How To Manage Weight Gain While On Insulin
Weight gain is a normal side effect of taking insulin. Insulin helps you manage your body sugar by assisting your cells in absorbing glucose (sugar). Without insulin, the cells of your body are unable to use sugar for energy. You’ll eliminate the extra glucose in your bloodstream through your urine or have it stay in the blood, causing high blood sugar levels. You may experience weight loss before you start insulin therapy. The loss of sugar in your urine takes water with it, so some of this weight loss is due to water loss. Also, unmanaged diabetes can make you extra hungry. This can lead to eating an increased amount of food even when you start insulin therapy. And when you start insulin therapy and begin getting your blood sugar under control, the glucose in your body is absorbed and stored. This causes weight gain if the amount you eat is more than you need for the day. It’s important not to cut back on your insulin, even if you gain weight. You may lose weight again when you’re off insulin, but you’re then risking complications. Once you start treatment again, the weight will come back. This can lead to an unhealthy weight loss pattern and long-term complications such as heart diseases or kidney damage. Insulin is the best way to lower your blood glucose and manage your diabetes. The good news is that you can manage your weight while taking insulin. It may mean changing your eating habits and being more physically active, but this can help you avoid weight gain. Learn what steps you can take to manage your weight. Your healthcare team has a wealth of information, experience, and practical tips for navigating these waters. They can help you make a plan for weight loss and for maintaining a healthy weight. This important team may include one or more of the fo Continue reading >>
Lantus And Weight Loss - Medhelp
Common Questions and Answers about Lantus and weight loss Just over the past 6 months or so, they gave him LANTUS, in addition to his meds. (Actos, Glypizide, Metaformin) He takes the meds in the morning and the LANTUS at night. Here is my problem. He has a lot of highs and lows.Just 3 weeks ago, his average was 115. This week a different story.He has been in the mid 200's and he has not changed his diet.This morning, before breakfast, his sugar was 337.He is very depressed and I feel so bad for him. I am on lantus and the Novolog pen. I know when I first started lantus I got very anxious and before I had to take it, just in a dead panic. I can not fully answer your question, but I need your help. Can you ask your daughter if her lantus burns, itches, and/or does the area she injects it (arm, leg, stomach) feel heavy or like a big knot is under it? Did you find that your new way of eating took a while to kick in terms of weight loss and evening out of your blood sugar? Did you find the same thing if you are on metformin ER and/or Lantus?Could it be that because I'm not evened out yet that my body is still making too much insulin and therefore my body is still holding on to fat? I'm confused, and I'm getting really frustrated that this is not kicking in faster.I am about to start a water aerobics class. I am not a physician, but a mom of a type 1 child, and the daughter of a type 2 diabetic. I know that from experiences with my daughter it was hard for her to gain weight. When she was diagnosed the endo wanted her to gain 5 pounds. It took her over year. I have a sitter that is a type one diabetic, she needed to lose weight. I have just started using Lantus and am having a hard time controlling BGs. Does anyone have any anecdotal experiences with it? First, there is the Continue reading >>
Lantus Side Effects Center
Lantus (insulin glargine [rdna origin]) Injection is a man-made form of a hormone that is produced in the body used to treat type 1 (insulin-dependent) or type 2 (non insulin-dependent) diabetes. The most common side effects of Lantus is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Symptoms include: hunger, sweating, irritability, trouble concentrating, rapid breathing, fast heartbeat, seizure (severe hypoglycemia can be fatal). Other common side effects of Lantus include pain, redness, swelling, itching, or thickening of the skin at the injection site. These side effects usually go away after a few days or weeks. Lantus should be administered subcutaneously (under the skin) once a day at the same time every day. Dose is determined by the individual and the desired blood glucose levels. Lantus may interact with albuterol, clonidine, reserpine, or beta-blockers. Many other medicines can increase or decrease the effects of insulin glargine on lowering your blood sugar. Tell your doctor all prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements you use. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using Lantus. Discuss a plan to manage blood sugar with your doctor before becoming pregnant. Your doctor may switch the type of insulin you use during pregnancy. It is unknown if this drug passes into breast milk. Insulin needs may change while breastfeeding. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding. Our Lantus (insulin glargine [rdna origin]) Injection Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. Continue reading >>
Selected Important Safety Information
