As to decreasing the Lantus, I’ve gone from 28u at bedtime to 8u at
bedtime. The only difference I can see is that my morning get up numbers
are slightly higher.

I don’t take insulin and I realise that Lantus is a long acting one but
would decreasing your insulin dose help prevent lows?

Aloha, Marge

So:

5mcg = 2u
7.5mcg = 3u
10mcg = 4u

What has really confused the issue for me is the Symlin web site where
they say:

If your dose amount is: Draw up this amount in syringe:
15 micrograms 2 1/2 units
30 micrograms 5 units

45 micrograms 7 1/2 units
60 micrograms 10 units

They tell their patients to use 0.3ml (0.3cc size) to draw up and inject
Symlin.

I think the difference is in the syringes (mine are 1/2 cc) for U-100
insulin-explains the difference in numbers, right?

This is what I have figured out so far….

There are 100 units in a mL
1000 mcg’s= 1 mg

So 7.5 mcg’s = 0.0075 mgs

Wait…I just looked at your calculations below….

100 units =1 ml.

So if 250 mcgs= 1 ml then

250 mcg =100 units

So, then dividing the units into the mcg’s you would come up with how many
units in 1 mcg

250 mcg /100 units= .4 units

So there is .4 units per mcg.

Then you would multiply this by 7.5 mcg (if that was the amount of the 10
pen you wanted to take)

.4 units X 7.5 mcg = 3

7.5 mcg = 3 units.

I think. Please don’t hold me to this it has been a long time since
pharmacology class.

Could someone more recent please give us some input?

Demetria-Beth

Duh, OMG! Hey, my math was never in my brain and that’s why I’m having the
problem figuring it out. Looks like Jodi proved it out by dispensing a 10mcg
dose with the Byetta pen and then (her words) "lapping it up"
with a syringe.

Ok, the reason I’m asking. (This is not for the queasy). Since I was able to
get on Lantus I have been refilling cartridges (3ml) for my
Nova3 and Huma pens. I rinsed used Humalog and NPH cartridges with saline
and have been refilling them for as long as Lantus was available.
Now they have their own pen and cartridge so I will continue to do what I am
doing because the Lantus/Aventis pen stinks big time.

BTW, Aventis stated very clearly NOT to do what I am doing as any variation
from their instructions would make the insulin no good. Bull..
typical marketing hype. I’ve never had one problem and it has worked very
well.

So here I have with 4-10mcg Byetta pens and I need to reduce my evening shot
to 5mcg. Reason being I have had two severe lows in the last couple of
weeks. One being 28, the other 42!
The 28 really freaked me out and I was hardly to able to do anything.
Thankfully my wife reacted. It took from 11:30pm to 1:30pm to go from 28 to
142 (she wouldn’t quit until then). I had 3 glasses of OJ laced with
2-3 tablespoons of sugar, 5 glucose tabs, a gazzillion Oatmeal Raisin
cookies and I *never* went over that 142! That was a solid low for sure.

The dangerous part of it (other than the 28) is that at 11:00pm my BG was
102. at 11:30pm I was in a pool of sweat and my BG was 28. That’s a fast
drop!! Most of my problem is probably due to weight loss and that I’m as low
as I should be going (167lbs from 198).

I thought I had the mccg - unit/cc figured out at .8333u representing 5mcg.
I have taken my trusty BD 1/2cc syringes and withdrew 20 units into the
syringe. I have been injecting as close as I can to just under
1 unit as I can and I have had no problems. Yes, reusing the syringe,
nothing new for me. So according to Jodi I’ve been on the low side of the
dose which is ok with me as long as I’m not over.

I know that is says not to do that on the Byetta pen. Again, marketing hype.
IMHO if I don’t mix the Byetta with anything else, and the transfer is
sterile, I have no problem as with the Lantus. Of course if it changes
color…
I might even get frisky if things continue to go ok (been a week or so).
I may take a cartridge from my BD Mini pen and refill that with Byetta.
That does 1/2u dosing..

Spirits of Ammonia anyone??

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>>>DON’T tell me if you do reuse the needles to draw out the meds!!!!!

Not me, I really wouldn’t reuse it for that.

Lol…Dave…

Just teasing to be honest, I’ve wondered if there wasn’t some way that you
could use a syringe to take out 7.5 mcg so you could take dose of between
the 5 and the 10 pen. The 5 doesn’t seem to work as well for me, but the 10
gives me lows. The only problem is I don’t use insulin so I have no access
to needles and syringes. But for people that do….it might be a worthy
experiment. And as long as the whole procedure is sterile I see no reason
not to try it. But the important thing would be not to contaminant the
medication. Which means NO REUSING the needles!!!!!! Lol….<shudders> How
many units would the 7.5 mcg be? It’s been so long since pharmacology

class!!!!! Let me see if I can get my old brain working here and see.
DON’T tell me if you do reuse the needles to draw out the meds!!!!!

Demetria-Beth

Duh, OMG! Hey, my math was never in my brain and that’s why I’m having the
problem figuring it out. Looks like Jodi proved it out by dispensing a 10mcg
dose with the Byetta pen and then (her words) "lapping it up"
with a syringe.

Ok, the reason I’m asking. (This is not for the queasy). Since I was able to
get on Lantus I have been refilling cartridges (3ml) for my
Nova3 and Huma pens. I rinsed used Humalog and NPH cartridges with saline
and have been refilling them for as long as Lantus was available.
Now they have their own pen and cartridge so I will continue to do what I am
doing because the Lantus/Aventis pen stinks big time.

