? 28 Feb - Is it possible to switch from TR to SLGS?

[SwedishLiz]

Freya’s BG is still consistently high, plus tonight she’s been eating a lot more than usual which has got me thinking…
Is it possible that since diagnosis, we’ve had her on a far too high dose hence the almost permanent bouncing? The vet prescribed 2U Lantus which we’d already given for a few days before I discovered this site which is why I didn’t think SLGS was appropriate (we’d already started!) but after almost a month & seeing no improvement, I’m now wondering whether I’m sending Freya hypo every time I inject her?

Has anyone just dramatically reduced an insulin dose for their kitty & after a few days seen a dramatic improvement or would I be putting Freya at further risk by trying this?

Any/all advice gratefully received!

 

[Lisa & Oberon]

Looks like you're testing a lot so I don't think it's likely you're missing any lows that would cause bouncing. It's more likely that you haven't gotten to a high enough dose yet. Oberon ran in the 300s for about 3 months (with occasional random dips lower) before we got to a good dose. He's an extreme case, though. I'll let the more experienced people weigh in, but I suspect you're going to need to increase the dose, not reduce it.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Your spreadsheet shows you are shooting 2 units in the morning and 1.75 at night. Is that correct? With our dosing methods here, we find it best to shoot the same dose in the AM and PM. Regardless of whether you choose SLGS or TR. Switching to SLGS wouldn't change your dose now, but rather would change the reduction point, and how long in between increases.

Has anyone just dramatically reduced an insulin dose for their kitty & after a few days seen a dramatic improvement or would I be putting Freya at further risk by trying this?

I have seen people drastically reduce insulin. It's called a "reset". We do not encourage this. Generally kitty ends up in higher numbers due to glucose toxicity and takes longer to get to a good dose. Worst case, ketones can start appearing and it can be dangerous to do. The only times I've seen a cat do better on a big dose reduction, is in cases where the vet started them on way too high a dose, like 10 units. Yes - that happened here.

 

[SwedishLiz]

Your spreadsheet shows you are shooting 2 units in the morning and 1.75 at night. Is that correct? With our dosing methods here, we find it best to shoot the same dose in the AM and PM. Regardless of whether you choose SLGS or TR. Switching to SLGS wouldn't change your dose now, but rather would change the reduction point, and how long in between increases.


I have seen people drastically reduce insulin. It's called a "reset". We do not encourage this. Generally kitty ends up in higher numbers due to glucose toxicity and takes longer to get to a good dose. Worst case, ketones can start appearing and it can be dangerous to do. The only times I've seen a cat do better on a big dose reduction, is in cases where the vet started them on way too high a dose, like 10 units. Yes - that happened here.

We’re currently giving 1.75 units both morning & evening but for some reason, the spreadsheet is rounding up on the US page. I’ve corrected the figures now & will make sure I double check in future. Freya’s BG, while still high, are slightly lower today so we’ll stick with TR & will just increase the insulin when my husband gets back home (tomorrow).