Contraindications Levemir® is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to Levemir® or any of its excipients. Warnings and Precautions Never Share a Levemir® FlexTouch® Between Patients, even if the needle is changed. Sharing poses a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Dosage adjustment and monitoring: Monitor blood glucose in all patients treated with insulin. Insulin regimens should be modified cautiously and only under medical supervision. Changes in insulin strength, manufacturer, type, or method of administration may result in the need for a change in insulin dose or an adjustment of concomitant anti-diabetic treatment. Administration: Do not dilute or mix with any other insulin or solution. Do not administer subcutaneously via an insulin pump, intramuscularly, or intravenously because severe hypoglycemia can occur. Selected Important Safety Information Contraindications NovoLog® is contraindicated during episodes of hypoglycemia and in patients hypersensitive to NovoLog® or one of its excipients. Warnings and Precautions Never Share a NovoLog® FlexPen, NovoLog® FlexTouch®, PenFill®Cartridge, or PenFill® Cartridge Device Between Patients, even if the needle is changed. Patients using NovoLog® vials must never share needles or syringes with another person. Sharing poses a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Changes in insulin strength, manufacturer, type, or method of administration may affect glycemic control and predispose to hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. These changes should be made cautiously under close medical supervision and the frequency of blood glucose monitoring should be increased. Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) Indications and Usage Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) is i Continue reading >>
Diabetes Medications And Weight Gain
Both people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes usually gain weight when they begin therapy, either insulin or some type 2 diabetes medications. For many people with type 1, weight gain is advisable due to the loss of lean body mass often accompanying the disease prior to diagnosis and treatment. However, for people with type 2, and increasingly people with type 1 who were overweight or obese before their diagnosis, seeing the numbers on the scale rise is counterproductive. Increasing weight leads to more insulin resistance, which in addition to making diabetes harder to control, escalates cardiovascular risk. There are a variety of reasons weight gain occurs when people start insulin. Some people with type 2 were in poor glycemic control prior to beginning insulin. These folks were seeing the energy from the food they ate end up in their urine stream instead of being stored as fat. As their control improves with insulin, the lost energy finds its way into the fat cells. Treatment for hypoglycemia, if it happens frequently, can also be a source of added pounds when insulin is initiated. Additionally, since an exact replacement for physiological insulin secretion is almost impossible to duplicate, patients may often be taking slightly more insulin than needed over a 24-hour period. Normal circadian rhythm for insulin secretion surges from 4 am to about 7 am then drops, increases a bit around dinner time through 10 pm and declines to its lowest level until the early morning hours. Injected insulin is unable to mirror this profile. Finally, injected insulin follows a slightly different pathway to the cells from insulin that comes from our bodies. Insulin from our bodies is directed first to the liver but insulin that is injected travels first through the blood circulation wher Continue reading >>
What You Can Expect From Lantus® Insulin
For starters, Lantus® may give you improved blood sugar management. When you add Lantus® to your diabetes treatment plan, which can include other diabetes medicines, diet, and exercise,* you may improve your blood sugar management, helping you move towards your target blood sugar and A1C goals. *Caffeine, alcohol, medication, medication interactions, stress, lack of sleep, jetlag, allergies, illness, smoking, menstruation, altitude, as well as injection site issues including scar tissue or lipodystrophy can all affect glucose levels. Why Lantus® (insulin glargine injection) 100 Units/mL May Be the Right Choice for You Improved blood sugar management. Lantus® has been shown to lower A1C as part of an overall diabetes treatment plan, which includes diet, exercise, and other diabetes medicines. Once-a-day. One dose of Lantus® at the same time each day works all day and all night. Dial-in Dosing. With the Lantus® SoloSTAR® pen, you get the dose you dial every time, plus push-button administration. Risks of Insulin The most common side effect of insulin, including Lantus®, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious. Some people may experience symptoms such as shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Severe hypoglycemia may be serious and life-threatening. It may cause harm to your heart or brain. Other possible side effects may include swelling, weight gain, injection site reactions, and allergic reactions. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life-threatening. Other people may not experience symptoms of hypoglycemia. It is, therefore, important to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly. See Prescribing Information for complete details. Discuss this with your doctor and find out more about the benefits and risks associated with Continue reading >>
Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
