Please advise

[Jackbauersavedmylife]

Hi, my Tony was diagnosed 9/19. Vet started him on novolin 2u. We switched vets and started on Lantus (1u.) last night with a shot at around 6:30 pm. His morning BG reading was 249. Should I continue with the 1u? I’m not used to seeing numbers that low first thing in the morning. The am numbers on novolin were always so much higher. TIA!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I would keep the 1 unit twice daioy for few days unless you get a very low BG which requires a lowering of the dose. Lantus/glargine is a depot insulin and takes a few days to fill the depot and have full effect.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

You also want to test in between doses. This will tell you how low the glucose is dropping between doses.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

There is a great deal of information about Lantus and how it works in the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus/Biosimilar/Levemir board. Lantus is a depot type of medication. A small amount of each shot forms microcrystals that are deposited in the fat tissue and dissolves over time. This is what gives Lantus (etc.) its long duration. It also takes roughly 5 - 7 days for the depot to form and stabilize. So, don't change the dose until at least 5 days. Novolin is shorter acting and you can make back-to-back dose changes. If you do that with Lantus, you will get wonky numbers since the depot will always be in flux. Even with a change in dose, you need to hold the dose for 3 days to let the depot stabilize.