Change of dosage?

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Patty & Champ

Patty & Champ

Member Since 2011
I posted this on the general health forum earlier this morning, but was told I should post it here for all you experts to help me. I should have thought of that myself!!

I decided to reduce Champ's insulin to 1 unit today to see what happens. He actually let me do his BG without too much fussing this morning. I gave him only 2 oz of Wellness wet for breakfast and I'm putting out another 1.5 oz for him to graze on as he likes. I'm going to try to check his BG again at +3 and +6 (fingers crossed for luck) to see how his sugars react to the 1 unit compared to the BGs when he got 3 units yesterday. Am I doing the right thing? Is there anything else I should be doing?
 
Re: Change of dosage

His +3 was 270 which doesn't seem terrific. Think I'll give him 2 units for his 6 pm shot. He scarfed down his 1.5 oz of Wellness after the BG check.
 
Re: Change of dosage

Please, if you change a dose you need to stick with it and sit on your hands. I know the higher numbers are hard to see, but you do not see immediate results w/ Lantus. Right now you are still seeing some residual shed action. Every time you change the dose the shed needs to readjust and that usually takes up to 72 hours. Also when we do adjust doses, it is usually in .25 unit increments. It is amazing how a very small change can effect a cat. I recently adjusted Tess's dose by ONE DROP more and she went from pinks and reds to blues and low greens.

You also don't know when his nadir is yet. At +3 you usually are just beginning to see the effect of the insulin starting. Lantus doses are determined by the LOWEST number in a cycle, not the highest!

Spreading Champs meals out should help even things out too, good work.
 
Re: Change of dosage

Hi Ann, thanks for helping me out. Should I go ahead and stick with the 1 unit or did I make too abrupt a change and I should go up to 2 units for his PM dose and stay there for awhile? I don't mind seeing numbers in the 200's because it's been worse and he seems to be acting quite normally, maybe sleeping more than usual. Other than that, he has quite playful moments, usually in the wee hours of the morning.
 
Re: Change of dosage

Since you've already gone down, I'd stick w/ it. We'll see what other more experienced peeps say, so keep you header the same and maybe ad a question mark. It is usually better to start low and slowly work you way up in dosage. That way you don't miss the right dose. A strange thing about FD is that too much insulin can raise BGs just like too little can. I know it's frustrating, but we are in it for the long haul.

Try to get a few more tests in so you can figure out when his nadir is. Then the dosing advisors will have something to work with.
 
Thanks Ann. I so wish I had found this message board before I started Champ on the insulin. I then would have started him at 1 unit instead of the 3 units his vet told me to give. Or just changed his diet for a while and see how he did with only that along with healthy weight loss. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 after all.
 
Re: Change of dosage

And btw, Ann...that's probably the cutest picture of a cat I've ever seen!!! What a dollbaby Tess is. She looks like she has a very fun personality!
 
Re: Change of dosage

We all go through that in the beginning. And some of us still have really good hindsight after quite a while "OH, I should have done THAT!"

You were only on the higher dose a couple of days so it shouldn't be a problem, and you may need to work your way back up. Slow changes are really important though and waiting for the shed to adjust!

We are all so lucky that this site exists. There is so much support here as well as knowledge, this is our lifeline.
 
Re: Change of dosage

I just realized that Champ's spreadsheet isn't accurate. He was diagnosed on 3/31/11 and started Lantus on 4/3/11. I just wasn't checking his BGs until a couple of days ago. I never thought to put the first week of his shots on his spreadsheet because I wasn't checking his BGs. Crap. I'll go back and redo it so it's accurate. Does it change your opinion about how I've changed his dose, knowing he was on the 3 units for 5 days before I changed it?
 
Re: Change of dosage

OMG. I must be much more tired than I thought. I just looked at the vet receipt and Champ was diagnosed on 3/24/11 so he was on the 3 units b.i.d. since 3/27/11 which means he was on that dose for 12 days before I changed it this morning to 1 unit. Sometimes I really worry about myself. Early dementia is really settling in.
 
Re: Change of dosage

Patty, I haven't posted in your condo yet, welcome to LL!

