Diabetes Information for Caregivers
Diabetes success is about more than making healthy lifestyle choices and medication. It’s about support.
Friends and family of people with diabetes can be a very important part of managing the disease.
Caregivers can help, encourage, and educate. And that can make living with diabetes
easier for those who have it.
If you find yourself caring for a person with diabetes, here is some information
that can help.
Encourage doctor visits
Frequent doctor’s appointments are so important. It can
be difficult to get in the habit of making (and keeping) visits to a doctor, a certified
diabetes educator, or a dietician. Caregivers should remind their friends and family
with diabetes to check in with their diabetes team on a regular basis.
Make mealtimes easy
Many people with diabetes have to monitor what food they eat. This sometimes means
cutting back on the amount of sugar they eat. By keeping a healthy kitchen full
of vegetables and whole grains, you can not only help someone with diabetes—you
can help the whole household eat healthier.
Set up a routine
One of the most important things about starting long-acting insulin is routine—making
sure insulin is taken at the same time every day. It also means following a diet
and exercise plan that the doctor recommends. It can be difficult for people with
diabetes to remember everything they need to do. When caregivers can help set up
and maintain a diabetes management routine, it makes staying on track that much easier.
Prescription LANTUS® is a long-acting insulin used to treat adults with type
2 diabetes and adults and children (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes for
the control of high blood sugar. It should be taken once a day at the same time
each day to lower blood glucose.
Do not use LANTUS® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.
Important Safety Information for Lantus®
Do not take Lantus® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients
in Lantus®.
You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®. Do not
make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your healthcare
provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical
supervision.
Please click here for additional Important Safety Information.
Please click here for Full Prescribing Information.
LANTUS® SoloSTAR® Pen Video
Watch this video to learn more about the LANTUS® SoloSTAR® Pen.
LANTUS® Injection Video
Learn how to inject LANTUS® with this easy-to-follow injection video.
Do you know
the ABCs
of diabetes?
Educational topics include:
- Understanding blood sugar
- How to set goals for blood sugar control
- And much more!
CDEs will answer
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The free GoMeals® iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android application makes it easy to access nutritional information, find restaurants and keep track of your food intake.
Important Safety Information for Lantus®
Do not take Lantus® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients
in Lantus®.
You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®.
Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your
healthcare provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under
medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution.
It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be
serious. Lantus® must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless with
no particles visible. Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with others.
The most common side effect of insulin, including Lantus®, is low blood
sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious. Some people may experience
symptoms such as shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. Severe hypoglycemia
may be serious and life threatening. It may cause harm to your heart or brain. Other
possible side effects may include injection site reactions, including changes in
fat tissue at the injection site, and allergic reactions, including itching and
rash. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life threatening.
Tell your doctor about other medicines and supplements you are taking because they
can change the way insulin works. Before starting Lantus®, tell your doctor
about all your medical conditions including if you have liver or kidney problems,
are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to
breast-feed.
Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin pen. Please talk to your healthcare
provider about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction
Leaflet that accompanies the pen.
Click here for full prescribing information for Lantus®.
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