How low can I go
I really do like Symlin - and I've had a lot of success with using it at breakfast time.When I last saw my endo (still waiting on the A1C from that) we talked about my trying Symlin in the evenings also. That's the time I'm most likely to eat too much.
So this evening I did use Symlin. And here I am now writing some 30 minutes after climbing up out of a low 38 mg/dL. I so hate when that happens. With the insulin on board from my square wave with dinner, I'll have to watch things for another 2 hours or so.
I think I'll have to ease into Symlin with dinner. It's going to take some getting used to.
Disclosure: I have owned shares in Amylin, makers of Symlin, in the recent past. And I'll probably buy them again at some stage in the future. So don't make any financial decisions based on what I say here.
posted by Bernard @ 8:04 PM
9 Comments:
Bernhard - I am sorry that it has to be so hard! It is so dam impossible to balance all the parts of this disease! We CAN go lower - but I don't recommend it.
Scary man.
We have so much to learn about this relatively new tool. Sometimes that path of learning puts us in some pretty uncomfortable spots.
Glad you are Ok!
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Bernard,
for some reason I keep missing your posts! Do you have a diabetes blog headline come up when you post? I really need to set up bloglines or something.
As for the symlin and lows, symlin and lows was the reason I stopped using symlin after around 11 months of trying. I never could get my dinner to work, never got my lunch just right, and breakfast was a breeze with only an occasional low. The problem was that symlin really exacerbated my hypo unawareness because I dropped SO fast. I had some pretty scary 20's and 30's with symlin. I can honestly say I have not had one 20 or 30 blood sugar since stopping (stopped in November) and I have had only a couple 40's. Before I used to have a 30 blood sugar at least once a week. Ick. I hope you can work it out, it was too many problems for me.
What exactly is Symlin supposed to do? I've heard of people using it here and there but never got a grasp on why...
Erica
Symlin is an injectable hormone that slows down how food is digested. So when I take a meal I can inject Symlin 5-10 minutes before I eat and then only use a square wave bolus (spread over about 2 hours) to compensate for the carbs.
One big problem with Symlin is that it can slow down the food absorption so much that you get a really bad low. Recovering from these is also hard because any carbs you drink are also slowed down. I've found that only glucose tabs work well. I need to chew those up in my mouth so I get some absorption of the glucose through my mouth.
The maker has a web site at http://www.symlin.com/. If it works for you it's great, but the lows are horrible.
wish we could have symlin in england. that would help me alot.
So, my endo just gave me a free trial of Symlin.
Got any user advice or tips that worked for you? Do you square wave bolus with it because that makes it work better or is that just your preference?
I am excited to try it but a little nervous about the lows.
saraknic@sbcglobal.net
Bernard, I have had similar experiences as you and Sarah with Symlin, with regard to hypos. For the first time EVER in my 18+ years with type 1, I had to be admitted to the ER because I couldn't get my BG up. I had taken my breakfast insulin, symlin, and ate my breakfast. But then I got nauseated (I think, from the Symlin) and threw up and thus had no food for the insulin. I hadn't thrown up before then since age 8, and I hadn't felt that nauseated from Symlin before. Even though I subsequently force-fed myself 100 g of caro syrup (to cover my 40 g breakfast), nothing was getting digested. Anyway, I think I will still try to use it for lunch, but will stick with the half-dose (30ug) for now...
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