general question about doses that are too high

[bobjoh]

Hello! General question: if a cat is on too high of an insulin dose, do they eventually drop fast? I know that too much insulin can act like too little, and keep the numbers high. I've been doing a lot of reading, and all the articles mention high doses mimicking not enough, but nothing ever says what to expect or look for. Would it be different depending on the type of insulin? I would think for a depot insulin, like Lantus, they could build a depot, but would still eventually crash? Thanks!

 

[Sarah&Soph]

I’m not sure about drop “fast”, that’s probably dependent on the specific cat, but if the insulin dose is too high yes, their blood sugar will drop low which can in turn cause their liver to release stored glucose and cause the blood sugar to shoot up and be very high. That is why it’s important to do mid cycle checks, not only preshots

As for what to look for, that also depends on the cat as well. Some cats can be in low numbers and not show any symptoms, others will show the typical symptoms of low blood sugar such as vomiting, lethargy, staggering, etc. This happened to my cat before I was home testing. She was being over dosed for a very long time and never showed any symptoms at all, until her body just ran out of stored glucose and she had a very severe hypo.

 

[bobjoh]

Thanks very much! We are bouncing all over the place right now, and I feel like we just started too high in general, so it's definitely good to know what to look for! I appreciate the info, especially since you've been through it!

 

[Sarah&Soph]

Unfortunately some kitties are just super bouncy Sometimes a number that is not too low, but is maybe is lower than your kitty is used to or a large drop in blood sugar can cause bounces as well. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the dose is too high, just that your cat’s body perceived it that way and reacted accordingly. Getting mid cycle tests, especially around your cat’s nadir, is the best way to know what’s going on and it looks like you have been doing a pretty good job of that