After years of fighting a losing battle to control diabetes with oral drugs the doctor has now put me on a lon dose of Lantus insulin. I have been told to take this once at bed time.

Is this effective? ALso my doctor told me that it does not mean that if I take insulin once I am stuck with it for life and that after the sugar levels have stabilised and subject to me revising my lifestyle I would be able to go back to oral medicines

What is the expernience of other diabetics in this regards


:confused: :confused:

I just wanted to offer some words of encouragement. Yes, Lantus is very effective. It can give you control that you'll never get with oral meds. But, it does take some time to get the dosage correct. You may still see some high numbers for awhile until you and the doc get the right amount for you. You'll still have to watch your diet but the Lantus can be a lifesaver. No, you may not have to take it forever but you may find that you'll be feelling so much better with the Lantus that you want to keep taking it. I don't know what size needles you are using but if you aren't very overweight you can probably use the BD 31 gauge micro-fine needles which are so easy to use. They hurt less than doing a finger stick test. Being on Lantus is a good thing, give it a few weeks to take effect and get your numbers right but I think once you get used to it, you'll be happier with it than without it. Good luck!

I didn't. I was on Lantus for about a year, then switched to Novalog 70\30 for about 6 months. I am now on Amaryl and Glucophage and have much better numbers. Now, when I was first diagnosed, I was on many different oral meds, Metforim was the first and longest drug. I was on it for about 6-8 weeks, was so very sick the whole time. There is hope, hang in there.

Sandy

Many times insulin is given to get your blood sugars down because no oral drug will have the same quick effect. If your levels are really high, you can be almost toxic to yourself and it takes large amounts to get you into control at first. But yes, if you change your lifestyle, change your eating habits, loose weight if you need to, and begin an exercise program it is very possible you could stop insulin and oral drugs for diabetes. However, sometimes after years of damage to the pancreas, you might still require insulin.

The key is this...no matter what it takes you need to be moving towards levels between 70-110 and under 140. A1c under 7. If you have these numbers with insulin, than it is saving your life.

My experience has been that if you have a progressive form of T2, you will eventually end up on insulin, which is what happened to me. Despite keeping my weight way down and exercising like a madwoman, I had to be on oral meds right away. And within 5 years I was on insulin.

But Almonkey is right...the key is to keep your numbers down by WHATEVER method works, because it has been proved that the better your numbers, the less chance of complications.

Ruth

What your doctor said it absolutely true. My father was a diabetic for almost 15 years. When he first started, he was on the pill, then insulin. When controled his weight better and maintained a balanced diet, he went back on the pill. That took him that long to control his sugars because he was an alcholic. Just eat a senisble diet, plenty of fruit and veggies, and exercise daily. Good luck. With better control, I will one day be off the pill. Good luck. And hugs for today.

trekgirl