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Have you ever accidentally given yourself an injection of rapid-acting insulin instead of a long-acting insulin (or vice versa)? Share in the comments how you handled this situation.
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I watched my blood sugar closely and responded accordingly.
Luckily I always split my long acting 1/2 in am and 1/2 in pm so I only injected 5 units. Lots of glucose tabs did the trick. Scared me though
I answered “No” because I don’t remember ever doing so accidentally, but having T1D for over 50 years, it does seem possible! I do know I did so on purpose a couple of times. I decided to stay over at a friend’s house and did not have my long-acting insulin with me. So, I took a small dose (2 or 3 units) of regular every few hours throughout the night. Doing so accidentally though, has never occurred to the best of my recollection!
I remember injecting 10 units of Humalog instead of Lantus one time and never made that mistake again. As best as I can remember I drank juice and ate cookies and sat still until things were stable again.
Yes, only once in 44 years!
I’ve probably injected myself with short-acting instead of long-acting insulin maybe twice in my life as a diabetic for the last 50 years. I believe I just guzzled juice to bring up the sugar level before my level dropped as I had realized my mistake as soon as I had given myself the insulin.
Once and it was 22 years ago. My insulin pen jamm ed so I thought I didn’t get much if any. So I gave myself another near full dose. This was before CGMs and the low happened during the night. Had to call an ambulance because it happened to be my husband 30th birthday and he couldn’t figure out the Glucagon kit. All is well and he is now a pro. He only has need it once since then though.
Way back when I was first getting a handle on this whole thing I accidentally gave myself short-acting instead of long-acting. I’ve always had hypoglycemia unawareness and this was no exception. I didn’t realize anything was wrong until letters and words stopped looking like letters and words (I don’t know how else to describe it). Confusion started setting in and I realized something was off. I tested my BG and was around 30. I completely panicked and just started devouring half of an ice cream cake I happened to have in the freezer. I was terrified.
This was before I had a CGM and boy was it a wake-up call.
Early in my diagnosis, still MDI, one morning I used the Novolog pen instead of the Levemir pen. 7 units! I eat low carb, so that was an enormous, accidental bolus for me. So I figured out how many carbs that would cover and ate that many, in the form of typical frozen waffles and a tad of real maple syrup. It was such a roller coaster for hours, though. I just don’t tolerate that many carbs in one meal.
Once in my MDI days, but I haven’t used long-acting Insulin since June 2003.
I used to take 14 units Lantus in the evening and another 12 units Lantus in the morning and one night I grabbed the wrong vial and didn’t notice until after I had already injected 14 units of Humalog into myself. That was during a short time when I was working day shift and that night I ended up staying awake and eating frequently but still made it to work on time the following morning.
And I lived alone from 1997 until 2018 so if I wouldn’t have been able to stay awake to self-treat, maybe I’d have gotten my T1D permanently cured. After all, how many corpses do you know of that still suffer with any form of Diabetes???
It was shortly after I started insulin, and luckily I was so sensitive that I only needed 4 units of glargine. When I realized I had taken 4 units of novolog instead, I just had a big bowl of cereal – yummy!
It has been many years since I have taken NPH, a long lasting insulin. I sure I might have mixed them up over the years but don’t remember. However, I have, on several occasions, thought I put in the decimal point on my bolus, but did not. Instead of taking .5 units, I took 5. It required lots of extra eating carbs and drinking juices.
I clicked on unsure. I have been pumping for 20 years and Don’t remember if I had switched Regualr and NPH.
I think if you do this, you’ll never do it again. I give myself 10 units of basal insulin in the morning. One morning, half asleep, I gave myself 10 units of fast-acting insulin (I rarely give myself more that 2-3 units/meal). As soon as I injected it, I realized what I had done. I started drinking juices, glucose shots, candy as fast as I could. I’m a fitness instructor and had a class to teach. When I arrived, I chugged down two cans of soda. I managed to get my blood sugar to 70 with the arrow going up so I was able to teach my class. The sad part was that I didn’t get to enjoy eating all the sugar as I was scarfing it down as quickly as possible 😉
Took glucose tablets to remedy the
Low blood sugar
Jim Zellerhoff
Back when I was on MDI and still working (pre-1994), I was on a business trip to Washington DC and had arrived in my hotel after a grueling travel day. This was before I began using either an insulin pump or CGM. At that time I was taking 2 shots of Lantus, a larger one in the morning and a smaller one at bedtime while using NovoLog for bolus insulin. Instead of taking my usual night-time Lantus dose, I’d used my NovoLog instead and realized it as soon as I’d injected it. I phoned my endo’s emergency number and they advised me to set an alarm each hour during the night to test my glucose levels and take a fast-acting glucose source as indicated. I survived and went to my meetings the next day.
update…maybe it was NPH instead of Lantus….I don’t think Lantus was out when I had my only episode like this.
