Right now, I'm on 27 units of Lantus in the morning and 16 units at night. I have never been on so much insulin in my entire life. Even with that much insulin, my averages are still in the 170 to 180 range. And I feel like every week, I'm gaining another pound between the insulin and the food it makes me crave or the new inevitable lows.

I'm pretty sure that going off the Accutane will call for less insulin, although I have no idea how much longer it might take for that to be the case. I have 30 days left on the actual drug, but it's the kind of prescription that builds up in your system so it stays in your system for awhile after. I'm grateful for what it's done for my skin and my self esteem (although I'm still working on the scarring and discoloration), but I wish that there was an easier answer to these insulin needs.

My blood sugars show that more often than not, my post-prandial numbers are high. Which means that my carb ratio is off. Or I'm misjudging most meals. I don't think it's the latter as I'm pretty good about knowing carb counts (although there are times I cut down what I know I should give for multiple reasons). I need to force myself to connect to my pump and work out my insulin to carb ratio, but I just haven't done it yet.

Lantus seems to do okay as my background/basal insulin. It keeps me on a much more even level than the pump ever did. Informal basal testing shows I run anywhere from 130 to 180 (depending on time of the month, exercise, etc) consistently throughout the day. I like that about Lantus. A lot.

It's mostly consistent in a disease that usually never is. Different factors affect it, but it's still something that I can typically predict if I really set my mind to it. Like I know that it peaks 4 to 6 hours for me. That kind of dependence is vital for me.

But I'm wondering if another long acting insulin might work better for me. Mostly, I'm wondering if another one might stop the hunger that I experience or the weight gain that seems to correlate with higher insulin doses. Levemir is quoted to be similar to Lantus but shows less weight gain (from a basic internet search).

Levemir is also said to have a shorter life span though and be less dependable. So I'm not sure what the trade off might be. And of course, no one can say what Levemir might do for me personally unless I try it.

It just seems like what I read about Lantus is similar to my situation. I am usually hungry, except for specific times of the month where hormones affect my appetite. I typically don't feel full. And I generally just eat large portions. None of that is definitely Lantus, but it could be.

And it sure would be nice to not be hungry all day long or need five meals to stop my stomach from growling.

So I'm curious if anyone out there has tried Levemir (I know it's less popular here in the States) and especially if you've tried both Lantus and Levemir. Any reactions are welcome. And of course, I'm taking them in stride since every diabetic is an individual.