Finding Your Trouble Spots You’re trying hard to lose weight. You’ve changed your eating habits, and you’ve been doing more physical activity than you used to. But a few weeks — or even a few months — have gone by, and the scale isn’t budging. “Why?!” you ask in frustration. “What am I doing wrong?!” Body weight is regulated mainly by the number of calories consumed and the number of calories burned off. But there are a number of other things that influence weight, and some of them can make it difficult to lose weight. This article explores what some of these are and how to overcome them. As you make the effort to lose weight, be sure you are aiming for a realistic body weight for you. A starting point for determining this is body-mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight. You can calculate your BMI easily with an online tool such as the one at www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi. (Note that there’s a separate BMI calculator for children and teens.) Generally, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal, between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and 30 and higher is considered obese. However, BMI tends to overestimate body fat in athletes and other muscular people and to underestimate it in older people who have lost muscle mass. There is also some evidence that the negative health effects of overweight start at a lower BMI for Asian people. Keep in mind, too, that people come in different shapes and sizes. You don’t necessarily have to be “thin” to be healthy, but losing some excess fat can improve your health in a number of ways. Talk to your health-care team about your weight-loss goals and about what a healthy weight is for you. Frequent hypoglycemia Frequent episodes of hypoglycemia, or low blood glu Continue reading >>
Maintaining Weight Loss While Taking Insulin
I may need to start taking insulin, but I've just successfully lost 60 pounds. Will insulin cause me to gain the weight back? Yes, it is possible that insulin can cause weight gain, although there are ways that you may be able to prevent it. Let me begin with a few words about the relationship between insulin and weight gain. Insulin is usually prescribed to individuals whose glucose is not controlled by oral drugs. When blood sugar goes uncontrolled, individuals often lose weight. This happens even as they take in more calories due to the increased hunger that's commonly associated with uncontrolled glucose. When someone loses weight because of uncontrolled glucose (and not because of diet and exercise) then they may gain the weight back once they begin regularly injecting insulin. This is because insulin helps the body use glucose more efficiently, so the body requires fewer calories to function. If these individuals continue to take in as many calories as they did before starting insulin, excess sugar that the body cannot burn will build up, and it will then be stored as fat. Having said this, not all types of insulin are created equal. Certain types of insulin are more likely to lead to weight gain than others: NPH insulin causes more weight gain than Lantus, for example, and Lantus causes more weight gain than Levemir. Now let's look at ways you can prevent weight gain. First, make sure you are not consuming more calories than your body requires. You should consult a registered dietitian or use a Web-based calculator to figure out how many calories you require. This number usually reflects your need based on your current weight and your activity level. Once you figure out how many calories your body needs, try to consume that much and burn the excess calories throu Continue reading >>
How To Loose Weight When On Insulin?
Diabetes Forum The Global Diabetes Community Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Join the community I have been a diabetic for 14 years now.I am type 2,I was told my pancreas failed when I went into heart failure after a virus attacked my heart when pregnant.I am on 4 x 500mg metaformin and 60 units of lantus and 3x16 units of norvorapid. I am struggling with weight gain ever since I have been put on insulin 4 years ago.I haven't actually put on any weight for 2 years but have blown up 2 dress sizes.I am the heaviest now I have ever been,even when I was 9 months pregnant I didn't weight as much as this.I am 15 stone and only 5 foot 3.I have never felt so depressed and unatractive.Following a divorce this isnt how I expected to be, as I have always watched my weight.I also have cardiomyopathy which is under control, I am on beta blockers for that,and cannot exercise excessively.How much exercise should I be doing to help and what kind?I dont seem to have much appetite since being on metaformin.I just feel bloated. :? Is it possible for people to loose weight on insulin ,reduce their size and feel less tired?Ever since I have put on this weight I have felt tired, my blood sugars are usually about 1 above what they should be when testing. Please help me sort this out, as my diabetic nurse is not much help.Every time I have gone to her she has increased my doses and I have said i am sure I should feel better when I am on the right doses, but I feel so sluggish and worn out and fat.Help! :? I manage to lose weight on insulin - I'm type 1.5. What I do is make sure my basal keeps me pretty stable during the day. Then I go for 3 short brisk walks a day as a minimum - this wakes up your muscles to better receive the insulin present. Then I reduce my carbohyd Continue reading >>
Lantus: Side Effects, Ratings, And Patient Comments
