Thread: Why has my husband (seemingly) become resistant to his insulin?

He takes Novolog 3X a day and Lantis 1X. Up until a few days ago his blood sugar was under control, now he's waking up with very high blood sugar reading regardless of taking his insulin consistently. Has he built up some sort of tolerance to it?
I have him on a mainly protein, veggie diet and a very small amount of carbs. He had been at home recovering from surgery for about 3 mo. but his sugar was under control. He weighs 205-210 and he's 6' tall. that's hardly fat. He's a carpenter and gets a lot of exercise.
This happened all of a sudden.

too many carbs? too much body weight?

There are more variables than you mention. He needs to tell his doctor about this.

Yes, a common problem. My wife had to also go onto tablets as well as insulin.
The best cure is exercise. Long walks are good.

He might be running a low-level infection that he's unaware of. A person's insulin needs go up during times of illness, stress, and infection due to the production of stress hormones. Did he injure himself on the job? Is he having any trouble at home or work? Anything new going on that may line up with the sudden BG increases?

It's unlikely that he would've just suddenly become resistant, so I suspect it's just temporary. You may think about putting a call into his doctor to ask how to bring down his blood sugar in the meantime.

If he is insulin resistant, adding Metformin (an oral medication) can help lower his insulin needs by improving insulin sensitivity.

Also, and I have to throw this out there, but you say he's waking up with high blood sugar. Does that mean he's okay after meals with the help of the bolus (Novolog)? If so, his basal (Lantus) insulin might've gone bad, and you could try switching it out for a new vial.

Morning high blood glucose is usually due to either Morning Effect or Somogyi Phenomena. It would take a 2 am glucose reading to verify so you'll have to set an alarm clock if you don't have a continuous glucose monitor.

A diabetic should be on a healthy diet, true less carbs means less Novolog for the meals but the sum of the bolus ( Novolog ) and the basal ( Lantus ) still has to add up to the total daily dose which is based on his basic metabolic rate and activity level so the basal dose ( Lantus ) normally has to increase if you cut out the carbs. In general, 50% to 60% of his calories should be carbohydrates and there are 4 calories to every gram of carbohydrate. There are plenty of fad diets that will claim low carbs and high protein will solve the problem and they can help regulate the glucose but you shouldn't sacrifice nutrition for a fad diet.

A lot of people make the mistake that the insulin is only for the carbs they eat. The insulin is to get the glucose into the cells where they can be used for energy or stored. The Total Daily Dose is based on his metabolic rate and activity level and they try to have the basal ( Lantus ) dose as half the TDD. Reducing the carbs that he eats doesn't change the amount of energy he needs to live so the basal dose has to be increased so that the sum of the two are the same. Your Doctor will make those changes to his TDD and basal dose according to the glucose logs.

You both should attend the seminars at your local Diabetic Education Center and see a dietician about his diet.

Your husband's BMI is 28 so he is overweight.