# Post-Covid insulin needs **URL:** \ **Category:** Type 1 & LADA\ **Created:** [May 5, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803 "2023-05-05T14:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Finn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/finn/32/10159_2.png) [@Finn](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803/1 "2023-05-05T14:11:15Z")
I’m recovering from my first bout of Covid and have noticed my insulin needs have changed drastically. Normally, I’d need 3-5 units for breakfast, 4-5 for lunch, and 4-5 for dinner. I’d keep most of the day in range (70-180) with a few momentary peaks above and below range. My basal rate was great and came to about 5u a day. My last Hba1c was 5.6% (just before switching to a pump) so I was doing something right. Now, I wake up and have to immediately set an extended bolus for 6u over an hour. I repeat this until my blood sugar has come down to 100 which can take 2.5 hours. If I eat breakfast within that first hour (about 20-30g carbs), my blood sugar skyrockets to 200-250 and takes even more insulin to bring down. If I wait to eat until it’s 100, I go a little low, need to treat with about 20g carbs, then bounce around 80-100. The morning extended boluses usually put about 15u in my system. Even though my pump says I have no IOB by lunch, I don’t need to bolus for lunch. Same for dinner, although I can slowly creep up to 150 by the time I go to bed if I don’t correct. But 150 is still a lot lower than I’d expect with no IOB. My daily usage has gone from 24 units/day to 38 units/day. The insulin seems to be taking a lot longer to start working. Is this a common post-Covid blood sugar issue? How long has it lasted for others? I’ve got an endo appointment next week and I’ll definitely be bringing this up, just wanted to see if I wasn’t alone. ---
**Author:** ![CarlosLuis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/carlosluis/32/11389_2.png) [@CarlosLuis](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/CarlosLuis)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803/2 "2023-05-05T15:56:24Z")
> [@Finn](#): > > Is this a common post-Covid blood sugar issue? How long has it lasted for others? Just like everything else with diabetes, it varies. My own experience with Covid vaccination and infection is that I became very insulin resistant. Vaccination resistance lasted 5-7 days. Actually infection was worse both when positive and for 2-3 weeks after testing negative. I feel lucky that I had no long term damage from Covid. I did have a short period of exercise induced shortness of breath. ---
**Author:** ![Finn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/finn/32/10159_2.png) [@Finn](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2023, 4:35pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803/3 "2023-05-05T16:35:00Z")
Thanks. I’m sure everyone’s experience is different, but it’s good to know that I’m not alone. Insulin seems to take sooooo long to start working. And I feel extremely hungry most of the time (that’s unusual for me, so I’m guessing it’s a Covid thing). This is my first illness since diagnosis, and it’s been a learning curve. The hardest day was peak symptoms where I needed to change my infusion set and my Dexcom. Neither of which is hard or time-consuming, but when combined with an illness are really annoyed ngm luckily, I’ve got a helpful partner and they were recovering as my symptoms were peaking. Oh, and to add to the annoyance, that site only lasted one day as I hadn’t grasped my increased insulin needs by then. Today has been 100% under 180, so I’m pretty pleased I’ve spotted some patterns and found tactics that help. ---
**Author:** ![bkh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@bkh](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/bkh)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803/4 "2023-05-06T12:55:00Z")
> [@Finn](#): > > Even though my pump says I have no IOB by lunch, I don’t need to bolus for lunch. Humalog and Novolog have a duration of insulin action around 6 hours. It’s common to set much shorter times in a pump to get more aggressive dosing behavior, so “the pump says 0 iob” has to be taken with a grain of salt. From your description, I’d guess the last insulin from those multiple extended boluses was still active at lunchtime. ---
**Author:** ![Finn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/finn/32/10159_2.png) [@Finn](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803/5 "2023-05-06T14:14:16Z")
Good point. I usually end my final extended bolus around 1pm so still active by lunchtime and maybe still active enough by 7pm when I have dinner. It does seem like the insulin might be working a bit slower than usual. The amount of insulin I’m doing on those morning extended boluses would have been way too much pre-Covid. Now, they seem to do nothing until hours later. Hopefully everything gets back to normal in the next few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Jane17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6de8d8/32.png) [@Jane17](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jane17)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/post-covid-insulin-needs/13803/6 "2023-05-12T03:28:41Z")
Wow. Didn’t even consider my change in insulin requirements were secondary to Covid. I am an RN and never got Covid during the epidemic. In March went on vacation and got a pretty intense case of covid. Still dealing with lung problems. I have been dealing with dawn phenomenal which I never had before. Your post made me consider the covid/diabetes connection. I am on MDI and was even considering going back to a pump which i have been happy without being tethered to a device with tubing. See my Endo next week. Will definitely ask.