occasional fits of excessive hunger - have been prepared for this by doctor and dieticians and have a course of action planned out; have used for about 5 years; have lost about 60 lbs and then have stayed at weight; Frustrated at times with quality control of pens - some jam; others appear not to be at the same solution level - and so make sure I have back up pens ready to warm up. I have worked with dieticians to remove everything from my house that I should not eat - I know when I've comforted myself with food during stress and when not to blame the Lantus. started at 12 units x 3 days went to 13units x3 days. Stopped taking on third 13 unit day(Supposed to increase to 14units) Blood sugar persistently went up. Before taking was in 2 to 300 range when I stopped it was over 600. Sr and team still insist that plants can't increase blood sugar because it is insulin. I will not take any more. Went back to Actos. Sill having spikes over 600. I have stage 4 kidney failure and am having great difficulty finding high protein food not full of salt. Any suggestions on a good drug to use? Easily go hypoglyemic if too active, severe joint pain all over body, itching, swollen stomach & weight gain, tingling in hands and crawling sensation on skin, regular nausea and headaches,bouts of severe shakes as if I'm hypoglycemic, but #'s are normal, Severe fatigue, occasional bouts of Vertigo so severe that cannot drive a car and must lean against walls to walk around at home. I've been on it for approx. 4 years and currently injecting 80 units @ bedtime -- Do not know what I am going to about all this, but now realize from this blog that it is all related to the Lantus LA. I have days when the joint pain is so sever I can barely walk or put on or take off my jacket. I have experienced e Continue reading >>
Counseling Patients On How To Avoid Weight Gain From Insulin
A lot of people with type 2 diabetes delay going on insulin for as long as possible because they’ve heard horror stories about how much weight it can make them gain (or maybe they just don’t like shots), but people with type 1 don’t have a choice. While it is true that insulin treatment is often associated with weight gain and more frequent bouts of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), the real question is, why? Some theories to explain insulin-induced weight gain are that when using insulin, your blood sugar is (usually) better controlled and you stop losing some of your calories (as glucose in your urine when your blood sugars exceed your urinary threshold) and that you may gain weight from having to eat extra to treat any low blood sugars caused by insulin. If you’re taking oral medications to lower your blood sugar and they are not working, however, insulin may be your main option for better control. A few research studies have looked at whether weight gain is simply a result of eating more when you’re on insulin. One such study found that weight gain was not due to an increase in food intake, but rather that your body may increase its efficiency in using glucose and other fuels when your glycemic control improves — making you store more available energy from the foods you eat as fat (even if you’re eating the same amount as before you went on insulin) (1). So, what can you do to avoid weight gain if you have to take insulin? First of all, you should try to keep your insulin doses as low as possible because the more insulin you take, the greater your potential for weight gain is. The best way to keep your insulin needs in check is to engage in regular physical activity. By way of example, some people with type 2 diabetes who were studied gained weight from Continue reading >>
Lantus Insulin & Weight Gain
Lantus, or insulin glargine, is a brand of injectable insulin prescribed to treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Injectable insulin is used to replace the insulin you no longer make or to overcome your body’s resistance to your own insulin. In addition to reducing your blood glucose level, insulin exerts a variety of metabolic effects and changes the way you process energy. One of insulin’s common side effects is weight gain. Video of the Day In healthy individuals, the pancreas produces insulin in response to rising blood glucose levels. Your pancreas secretes insulin whenever you consume a meal containing carbohydrates or proteins. Insulin stimulates the cells in your muscles, liver and fat tissue to absorb glucose, which is then converted to glycogen or fat and stored for future use. Diabetics no longer make their own insulin or, in the case of type 2 diabetics, their cells are “insulin resistant” and don’t readily respond to insulin’s signals. Injectable insulin, such as Lantus, reduces blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. Insulin is a “storage” hormone. It triggers the conversion of glucose and fatty acids to glycogen and fat, which are deposited in your tissues for future use. In addition, insulin inhibits the oxidation of glucose and fatty acids and the metabolism of proteins and amino acids for energy. Thus, insulin’s net effect is to decrease your daily energy expenditure. According to Drugs.com, insulin therapy – including Lantus – often leads to an increase in total body fat as the result of “more efficient use of calories.” The intensity of insulin therapy – the frequency of administration and total dosage – influences how much weight you might gain while using Lantus or any other form of insulin. In general, higher dose Continue reading >>
Should I Switch Insulin To Lose Weight?
