March 21, 2002
Insulin Analogs
Question from Naperville, Illinois, USA:
I have been on Lantus and Humalog for three months, and I still have extreme lows every night about 3:30 am which wake me up. I have tried ice cream per your suggestion as a bedtime snack, cereal, and Extend bars and milk. Extend bars work the best, but are very expensive. Do you have any other suggestions for a bedtime snack that would keep my blood sugar from going too low? If I decrease my Lantus dosage then the rest of my day does not go well.
Answer:
You have other options. You could switch to NPH insulin. You could go to an insulin pump. Make sure you are not taking Humalog with your bedtime snack.
The Extend bars are a good product. They are made with corn starch and have an extended effect on raising your blood sugars. I would not depend on food to keep your sugars up four to six hours later. Sounds like it has to be the insulin.
JTL
[Editor’s comment: You might ask your doctor about taking your Lantus (insulin glargine) at another time of day.
SS]