Yes. I accidentally gave myself 10 units of Novolog when I was supposed to take my bedtime dose of 10 units Lantus! Doh! I usually store them in different places to prevent this — but I was just in autopilot and not paying attention. Fortunately, I had Gvoke pre-filled syringe glucagon and gave myself a dose. This was super helpful — I still had to eat some cereal to soak up the 10 units of Novolog but the glucagon helped a lot!
No, On a pump.
I never had a chance to make that mistake because I only had NPH in the house during the single year I used injections rather than a pump. I did end up with way too much insulin once-maybe double bolused? All I remember is eating jelly beans by the fistful until I saw the arrow start to point up.
I woke up already low and grabbed the wrong pen and gave myself 17 units of Fiasp. As soon as I was done I knew what I did and thought, you just killed yourself. I started drinking Mexican coke and probably drank about 4 bottles just to keep me around 70. Finally around 2 in the afternoon did it start to be normal.
Many years ago, a young new nurse in the hospital did. She remained at my bedside for hours.
I’d been dx’d T1 for about two months, had been thinking that day I was “mastering” the dosing thing pretty well. That night, took 11 units of Novolog (blue pen) vice Lantus (grey pen). Just I finished the “plunger”, realized what I’d done, uttered a few expletives, then “Well, honey, I’ll be up for a while eating everything in the refrigerator!” After that, the Novolog wasn’t allowed in the bedroom!”
Not sure how you can “accidentally” give yourself an overdose of insulin……..
Partricia Kilwein–I don’t know which quote is better, but I will start with G.K. Chesterton, to wit:
“It is human to err; and the only final and deadly error, among all our errors, is denying that we have ever erred.”
And conclude with Theodore Roosevelt, to wit:
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat; who strives valiantly; who errs and may fall again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming. “
Hi Patricia –
Oh, it’s quite possible!! Happened to me because I was probably trying to do 100 things at once and/or had something BIG on my mind!
Especially back in the days when insulins were mixed by pulling insulin from the NPH and then the regular vials, it can just happen in a split second of distraction.
Not exactly mixing up long and short term. But, I was on a DIY Loop program and accidentally gave myself 8 units, instead of 0.8. Glucagon to the rescue!
I did this twice because I grabbed the wrong insulin vial by mistake. This was preCGM days so I woke up in a sweat, very confused by the low blood sugar. Though I had trouble thinking I knew I was to eat. The first time it happened my husband found me in the middle of the night staring into the refrigerator. He gave me juice. The second time I was away taking care of my mom post surgery. I somehow knew to eat and I found an apple in my tote bag. I did have glucotabs with me on the nightstand but I couldn’t think of that. I am very lucky and praise God for modern technology!
Many years ago before I started pumping I was hospitalized for hyperglycemia and a nurse accidentally gave me too much fast acting insulin and I wound up in a coma for about 2 weeks. Thankfully I survived. After that, any time I was hospitalized I wouldn’t let anybody inject me with insulin I demanded that I filled up the syringe on my own. Since I’ve been pumping I have not be hospitalized because of diabetes.
That is awful!🙁
Once. Now I wrap a small rubberband around the handle portion of the fast acting. When I see it/feel it I pause to check.
I’s been over 25 years since I left MDI and went to Pump only and I’ve don’t even remember ever mistaking them up
It was over 20 years ago when I was still on MDI. Took regular insulin at bedtime instead of NPH. Ate enough carbs to cover it, but still rode out a low for several hours drinking sugar water and testing glucose often.
Pumping took away this issue.
No, but full disclosure, my son was diagnosed at 18 months, and started pumping at 20 months. We had a half u pen for fast acting and vial/syringe for Lantus. It would have been pretty difficult to mix up as I kept the pen by the food scale and vial and syringe/Lantus in a different spot.
I just kept a eye on my blood sugar and called my endocrinologist right away to let her know and how to handle the situation. It usually was just keeping a eye on my blood sugar
I have accidentally injected rapid-action insulin instead of long-acting. I ate a bit more and closely watched my glucose levels. I also took the intended long-acting insulin.
Yes and closest to death I’ve ever come with a low.