Here's the link to yesterday's condo

As Sienne said yesterday, there isn't enough data on your SS yet to evaluate the 3.0u dose....I don't understand why you reduced the dose? I didn't see where Sienne suggested a dose decrease, and the little data you have collected so far does not show a need to decrease the dose.

Lantus is a long acting, depot type insulin....it requires consistent dosing. You need to continue to shoot the same dose and collect data in order to see how the insulin is working. If you keep changing the dose, you will get wonky numbers, and it affects your data. Please read the stickies at the top of the forum..there's a lot of info about the insulin there.

I know Sienne suggested that you get tests in each cycle...it's important to get at least a before bed test at night to see which way Champ is going. Many cats go lower at night, and it's important to get data in each cycle because if you don't, you are missing half of your data.

It's difficult to tell what you should do now that you have reduced. You could either go back up to 3.0u and collect the data or you could stay with the 1.0u and collect data to see how that works. Either way, the shed will be affected by the different doses for a few cycles at least. There simply isn't enough data for me to suggest which way you should go.

If you go back to the 3.0u dose, you will need to be sure to get tests in both cycles....it's a pretty high starting dose and you need to be vigilant. If you cannot do that, then I would stay with 1.0u.

Hopefully others will weigh in with their thoughts.
 
No worries! It takes all of us a while to figure this board out. I see you added the extra days to the SS, good. Could you indicate in the comments when you made the switch to wet food?
 
He's always been on wet food, but a high carb Friskies type, along with Purina One Senior on the side for snacking. He's always eaten the wet before touching the dry, but did eat the dry as his snack throughout the day. Plus, he was completely addicted to "Temptations" treats and I would give him ten every evening. I went to the store yesterday and bought him freeze dried chicken breast and he now has a new addiction!!

I'm driving myself crazy with my habit of doing things and then realizing that I shouldn't have done them, especially when I could potentially hurt my boy. If I hurt him, I'll never forgive myself. I'm going to stick with the 1 unit because he seems to be much more normal at that dose, not as sleepy. If you think that's okay, please let me know because, while I did give him the one dose of 1 unit, that technically would be no different that someone giving a fur shot so I could always go back to the 3 units. I just don't like how tired he seems to be on the 3 units, though. You guys are the knowledgable ones and I'll follow your advice. Just let me know before 5:30 when I'll be getting ready to give him his next shot. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!
 
I posted a new topic, though it relates to this one, because I want to try to get an answer quickly. I just checked Champ's +6 (actually +6.5) and it was 354. I don't like this at all since it will only go up until his next shot at 6 pm. Should I give him another shot now? like 1 unit or 0.5 unit? And I think I need to increase his dosage for his AM and PM shots. I HATE not knowing what to do.
 
No, do NOT give an extra shot before the PM shot is due. Wait it out, he will be ok for today.

I just wanted to answer that question very quickly!
 
Thank you for answering so quickly. I'm going to wait it out, but it's going to be hard because I'm so worried. I'm supposed to go out for a late lunch with my daughter, but now I'm scared to leave the house.
 
It is hard to see high numbers, believe me we do understand! But never shoot an extra dose, that would not be safe.

Now, as for what to do tonight... My gut says to wait and hold this dose to see what happens. You mentioned that Champ seems better and less sleepy on this dose, right? Since you just changed the dose this morning, why don't you continue the same dose tonight and see if he settles into it. Maybe it is too little and maybe not. It will be hard to tell if the dose is changed too quickly.

I hope that helps a tiny bit. The fact that you are here and testing says you are doing fine things for Champ. :-D
 
Nothing is going to happen to him while you're out to lunch - GO! Enjoy! :-) At this stage in the game you're collecting data while you try and find a dose that works best for Champ. I don't think he is at risk of a hypo while your gone...so go out and enjoy your lunch!

Also- you never want to shoot twice in a cycle. As much as it sucks to see high numbers you just have to wait them out. It can take a few cycles for a dose to 'settle' - changing his dose around too quickly can cause his numbers to go all wonky on you. I would continue on the 1 unit.
 
Awww, I think Champ will be fine if you go out for lunch. If he was showing very low numbers then maybe I'd stay home. But he will be ok. His evening shot will come soon enough and perhaps start bringing his numbers down a bit.
 
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