I had diabetes for four years now. I am having to take what seem to me a large amount of insulin 85 units of lantus and 10 units plus scale of novolog with meals. Sugar reading are fairly normal now but if I'm late to eat sugar reading drops very fast. Just wonder if this is really to much insulin.

..... if I'm late to eat sugar reading drops very fast. Just wonder if this is really to much insulin.
It sounds like you could be using too much Lantus. The general rule is, when you have got your Lantus dose right your blood sugar should be reasonably stable all day, without eating. If you have to eat to stop your blood glucose from falling you are taking too much Lantus.

Ditto what Mark said.

The beauty of the new, longer acting insulins is that unlike nph, they do not have a significant peak and you shouldn't "have" to eat. Thinking about changing or getting the dose changed. That might make your life easier and also better controlled.

Cora

Thanks Mark and Cora
I have been battling this problem for a long time now. Doctors are not listening to my concerns because reading are in the range they were trying to get me at. I have not heard about nph insulin and will disgust this with them because I'm tired and drain from sugar dropping low during the day because I sometimes get side track after injection.
Thanks again

Thanks Mark and Cora
I have been battling this problem for a long time now. Doctors are not listening to my concerns because reading are in the range they were trying to get me at. I have not heard about nph insulin and will disgust this with them because I'm tired and drain from sugar dropping low during the day because I sometimes get side track after injection.
Thanks again

Don't, don't, don't ask for nph. It's awful! Sorry if I gave that impression. I meant to say that the insulins like levemir and lantus are so much better.

Cora

Russell,

The required Lantus dose depends on a number of things, but the main ones are your weight, your level of activity and whether you have insulin resistance. I take 15 units of Lantus a day, and I am a normal weight male (75kg), moderatly active and not insulin resistant. So 85 units seems high.

It doesn't sound like your doctor is very helpful, so here is how to test your dosage. As I mentioned, Lantus should keep your blood sugar reasonably stable throughout the day. You test whether you are on the right dose by skipping a meal and seeing what happens. If your blood sugar goes down during the following hours, the Lantus dose is too high. If blood sugar goes up after skipping a meal, you need more Lantus.

It gets complicated when blood sugar goes up after one skipped meal (like breakfast) but comes down after another skipped meal (say lunch). It happens because our insulin requirements change during the course of the day. And to deal with it, the dose has to be split and taken at the right time of the day. But to start with, just focus on getting your blood glucose stable overnight and after breakfast.