's resolution is to stay on top of it so I can visually see how she's doing:)

We had a few nice days but overall she's been climbing the dosing ladder. I'm not sure as to the reason why but I'm thinking it may be because I'm holding the doses too long?! I like to keep her on for at least 10 cycles but I definitely exceeded that amount over the last month or so :oops:

She is happy, furry, purry and is peeing and pooping well. She is however gaining weight, but I attribute that to the food I've been leaving her out during the day while I'm at work. I leave out quite a bit of lc as I'm unable to come home so I like to leave a safety net for her. Unfortunately, she's got a nice sized tire going on which I know is not healthy for her.

I'm at the very bottom of my vial and will be picking one up tomorrow night but I was thinking that a switch to Lev might help flatten my girl out a bit. I was wondering if some of the Lev users could give me some insight on how it is similar and different from Lantus. I also welcome the thoughts of Lantus lovers as well:)

Off to dinner but I'll be back to visit condos in a few hours. I look forward to catching up with the LL kitties and their folks!
 
Here's the info on the technical differences between Lantus and Lev.

I agree that you have a tendency to hold doses too long. Lev will not make that any better. Glucose toxicity can develop no matter which insulin you use. Just be aware that Lev is not a magic cure. Marje has said it has helped to level Gracie out with respect to some bounciness. Checkers still seems to have a mind of his own. You'll need to weigh whether the later nadir works for your schedule.
 
I don't think switching will have much effect on the bounciness. What switching to Lev did for Tess was slow down her early dives. She had a very early onset and drop on Lantus, plummeting by +2 and then hit nadir soon after, leaving a very long portion of the cycle for climbing! Since the switch to Lev she onsets around +5 and often nadirs around =11 or even +12. The slower drops have help some, but she still bounces.

The active part of the cycle is stretched out. You have to be attentive to testing for a greater portion of the cycle. No, "Oh good, we have nadir and I can go to bed!" But you get to know the patterns and we/ve survived 2 years of it.
 
Hi Tamara, Ive no advice on the switch but I think it's a good thing to see Ella gainning weight. She is doing well on her exsisting treatment, that's why she gained weight. (That's how I see it :lol: ) Ive been trying to get Rosy to increase a bit of her weight for mths by adding an extra meal every night, she gobbled all her food but no weight gain!
Wish a very happy & peaceful New Year!
 
Hi Tamara and Happy New Year, belated Merry Christmas to you, Greg and Ella,

Rusty had already been switched to Levemir from Lantus when we adopted him, so I can't compare his trends. (But I am familiar with Lantus because Stu used Lantus.) I do know that it is nice (for me) to have the later onset (after +4, sometimes as late as +5). I don't have to worry so much about shooting low because I am pretty sure that Rusty will rise before onset. Rusty's nadirs are unpredictable: anywhere between +5 and PMPS, but usually between +7 and +9. I have heard that Levemir is a gentler insulin, but have no way to document this. I like the fact that the manufacturer recommends 42 days as the "life" of the vial or cartridge (vs. 30 days for Lantus). However, these recommendations are for humans who do not refrigerate their vial/pen/cartridge after they open it. I usually get at least 50 days from a 3 ml. cartridge, after which there isn't much insulin left.

Hope this helps. In Canada you will be able to get cartridges in addition to FlexPens and vials. I prefer the cartridges because they are less cumbersome. (Here in the US we can only get FlexPens or vials.)

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Sienne is right about not holding a dose too long no matter which insulin you use!

Hugs from us,

Ella (bean) and Rusty
 
Thank you kindly for visitng with your personal experiences,technical informtaion about both insulins and well wishes :-D

Although Ella nadir's late, I'm a bit concerned that I will have to pull some late nighters which doesn't sound like it will jive with having to be alert for my job. On the other hand, if the onset is later than I may not have to worry as much when I'm running out the door. I'm wondering if the Lev users get a +1 and 2?
If I still have to wake up at 5:00am to administer the insulin so I have to get the appropriate tests than I might just stick to Lantus.

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!
 
Ella marches to her own tune, so you would have to experiment. After AMPS I hardly ever test Rusty before +5, but I know what his patterns are likely to be.

Happy New Year!

Ella & Rusty
 
Ella - time to ditch those pink party dresses! Good luck in your insulin decision Tamara. It's something I've thought about, but for me the devil you know has won out. Neko also sometimes has late nadirs.

And have a great NYE - hope to see you and Ella around here more often! Good to hear she seem to be well.
 
Good Morning Tamara, good luck with your decision on Lev. You've gotten some good feedback from some Lev users. I know you have a lot to consider with your job and not able to get back home and check on Ella. Mags is a little fluffy, too, as she free feeds overnight and I leave food when gone. Thanks for visiting us last night. Happy New Year to you and Ella.
 
Tamara, I usually get a +3 (nearly always up, it would be the equivalent of a +1 on Lantus) but we feed Tess then too, so I figure I might as well. That, w/ the +6 lets me know if she is having an active cycle.
 
Tamara

I think lev is a great insulin and it's worked well for Gracie. But there is no predicting what Ella's cycles will be like on it. Gracie responds differently to lev than most of the other lev cats but that might be just due to my dosing. So you won't really know how Ella is going to do until you try it. She might give you a somewhat typical lev curve...onset at +4 and nadir at +8- +12 or she might do her own thing. You can always switch back.

But.....as Sienne said, it still depends on the dosing and changing to lev does not necessarily mean she won't bounce. But again...you won't know until you try. I'm glad we switched.
 
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