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?
itâs not that simple.
Basaglar is considered by many countries to be âbiosimilarâ 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 âbiosimilarâ according to its own definition.
The way it is defined and qualified, I donât 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.
Iâll be looking forward to reading that, my assumption has been that the fuss about âbiosimilarâ vs generics was largely a bs arguement put forward by the pharma companies to drag out some longer patent protection⌠but I donât truly understand the chemistry well enough to really claim I know anything about it
Youâre missing Regular and Lente. Then, maybe, youâre not really missing them are you? I know Iâm 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 didnât 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 injectionsâŚ
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, Iâll be interested to see how Tresiba compares to Levemir. How often will you take it? 3x daily is much flatter for me than 2x.
Youâre missing Oral-lyn, buccal/bolus. Your physician would need to jump through some hoops for you as itâs 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 donât need need it because I drop low from breastfeeding⌠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 itâs shorter than lantus?
Yes, Iâd love to have Oral-lyn for corrections.
Yeah itâs unanimous is doesnât last as long as lantus⌠main potential benefit over lantus might be a bit more custom tailorable by taking different amounts morning and nightâŚ
Thatâs what I told my doc I wanted and wanted to do when he told me nah just use tresiba⌠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 canât get Lantus? Have you ever tried Lantus?
Iâve only used Levemir. Currently, with metformin to help with dawn phenomenon, itâs 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 canât join all you modern people.