Have type 1 diabetes and wondering why my insulin dose is so small?

Question

Im on ONE THIRD of the insulin i should be and am losing muscle weight with fairly unpredictable glucose levels. Anyone with the same problem?

Answer 1

your insulin tolerance is still low, which is wonderful, i'm guessing you haven't had it for very long. ask your doctor, he will be able to tell you exactly why your insulin dose is what it is. mine has slowly gone up over the years, which mean my i'm becoming resistant to the insulin. when i get pregnant, i have to take twice as much as i do when i'm not pregnant! good luck, and take care of yourself!

Answer 2

If you have the means, get an insulin pump. It's much easier to control your glucose levels and you can make almost immediate adjustments since you're only dealing with fast acting insulins. You should see your doctor asap. I don't know how you came up with the one third you should be using. There are a lot of variables involved. But if you're honeymooning....as in your pancreas is still putting out insulin, that would mean you would need less insulin. If your doses were set while in this phase you'll need adjustments until your pancreas is done. Even then there are things that can change it. You should be in touch with your doctor a lot. and if you're not seeing a specialist, an endocrinologist that specializes in diabetes, you need to see one ASAP! your family physician is not the one to be treating you.

Answer 3

If you are losing muscle mass, something is still not right. Typically, a diabetic (mostly type I) will lose muscle mass when the glucose readings are high. Since the fuel/glucose in the bloodstream is not being converted to stored energy, the metabolism eats away at the existing fat and muscle for fuel. However, you shouldn't be soliciting for advice on such a potentially risky medical matter on a message board of strangers. You should see an endo, internal medicine specialist, or certified diabetes educator as soon as possible.

Answer 4

Who says that your insulin dose is one third that it should be?

Your doctor should be the one to determine this until such time that you are confident in your abilities to determine it for yourself.

I agree with Joe D. You really shouldn't be asking medical type questions of people who don't know you, and who you don't know, particularly with something as serious as diabetes.

It is quite possible that you are insulin sensitive, meaning that too much would cause you serious problems with hypoglycaemic (hypoglycemic for my American cousins) attacks.

Unfortunately, with some diabetics (who used to be termed brittle diabetics many years ago) it can be difficult to adjust the insulin levels to the correct dosage without administering too much.

The most likely reason for your muscle loss is because of your "unpredictable glucose levels". This can be rectified once the correct dosage is ascertained, but I warn you now not to expect overnight changes. In fact, because your sugar levels are not yet under control, you should speak to your doctor if you notice anything else out of the ordinary as you are more likely to develop any of a number of complications. Believe me, you don't want them.

Best of luck.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

If you are losing muscle mass with your current insulin dosage it could mean that your dosage is too low. You should test your urine for the presence of ketones, if you haven't already.

Answer 7

try a second opinion

Answer 8

try a different doctor then