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Suggest Treatment For Uncontrollable Sugar Levels
Posted on
Sat, 30 Aug 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sat, 30 Aug 2014
Answered on
Fri, 26 Sep 2014
Last reviewed on
Question : my friend is diabetic and takes 15cc levimir shot 1 a day. 8pm his sugar was 278 he took another shot at 8:15pm then he ate supper waited 30 mins after he ate and checked his sugar again and now its 348. what should he do now since he already had his 2 shots for the day and his sugar is so high? will the shot eventually take affect ?
Brief Answer:
Diabetes
Detailed Answer:
Levemir is a 'basal' insulin meaning it is a slow acting insulin that starts taking effect in a couple hours and then remains steady over the next 18 hours or so. It likely lasts longer than this in those with kidney problems.
So when a person with diabetes has high glucoses levels, levemir alone is unlikely to do the job of improving glucose levels. It is not meant to address acutely high levels.
For the purpose of rapid reduction blood glucoses, there are several types of rapid acting insulins such as Novolog, Humalog, Apidra and Humulin/Novolin R.
When I see someone like your friend in my practice I advise the person to take a certain amount of one of these types of Insulins. How much I prescribe varies from person to person based on my assessment of multiple factors unique to the individual, some of which include my direct experience with the individual in terms of response to past doses.
It is unsafe for me to randomly pick a number and advise a dose for your friend. besides, it is also not the objective of this forum to provide precise medications and doses.
What he needs now is contact with his healthcare provider, preferably the doctor who prescribed him Levemir and who knows his medical / diabetic history well. I understand this may be difficult after hours and in such cases, urgent care/ emergency rooms are the only answer.
Once again I would like to emphasize that your friend needs 'meal time' insulin doses and not Levemir for prompt reduction in blood glucoses. Failure to bring down glucoses quickly can have life threatening consequences.
Diabetes
Detailed Answer:
Levemir is a 'basal' insulin meaning it is a slow acting insulin that starts taking effect in a couple hours and then remains steady over the next 18 hours or so. It likely lasts longer than this in those with kidney problems.
So when a person with diabetes has high glucoses levels, levemir alone is unlikely to do the job of improving glucose levels. It is not meant to address acutely high levels.
For the purpose of rapid reduction blood glucoses, there are several types of rapid acting insulins such as Novolog, Humalog, Apidra and Humulin/Novolin R.
When I see someone like your friend in my practice I advise the person to take a certain amount of one of these types of Insulins. How much I prescribe varies from person to person based on my assessment of multiple factors unique to the individual, some of which include my direct experience with the individual in terms of response to past doses.
It is unsafe for me to randomly pick a number and advise a dose for your friend. besides, it is also not the objective of this forum to provide precise medications and doses.
What he needs now is contact with his healthcare provider, preferably the doctor who prescribed him Levemir and who knows his medical / diabetic history well. I understand this may be difficult after hours and in such cases, urgent care/ emergency rooms are the only answer.
Once again I would like to emphasize that your friend needs 'meal time' insulin doses and not Levemir for prompt reduction in blood glucoses. Failure to bring down glucoses quickly can have life threatening consequences.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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