Selecting the right insulin therapy for controlling your blood sugar levels can be a difficult task. It requires establishing and maintaining strict control over blood sugar with self-monitoring, attention to daily activities and dietary requirements and the comprehension and application of diabetes information on a daily basis. If you match these requirements, you and your physician might select Lantus, insulin glargine, as the best insulin therapy for you.
Natural Insulin Action
Glucose, your primary energy fuel, comes from the breakdown of food into sugar. The pancreas gland produces a hormone, insulin, which is secreted by its "beta" cells and acts on cell walls to open them up for glucose to enter. Blood sugar decreases as glucose enters the cells. If your pancreas can't produce enough insulin to enable this process, your requirements can be met with prescription insulin.
Lantus Administration
Lantus, a long-acting insulin, was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration for once-daily administration at bedtime. With further testing, bedtime dosing was expanded to once a day at any time, with the stipulation that dosing must be at the same time every day. Lantus provides continuous insulin coverage for 24 hours, so administering it at the same time every day avoids over-medicating and other health risks.
Dosing Determination
Lantus is effective blood glucose control for type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes in adults and children, and type 2 or non-insulin-dependent diabetic adults. Dosing is individualized with type 1 diabetics, with the patient's previous insulin dosages used as a starting point for calibration. Type 2 diabetic dosing frequently starts with a standard 10-unit subcutaneous injection, with dosage adjustments based on the blood glucose response.
Precautions
Blood glucose self-monitoring must continue despite Lantus injections. The 24-hour action of Lantus depends on injection into subcutaneous tissue and is not approved for other routes. The effect of Lantus can be altered with illness, strenuous exercise and emotional stress. Lantus, always clear and colorless, must not be mixed with other insulins or diluted. Low blood sugar, the most frequent side effect, can be prevented by following your physician's instructions.
Clarification of Dosing Time
Confusion concerning the best dosing time for Lantus stems from the original U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in April 2000, indicated by Doctors Guide. In the initial trials and testing, Lantus was administered at bedtime, hence the designation of evening or bedtime as the right time. Further testing with varying but consistent day-to-day times determined no alterations in its effectiveness as long as it is given at the same time daily.
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