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Suggest Alternative Medication For Lantus

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Posted on Thu, 19 Apr 2018
Question: I am currently taking 55 units of lantus daily. I no longer have insurance and need to change to something cheap like humulin U. what should my dosage be to start out. I know I will need to monitor my blood sugar and make adjustments.
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Answered by Dr. Mirjeta Guni (30 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
About switching from lantus to NPH;

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for asking!

The dose of lantus you are taking actually is high and will be difficult to have normal blood sugars with humulin.

If the fasting glucose level is normal with 55 UI lantus, you will need to convert it unit per unit but divide the dose twice daily (50-50 or 70% in the morning and 30% in the evening) depending on the blood sugar.

You should know that the risk for hypoglycemia is higher with Humulin N compared to lantus.

Regards,
Dr.Mirjeta
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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Answered by
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Dr. Mirjeta Guni

Endocrinologist

Practicing since :2006

Answered : 2414 Questions

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Suggest Alternative Medication For Lantus

Brief Answer: About switching from lantus to NPH; Detailed Answer: Hello and thank you for asking! The dose of lantus you are taking actually is high and will be difficult to have normal blood sugars with humulin. If the fasting glucose level is normal with 55 UI lantus, you will need to convert it unit per unit but divide the dose twice daily (50-50 or 70% in the morning and 30% in the evening) depending on the blood sugar. You should know that the risk for hypoglycemia is higher with Humulin N compared to lantus. Regards, Dr.Mirjeta