Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
Sarah and her husband live in NYC with their cat Gracie. In her spare time, she enjoys doing comedy, taking dance classes, visiting art museums, and exploring different neighborhoods in NYC.
I thought I had insulin resistance and was even told I did and then told that wasn’t a real thing. So, I’ve always been confused about this concept of insulin resistance. However, now that I am on a closed loop system any “resistance” has gone away and I am using less insulin than ever before.
I’m pretty sure I only had insulin resistance when I was pregnant. I might’ve had a little when I was at a heavier weight too.
I find it difficult to determine if it is insulin resistance or infusion set problems or stress or activity type/level or many other possible factors. I make adjustments depending on my blood glucose readings.
Me too! I was taking triple the amount of insulin I usually take by the end of my pregnancies. Something about the placenta growing and making more hormones causes insulin resistance. But, as soon as I delivered my babies, it went back to normal.
A million years ago when I was on MDI and struggling to manage dawn phenomenon I was told I had developed insulin resistance along with my Type 1 and was put on Metformin. When I got a pump, DP was no longer an issue and I’m not sure whether or to what extent “resistance” was a cause, but my endo recommended I keep using it since it doesn’t hurt and can help. I also do a decent amount of aerobic exercise (bike, ~30mi/week) which is supposed to be good for that and is a good thing anyway.
Because of insulin resistance, I gained about 80+ lbs and was using between 120-140 units per day. After adding 3 T2 drugs, I’m 70+ lbs lighter and use between 24-40 units per day. I wish I was more aggressive at treating it earlier b/c that weight gain had a huge toll on my overall health.
Wow, that is great!
I’ll become insulin resistant if I eat more protein than I need for the day – it shows up at night. A sustained rise in BG than just won’t come down with any correction or increased basal rate, all night long.
T2 was added to my dx many years ago. My bg was really stabilized with a T2 med but FDA withdrew approval. Now I take so many meds I do not wish to add another. Plus I do not know if Medicare recognizes a dx of T1 with T2 as well.
I was told by one doctor that I had insulin resistance and was put on Metformin. I could never see that it helped. The next endocrinologist took me off immediately saying it was only for Type 2’s. I think I have to use more insulin to adjust for it.
Metformin can work sucessfully in some Type 1s. You just must not need to take it. I have a friend who is on it and it really makes a difference for her.
I am unsure to what extent I have insulin resistance since I’ve been unable to isolate the causes for occasional non-response (hour or two delays, actually) to insulin for blood sugar highs AND (also occasional and seemingly random) non response or very delayed response to carbs for low blood sugars.
I generally have very good control and think data shows my basals to be correct (I flatline most nights) so it could be glycemic, but I’m perplexed when these high/low anomalies happen. Usually revert to extra exercise to reduce highs and high carbs to treat low…which then put me on that annoying “roller coaster.”
I generally do not but various medications I have taken for my MS has caused it. I had to switch one of my meds and have had to discontinue altogether another
No I generally do not have insulin resistance unless I eat a high fat high protein meal. Then I have to adjust even though I have eaten very few carbs.
Worsening resistance late in my 2nd trimester of pregnancy, so I adjust my insulin doses weekly (if not more often). After baby is born it corrects almost instantly!
I was type 1 for more than 50 years (1945-1996) without being overweight. Then I stopped using animal insulin and started using Humalog. I gained 42 pounds while using Humalog, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance (IR) in 1998. I uses Avandia, and then Metformin to stop the weight gain, I lost all the weight I had gained but I am still using Metformin (1000 mg per day).
I have/had 4 relatives with type 2. Maybe I had the type 2 gene, and the weight gain triggered the IR.
Many type 1 people have been diagnosed with IR. That does not make us type 2. We are type 1 with a type 2 characteristic.
In general I do not, but as I’ve grown older I have found that in the am post waking and post dinner there is more insulin resistance.
Yes, post dinner is always a challenge for me!
I have different times of insulin resistance, particularly in the mornings and if I don’t exercise. I also have a gradual rise of resistance through the menstrual cycle until actual menses, then the process starts over again.
I walk 3+ miles every morning, if I have to miss, my BG sure lets me know by going up, up, up!
Been type 1 for 19 years & in the last year re – diagnosed as a type 2
Now taking 1500 mg 0f Metformin to supplement the Humalog
Has reduced the insulin resistance also take Tresiba nighttime
Good to see comments of other “insulin resistant “ Diabetics
Thanks for T-1D
Jim Zellerhoff
WA State resident
I’m not sure if it’s insulin resistance or not. When I go higher (sometimes despite Loops attempts to use autobolous’) due to eating and mis-judging the required insulin, once I break about 170-180 it seems to take significantly more insulin to start and continue that downward journey. Often times, significantly more than my tested CF (correction factor) would indicate. Even then, sometimes it will start (10-15 points), then level off yet again. If I’m not bold/insistent, I can gradually drop down over several hours. This most often happens in the evening, resulting in me using a treadmill or stairs to exercise and force it down; sometimes I think the insulin “get’s stuck” in the interstitial tissue and the exercise “breaks it out” into my system because I’ll drop very quickly.
Insulin resistance sporadically appears and has gotten worse with age, for me. Lack of exercise can bring it on. The larger my carb intake, the more insulin per carb I need to take, and the longer time and higher amount it takes to reduce highs. It is harder to get out of periods of poor control.
