Type and duration of application

Lantus® is injected under the skin in the form of a pre-filled syringe. It is important that no vein is hit, as this can lead to hypoglycemia. The attending physician can instruct the exact injection technique.

Within the selected skin area (e.g. abdomen), the injection site should be changed each time the injection is administered. Lantus® must be injected at the same time every day. How long and with how much insulin the treatment with Lantus® is carried out is decided by the attending physician.

Overdose

If too much Lantus® has been injected, the blood glucose level may drop sharply (hypoglycaemia), so the blood glucose level should be strictly controlled. To avoid hypoglycaemia, more food must be eaten. If too little Lantus® has been injected or a dose has been omitted, the blood sugar level can rise sharply and hyperglycaemia can result.

In this case, too, the blood sugar level must be closely monitored. Injecting twice the amount of insulin is absolutely contraindicated if a dose has been missed! Instead, the readjustment of the blood sugar level must be carried out under strict control.

Termination of therapy with Lantus

If the treatment is interrupted abruptly, it can lead to greatly increased blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and a related ketoacidosis (acidification of the organism). This occurs because the body has to obtain energy from fat instead of sugar due to the severe insulin deficiency and the degradation products cause hyperacidity of the blood. For these reasons, therapy with Lantus® insulin injections must not be discontinued arbitrarily and quickly without consulting a doctor.

Side effects

A possible side effect of therapy with Lantus® is hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) due to incorrect dosage. This can lead to unconsciousness or even life-threatening brain damage. In most cases, the early signs of hypoglycaemia can be learned by the patient and can be treated early on.

If the following symptoms occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately: These signs can be a rare allergic reaction to insulin and can become life-threatening. If the insulin is injected too often into the same area of the skin, the fatty tissue in this area may shrink (lipoatrophy) or increase (lipohypertrophy). For this reason, the injection site should be changed regularly.

In about 3-4% of patients treated, allergic reactions occur at the injection site, which can spread and usually disappear within a few days or weeks. Possible other side effects include impaired vision, water retention (and associated swelling of the lower leg and ankle), impaired taste, muscle pain and the formation of antibodies to insulin.

Extensive skin reaction (rash and itching)
Severe skin/mucosal swelling (angioedema)
Shortness of breath
Drop in blood pressure with accelerated pulse and sweating