Ready for the Talk
"Diet, exercise, oral medications, and I’m still not controlled."
- Ready for the Talk

The addition of insulin to OADs is a way to help improve glycemic control.

You may want to have the insulin talk sooner

Strategy to Help You Succeed #3 – Proactive Diabetes Management

Techniques for improvement: Reminder checklists

Consider providing a checklist prior to each visit. It can be mailed or emailed, and copies can be available in your office. These could include:

  • Reminders of what to bring to visits
  • Reminder of importance of blood glucose monitoring
  • Tips for remembering to take medication, including insulin, as prescribed
  • Space for questions/ issues to bring to your next visit

When it's time for the insulin talk, don't focus on blame

Motivate patients

When T2DM patients aren't meeting treatment goals on their current regimen, educate them that diabetes is a progressive disease and their treatment plan may need to change over time. A tire analogy can be helpful. Similar to a tire, the pancreas is something we may take for granted until it's wearing out. Patients may not know their pancreas is no longer making enough insulin and that their disease has progressed.

Patient discussion points

  • Remind patients that insulin is an effective medication to lower blood glucose2
  • Introduce the addition of insulin to OADs as a way to help improve glycemic control.

Begin insulin therapy for your appropriate patients

Give your patients what they may need to gain blood glucose control. If you have a patient who may benefit from the addition of insulin, then insulin can be considered as part of a diabetes treatment regimen that consists of diet, exercise, and oral medications.

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Important Safety Information for Lantus®

Contraindications

Lantus® is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to insulin glargine or one of its excipients.

Warnings and precautions

Monitor blood glucose in all patients treated with insulin. Insulin regimens should be modified cautiously and only under medical supervision. Changes in insulin strength, manufacturer, type, or method of administration may result in the need for a change in insulin dose or an adjustment in concomitant oral antidiabetic treatment.

Do not dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution. If mixed or diluted, the solution may become cloudy, and the onset of action/time to peak effect may be altered in an unpredictable manner. Do not administer Lantus® via an insulin pump or intravenously because severe hypoglycemia can occur. Insulin devices and needles must not be shared between patients.

Hypoglycemia is the most common adverse reaction of insulin therapy, including Lantus®, and may be life-threatening.

Severe life-threatening, generalized allergy, including anaphylaxis, can occur.

A reduction in the Lantus® dose may be required in patients with renal or hepatic impairment.

Drug interactions

Certain drugs may affect glucose metabolism, requiring insulin dose adjustment and close monitoring of blood glucose. The signs of hypoglycemia may be reduced in patients taking anti-adrenergic drugs (e.g., beta-blockers, clonidine, guanethidine, and reserpine).

Adverse reactions

Other adverse reactions commonly associated with Lantus® are injection site reaction, lipodystrophy, pruritus, and rash.

Important Safety Information for Lantus® SoloSTAR®

Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin pen. To help ensure an accurate dose each time, patients should follow all steps in the Instruction Leaflet accompanying the pen; otherwise they may not get the correct amount of insulin, which may affect their blood glucose.

Indications and Usage for Lantus®

Lantus® is a long-acting insulin analog indicated to improve glycemic control in adults and children (6 years and older) with type 1 diabetes mellitus and in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lantus® should be administered once a day at the same time every day.

Important Limitations of Use: Lantus® is not recommended for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Use intravenous short-acting insulin instead.

Please click here for full prescribing information

References: 1. Nathan DM. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(17):1342-1349.
2. Nathan DM et al. Diabetes Care. 2009;32(1):193-203.