One technique I have been using when I have found my basal rate needing to be raised is to fast for a full day. This will usually return me to normal needs. And, I suspect, just like poor control makes the issue worse, good control makes it better — unfortunately, that good control can be very hard to achieve under the circumstances.
My experience with insulins is that Humalog, in the 90s, took affect at first so amazingly quickly, for me, but noticeable activation got slower as time went on. Don’t think I ever got as startlingly a difference with changes to the other faster-actings, but in each case it was faster at first and gradually became like the old one. I wonder if this is related.
I use Acarbose, Metformin and Jardiance to help offset my insulin resistance. The drugs help lower my insulin requirements by about 20% per day.
I am knocking on the door of half century age and have noticed in the last few years that my insulin resistance is more pronounced. I have noticed that foods I had exact calculations for insulin are no longer valid and my BG response fluctuates quite a bit. I have tried rotating pod sites more frequently and I have also tried newer insulin, faster acting. It is a challenge and it seems like my pump can’t keep up so I find myself manually giving myself more insulin when the auto-adjustments are not working. Now… I will say this… it seems like foods have changed also. I have noticed at times the carbohydrates listed on the packaging don’t seem quite right based on how my BG levels respond. It is a rollercoaster but I need a good control to truly measure if it’s just my insulin resistance or if there is also some variation or not full accuracy in the carbs listed with respect to food nutrition information.
Technology catching up with the disease but it is still is out of body chemistry that a rocket scientist needs to figure out
After losing over 100 lbs I no longer an insulin resistant
I have something called Anti Insulin Antibodies. This is where my antibodies attack the injected insulin holding it hostage for several hours then gives up and releases it back into my system. If I inject an excess amount of insulin to cover meals or even a high, it will cause my bgs to rise, then 5-6 hrs later I will drop back down suddenly.
You may want to check into how long insulin stays in your system. For me is is about 5 hours. I rarely see it work in a 2 hour span (the short acting) unless I am exercising or dancing.
JEN FARLEY
I have been a diabetic for well over 61 years and retired from health care. It’s not my Insulin life time. That is the typical 5 hrs. This is quite different. I could awaken at 140, higher than I’d want to be, and if I bolus my without eating anything and my bg will go up to around 180. Not many diabetic suffer from Anti Insulin Antibodies and it is NOT insulin resistance.
I’ve been type one diabetic for 61 years I answered no but after reading everyone’s comments I have my doubts. I am fine until I eat then I’m either too low or too high can’t get it down not quite sure I always calculate appropriately but I swear it doesn’t work all the time. My basal insulin is at 9.5 units per day which is great but as soon as I eat everything goes haywire I have an appointment with the Endo next week to figure out some new ratios and go over these issues I know technology is catching up with the disease but I still feel like you must be a rocket scientist to figure things out at times. Best to all of you/us
I have more than resistance to insulin. I was told my body totally rejects insulin and refuses to absorb it.
My Endo suggested I might have Insulin Resistance and prescribed Ozempic for me to try. I have lost over 50 lbs in a year and my insulin needs have been significantly reduced. I feel so much better. I’ve been a T1D for 38 years.
Yes, I have insulin resistance. Have used Victoza in the past. Increasing my exercise has help with it, but still have issues. Diabetes in and of itself is constantly a work in progress.
I don’t have insulin resistance, but I wonder about all the variables impacting us.
I need more insulin while using birth control. I just tried them again for one month and my insulin needs increased by 30% the day after starting. (I never understood why my insulin needs decreased after stopping them the first time as it took quite a few to kick in)
I was having problems with insulin resistance until I started to lose weight. Now I am at a weight where it is a touch and go. Biggest problem is not noticing my low’s are coming. Been working on that but not a fan of high blood sugars so I can feel the lows. I see my endocrinologist once a month so we are working on it all. Insulin resistance, not feeling the lows, and everything in between seems to be an issue. Will never gain weight again!!!
I am overweight but working on it. Even at my highest weight I wasn’t really insulin resistant. Sure, I took more insulin but I also was eating a lot more and it was usually junk food carbs. Last year my endo even said, sounding very surprised, “Except for the usual morning, you don’t seem to have insulin resistance”. I have the morning “feet on the floor” BG rise and it can take a couple of hours to get it back down. I no longer eat breakfast due to that. My normal TDD in my pump is around 25 units.
While I do not have insulin resistance at present, in the past ox and pig insulin stopped working on me. I am certainly grateful for recombinant.
The challenges of menopause and hormonal fluctuations makes me more insulin resistant at various times throughout my cycle.
I was diagnosed with LADA 2.5 years ago. My insulin resistance changes during the day. I am most resistant in the morning, which makes sense because cortisol levels are higher in the morning. By mid-afternoon, my body acts as if I have no resistance and and making insulin on my own in response to blood glucose levels. Yes, I adjust what I eat and my insulin doses accordingly.
I need less insulin and lispro insulin works faster if I exercises regularly. Even the long actin insulin doses need to be reduced.
My insulin resistance has reduced since the time when I decided to control my blood sugar levels better.
My endo has not diagnosed me with insulin resistance. However, I am very Type-A, so high adrenaline and cortisol levels are a normal part of my day. During stress, my BG rises and a normal correction bolus often is very slow to bring it down. Once the stress levels go down, the insulin resistance seems to go away