Have any studies been done, other than by Novo Nordisk, to prove that taking Levemir causes little if no weight gain? I have gained a lot of weight taking Lantus, and I don't know if it would be better to switch to Levemir. Lee Safian, New Milford, New Jersey Roger P. Austin, MS, RPh, CDE, responds: Insulin detemir (Levemir) and insulin glargine (Lantus) are both basal insulins. There have been a number of published studies comparing insulin detemir with other diabetes treatments. These studies were primarily funded by Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of insulin detemir. Studies in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have shown a slight weight loss or slightly less weight gain in patients on Levemir when compared to other treatment options. However, these differences were small, and whether or not some insulins are worse offenders in causing weight gain is unknown due to lack of quality data. You may find it useful to discuss a change of insulins with your physician to see what happens in your case; however, in most cases, a significant lowering of A1C will likely result in some weight gain. Weight gain with insulin use is not necessarily inevitable. The science of developing newer insulins over time has been directed at trying to better mimic the action of naturally produced insulin in the pancreas. The fewer insulin injections given per day, the less the insulin's performance will be similar to that of naturally produced insulin in the body. Understanding appropriate blood glucose targets before and after meals, as well as frequent and regular monitoring of blood glucose, is essential to successful individualization of insulin dosing and weight management. Minimizing weight gain also requires a good understanding of carb counting, practice of portion control, Continue reading >>
Weight Gain During Insulin Therapy For Type 2 Diabetes
Bergenstal RM, Kendall DM, Franz MJ, et al. Endocrinology. 4th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Company; 2001:821-835. UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group. UK prospective diabetes study 16. Overview of 6 years' therapy of type II diabetes: a progressive disease. Diabetes. 1995;44:1249-1258. Abstract Holman RR. Long-term efficacy of sulfonylureas: a United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study perspective. Metabolism. 2006;55(suppl1):S2-S5. UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group. Effect of intensive blood-glucose control with metformin on complications in overweight patients with type 2 diabetes. UKPDS 34. Lancet. 1998;352:854-865. Abstract UKPDS Study Group. Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33). Lancet. 1998;352:837-853. Abstract Carlson MG, Campbell PJ. Intensive insulin therapy and weight gain in IDDM. Diabetes.1993;42:1700-1707. Abstract Birkeland KI, Hanssen KF, Urdal P, Berg K, Valler S. A long-term, randomized, comparative study of insulin versus sulfonylurea therapy in type 2 diabetes. J Intern Med. 1994;236:305-313. Abstract Hermansen K, Davies M. Does insulin detemir have a role in reducing risk of insulin-associated weight gain. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007;8:209-217. Tuomilehto J, Lindstrom J, Eriksson JG, et al. Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by changes in lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. N Engl J Med. 2001;344:1343-1350. Abstract Anderson JW, Kendall CW, Jenkins DJ. Importance of weight management in type 2 diabetes: review with meta-analysis of clinical studies. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003;22:331-339. Abstract Calle EE, Thun MJ, Petrelli JM, Rodriguez C, Heath CW Jr. Body-mass index and mortality in a prospecti Continue reading >>
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Can’t Lose Weight? Here Are Four Reasons Why…
Spring is here and many of you are probably looking forward to wearing shorts, bathing suits, and flip-flops. And it’s often this time of year when people somewhat guiltily reflect back on their eating habits over the winter. Did you gain a few pounds? Are your spring pants or skirts feeling a little tight around the waistband? It’s actually normal to put weight on over the winter. After all, you may not have been as active as you usually are, and maybe you opted for those comfort foods over lower-calorie fare, like salads. But the time is here to shed that winter weight. It’s not always easy. And sometimes people find that despite eating fewer calories, cutting out the snacks, and stepping up the exercise, the weight is stubbornly refusing to come off — or it’s taking its own sweet time. This week, I’d like to point out some reasons why it might be harder for you to lose weight (or, why you’re gaining weight). Now, most weight gain occurs because of an imbalance between food intake and physical activity (that is to say, calories in exceed calories out). But if you’ve been struggling to drop those pounds, you might consider these possible causes: Hypothyroidism. It seems all too easy to blame your weight gain on “hormones” that are out of whack. But, as I wrote back in January, thyroid disorders are more common in people with diabetes, especially among people with Type 1 diabetes. Hypothyroidism, or too having too little thyroid hormone, can not only make you feel sluggish and tired, it can cause you to gain weight (or at least, make it hard to lose weight). Have your thyroid hormone (TSH and T4) levels checked every year. If you take thyroid medicine, take it as directed and work with your health-care provider to get your dose regulated, if needed. Continue reading >>
