I got a prescription for Levemir. I think this is possibly the only insulin I have not ever used before (not counting some of the ones traditionally for T2 or stronger U300 types).
Just wanted to try it and compare it to Lantus. Anyone have any thoughts on it?
Since December I have used:
Humalog
NovoLog
Apidra
Afrezza
NPH
Lantus
Tresiba
Am I missing anything? Let me know, and I will try it!
You are missing Basaglar:-)
Ha! I guess. But Basaglar is kinda the same thing as Lantus, just generic, right?
itās not that simple.
Basaglar is considered by many countries to be ābiosimilarā to Lantus, meaning that it functions in the same manner as Lantus, and appears to have the same behavior. But it has a different chemical composition, although I understand that the particular chemical sequence in that molecule that is relevant to its insulin function is either exactly the same or close to the same.
Further complication is that the FDA does not consider Basaglar ābiosimilarā according to its own definition.
The way it is defined and qualified, I donāt believe that there is certainty that it is will always work the same way for everyone. But it seems likely that it will function similarly for most everyone.
I put up a wiki post that compares the two.
Iāll be looking forward to reading that, my assumption has been that the fuss about ābiosimilarā vs generics was largely a bs arguement put forward by the pharma companies to drag out some longer patent protectionā¦ but I donāt truly understand the chemistry well enough to really claim I know anything about it
Youāre missing Regular and Lente. Then, maybe, youāre not really missing them are you? I know Iām not.
Just to appreciate things a bit. Insulin glargine goes way beyond the simple, i.e. see the photo below:
to look at that structure and say something is similar would be amazing. Nothing about these chemicals is simple. the way they are constructed, the way they fold to be useful in the body, they way this precipitates over time to slowly release insulin. It is kind of amazing that you can create a biosimilar.
for us it had a distinctly peaky effect around 6 hours after injection. To get around that we split the dose and shifted when we gave the evening dose to around 2pm, to avoid overnight lows. We only used it when our son was newly diagnosed and was using less than 4 units a day though, so that peak may have been much more pronounced than it would be in an adult.
We used it for more than 6 months, and really didnāt notice a peak, rather it only lasted about 20 hours for us, which was easily handled by increased meal insulin with dinner. The one thing about little ones though, if they take frequent baths, things could be variable. We noticed some crazy things happening after spending some time in a hot tub. note: was done on a 12 year old.
Yep. I spread it out w/ 3 injections. 
3 injectionsā¦
I like Britt because she ups the freak factor and makes me feel normal. 
Did you ever use Lantus? If so, how did it compare?
Ha, Iāll be interested to see how Tresiba compares to Levemir. How often will you take it? 3x daily is much flatter for me than 2x.
Youāre missing Oral-lyn, buccal/bolus. Your physician would need to jump through some hoops for you as itās currently only available via IND (Investigational New Drug).
I take it twice a day (but I know why Britt takes it 3 times a day ) I am ready with a unit of humalog about 8 hrs after the last dose, during the day. At night I donāt need need it because I drop low from breastfeedingā¦ I am also curious about how I would do on Tresiba, it seems interesting
I asked the Endo. Oralyn is not yet available, but I will definitely be trying it when it comes out. It would be good for you right? Because of the lung concerns?
So are you guys both kinda saying itās shorter than lantus?
Yes, Iād love to have Oral-lyn for corrections.
Yeah itās unanimous is doesnāt last as long as lantusā¦ main potential benefit over lantus might be a bit more custom tailorable by taking different amounts morning and nightā¦
Thatās what I told my doc I wanted and wanted to do when he told me nah just use tresibaā¦ tresiba is great stuff
Do you use Levemir because it is 8 hours and you can split it into different amounts for your 3 doses? Or is it an insurance issue where you canāt get Lantus? Have you ever tried Lantus?
Iāve only used Levemir. Currently, with metformin to help with dawn phenomenon, itās split equally.
I may try Tresiba at my next endo visit.
If your basal needs are flat throughout the day and you are taking the same amount every day of the week, then Tresiba seems to definitely be the way to go.
I miss on both those counts, so I canāt join all you modern people.