My daughter is eight years old has had type 1 diabetes for two months. She has just started taking Ultralente and is in the honeymoon stage. She was on NPH but we had to many lows. The Ultralente seems to control her better (2 units in the morning and 2 units in the evening). I am looking for information about children and Ultralente since most take a combination of NPH and Regular or Humalog.

The use of different types of longer acting insulins seems to change by region and the preference of the physicians in that region. Here in Idaho, most children on injections (rather than insulin pumps) use Ultralente and Humalog. Your physician can help you choose which insulin combination will be best for your child.

MSB

[Editor’s comment: There are many good resources on this website that discuss insulin regimens. These are in the form of written materials and reviews of books that provide good information. A very important point to remember, particularly at this early stage after diagnosis, is that there is no “right” insulin treatment plan. If what your daughter is on is controlling her blood sugars, that’s great! If and when things get out of control again, you can discuss treatment alternatives with your diabetes team. Take time now to learn all you can and enjoy what appears to be fairly easy control.

One final note: Even though your daughter is only using Ultralente, you should keep a vial of Humalog or Regular on hand in case you need it. Get some guidelines from your diabetes team as to how and when it needs to be used.

SS]