I gave myself 12 units of regular I think it was, instead of the long acting available in ‘93 before Lantus (NPH?). I was new to diabetes. Luckily I was at a hotel and about to eat breakfast, so I could cover it. I was in a honeymoon at the time and may have needed only 3 units of regular. I also had 2 cousins with T1D at the hotel who could be of help to me. Their eyes got big when they understood what had happened. Their advice was to go for the buffet and enjoy:)
I have done this to myself 3-4 times all at bedtime. Having experienced very low sugars the first time, I learned to start eating high sugar carbs to boost up my sugar level so more prepared to handle the low sugar ride on the express elevator downward. First couple of times it was pretty scary but made it thru. Now its just an irritation to have to deal with it.
I have a diabetic dog and twice I have accidentally taken her 70/30 insulin.
Oh, goodness!
The opposite happened for me… my pump died an ignominious death on a holiday weekend and I needed a long-term insulin right away. I took my cat’s Lantus to tide me over until I could get a new pump!
I’m glad you made it through the 70/30 mix-up!!! 🙂
I only noticed it because the clicks sound different on the delivery between my Novalog and Toujeo pens. Good job pen manufacturers. Immediately started eating ice cream, candy, orange juice, glucose tabs, etc. I then sat down for about an hour to avoid any activity that would burn sugars all the while checking my CGM and Fingersticks. I had to go to work, 15 minute commute, so I notified my supervisor of my error and he said do what you need to do. Small spike but didn’t do anything strenuous until I felt the inpending storm was behind me.
Yes, but not since went on A pump 30 years ago.
140g+ to stabilize, real hard, I get sick of eating the same thing on and on.
Always been my biggest fear so the bathroom is the only room where long acting is kept and taken. Short acting never goes in that room. Also the pens are different enough and go in different body parts that when I’m on traveling it would be really hard to not notice
No, but when I was pregnant I accidently too two evening injections. I ended up spending the night in the ED with an IV and glucose drip.
I did this twice about 2002 to 2007. My program then was to inject Lantus once a day for 24 hour coverage and then fast acting insulin for each meal. On two different occasions a grabbed the bottle for the fast acting insulin and injected enough units to cover the next 24 hour period, about 20 units with no food. When my BG dropped quickly, I discovered the error I started drinking fruit juice and testing with my meter about every 20 minutes over the next 3 hours until it all leveled out.
NO !! Not in 70 years of T1D !!! And back in the early years I mixed long and short insulins a lot !!! Am now 90 plus years OLD and been on 70/30’s for long time but have AMD and hard to read Syringe or Pen.
Decades ago…
I was a teenager and distracted by who-knows-what. It was dinnertime and I gave myself my morning dose number, but used only my meal dose type of insulin.
So, 3 or 4 or 5 units of regular became 50+-ish units of regular. (50+-ish morning included NPH and reg. I was also on twice as much insulin as my body needed, so ’twas not a good situation all around.)
My Mom took me to the ER and they dripped glucose into me for awhile.
I’m pretty sure I _almost_ did this again later on in life… again, distracted by life. But, this second time I caught it before injecting.
The first good thing was that I realized I had done this. It was at bedtime which was stressful. I stayed up most of the night, eating and juicing, testing, testing. when I did go to bed I was riding comfortably very high. I set my alarm for 2 hour intervals. Quite exhausting business. This predated the CGM and pump with Control IQ.
After being a diabetic for 40 years, you learn not to make that mistake.
I take the long-acting insulin and eat to cover the rapid-acting insulin.
It was many years ago – before the pump – that I did this. I called my doctor on a Saturday night, and he advised me on how to handle it.
And how was that?
Scared the crud out of me! But problem solved with having inhaled insulin for bolus and pen for basal.
Man, this new insulin technology really is amazing! I do not miss wearing my pump.
I have done it maybe 3 times since becoming a T1D in 2018 yet have been very vigilant and make sure I am aware of which pen I’m injecting. When I gave myself too much fast acting insukin I had to make sure to check glucose constantly throughout the day while consuming carbs to keep blood glucose levels up. It’s like having a low throughout the day for several hours. With years you become more experienced.
I’ve done it twice. I’ve historically taken my long-acting dose in the evening. Both times it happened, I stayed up, checking my blood sugar every 30 minutes and snacking as necessary. Once my blood sugar started to rise I let myself go to bed. Both times my blood sugar was high when I woke up, so I spent the next day addressing that.
At my next CDE appointment, after the 2nd one, she told me that I could have used half of my injectable glucagon instead of staying up all night.
Oh, I also started putting a rubber band around my lantus bottle so it would feel different from my humalog bottle, to help signal to my brain that I may or may not be holding the wrong one.