BTW, Aventis stated very clearly NOT to do what I am doing as any variation
from their instructions would make the insulin no good. Bull..
typical marketing hype. I’ve never had one problem and it has worked very
well.

So here I have with 4-10mcg Byetta pens and I need to reduce my evening shot
to 5mcg. Reason being I have had two severe lows in the last couple of
weeks. One being 28, the other 42!
The 28 really freaked me out and I was hardly to able to do anything.
Thankfully my wife reacted. It took from 11:30pm to 1:30pm to go from 28 to
142 (she wouldn’t quit until then). I had 3 glasses of OJ laced with
2-3 tablespoons of sugar, 5 glucose tabs, a gazzillion Oatmeal Raisin
cookies and I *never* went over that 142! That was a solid low for sure.

The dangerous part of it (other than the 28) is that at 11:00pm my BG was
102. at 11:30pm I was in a pool of sweat and my BG was 28. That’s a fast
drop!! Most of my problem is probably due to weight loss and that I’m as low
as I should be going (167lbs from 198).

I thought I had the mccg - unit/cc figured out at .8333u representing 5mcg.
I have taken my trusty BD 1/2cc syringes and withdrew 20 units into the
syringe. I have been injecting as close as I can to just under
1 unit as I can and I have had no problems. Yes, reusing the syringe,
nothing new for me. So according to Jodi I’ve been on the low side of the
dose which is ok with me as long as I’m not over.

I know that is says not to do that on the Byetta pen. Again, marketing hype.
IMHO if I don’t mix the Byetta with anything else, and the transfer is
sterile, I have no problem as with the Lantus. Of course if it changes
color…
I might even get frisky if things continue to go ok (been a week or so).
I may take a cartridge from my BD Mini pen and refill that with Byetta.
That does 1/2u dosing..

Spirits of Ammonia anyone??

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ok, the reason I’m asking. (This is not for the queasy). Since I was
able to get on Lantus I have been refilling cartridges (3ml) for my
Nova3 and Huma pens. I rinsed used Humalog and NPH cartridges with
saline and have been refilling them for as long as Lantus was available.
Now they have their own pen and cartridge so I will continue to do what
I am doing because the Lantus/Aventis pen stinks big time.

BTW, Aventis stated very clearly NOT to do what I am doing as any
variation from their instructions would make the insulin no good. Bull..
typical marketing hype. I’ve never had one problem and it has worked

very well.

So here I have with 4-10mcg Byetta pens and I need to reduce my evening
shot to 5mcg. Reason being I have had two severe lows in the last couple
of weeks. One being 28, the other 42!
The 28 really freaked me out and I was hardly to able to do anything.
Thankfully my wife reacted. It took from 11:30pm to 1:30pm to go from 28
to 142 (she wouldn’t quit until then). I had 3 glasses of OJ laced with
2-3 tablespoons of sugar, 5 glucose tabs, a gazzillion Oatmeal Raisin
cookies and I *never* went over that 142! That was a solid low for sure.

The dangerous part of it (other than the 28) is that at 11:00pm my BG
was 102. at 11:30pm I was in a pool of sweat and my BG was 28. That’s a
fast drop!! Most of my problem is probably due to weight loss and that
I’m as low as I should be going (167lbs from 198).

I thought I had the mccg - unit/cc figured out at .8333u representing
5mcg. I have taken my trusty BD 1/2cc syringes and withdrew 20 units
into the syringe. I have been injecting as close as I can to just under
1 unit as I can and I have had no problems. Yes, reusing the syringe,
nothing new for me. So according to Jodi I’ve been on the low side of
the dose which is ok with me as long as I’m not over.

I know that is says not to do that on the Byetta pen. Again, marketing
hype. IMHO if I don’t mix the Byetta with anything else, and the
transfer is sterile, I have no problem as with the Lantus. Of course if
it changes color…
I might even get frisky if things continue to go ok (been a week or so).
I may take a cartridge from my BD Mini pen and refill that with Byetta.
That does 1/2u dosing..

Spirits of Ammonia anyone??

On the pen it says: 60 subcutanious doses of 10mcg per pen. That’s
about 1.6u per 10mcg shot. But, it also says (quantity) 250mcg/ml, 2.4ml
on the pen. 60 x 10mcg = 600mcg???

5mcg should equal .8333333u/ml, 10mcg =1.6u/ml, 15mcg would equal 2 1/2
u/ml. Does that look right?

100u = 3ml.

Any ideas?

–
Dave - 4:21:44 PM

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Frances

Ok, that’s exactly what I’m looking for-a conversion of a 5mcg dose to
units, and also the 10mcg.

What has me really confused is the Symlin dose conversion chart
available on their web site. I think some are on Symlin here.

It says 15 micrograms = 2 1/2 units
30 micrograms = 5 units.

So, as you can see there is a difference in what you said and that’s
what I am trying to figure out. Which is correct? Say using a BD 1/2 CC
syringe.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What has me really confused is the Symlin dose conversion chart
available on their web site. I think some are on Symlin here.

It says 15 micrograms = 2 1/2 units
30 micrograms = 5 units.

So, as you can see there is a difference in what you said and that’s
what I am trying to figure out. Which is correct? Say using a BD 1/2 CC
syringe.