BG Dropping: How do I decrease Insulin ?

[oreosmom]

Hello,
I am Oreo's Mom, Carol. He has been getting 2 units Landus twice daily. Last night Oreo's PMPS was 142. (Alpha Trak 2 ) We did NOT give shot since it was pretty low and we were going out to dinner. At 8 PM, we tested again, and it was at 136.
So we didn't give the shot and decided to wait until this morning. This AMPS was 136. For Oreo this is very low. (he is on prednesilone fo GI Lymphoma)) I fed him and it is now at 191. I don't know whether to reduce his dose and still give him 2 units?. I'd appreciate your opinions. Thanks! Carol, Oreo's Mom

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

If you haven't seen this, please read this about using lantus:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581

If you scroll halfway through, it explains about when to reduce, increase dose and the reasoning behind this.

 

[Shirley and Ragnar]

Sometimes Ragnar's BG goes up and down in the 100s for as much as 30 hours, never quite reaching 200 and sometimes dropping from 190+ down into the 160s. I just wait until he reaches 200, however long it takes, and shoot.

However, he's only on 3/4u of Lantus and your cat is getting much more. But none of those numbers look too low, or low at all, so it doesn't look like something to worry about. Normal is up to 150. "Too low" would be somewhere under 100 if he's used to the dose!! (When Ragnar was OTJ he was getting around 70 on his own insulin, though that would be a little scary on Lantus since it could keep dropping.) So I would ask your vet (if you have a good one) to be sure, but most likely, just keep the dose steady and be glad he's making some of his own insulin and the Lantus is lasting him a good, long time. I would test again from time to time, and give his shot when he reaches 200.

Blessings,

Shirley and Lover

 

[BJM]

If you find a pattern of skipping shots because the preshot is too low, then yes, you may make a reduction. (0.25 - 0.5 units)

Your goal is a shot you can give safely every 12 hours; this means sometimes he may go higher than you'd like, but keeping the Lantus at a higher level risks hypoglycemia. The prednisone and GI lymphoma may have some erratic effects on glucose, making it difficult to stabilise.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

Hi Carol,

One thing I would recommend is picking either the Relion or the Alphatrak and testing with just that one meter, and leaving the other as an emergency backup. The Alphatrak and Relion are both consistent metters, but in different ranges, so you'll drive yourself batty trying to figure out how to dose using both (there are different protocol guidelines for the Alphatrak and human meters). If it were me, I'd pick the Relion because of the cheaper strips, but whatever you feel comfortable with and can afford to test frequently enough with is fine.