Levemir for Type 2 Diabetes User Reviews

• Lev...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 12, 2023

"I have been using Levemir for years and have been pleased with the results. Since they have changed to the FlexPen, I hate it. The FlexTouch was so easy to administer the insulin. Now I have to use both hands, push as hard as I can, and it comes out so slow. It is so hard to push the insulin in, it wiggles and leaves bruising. If the FlexTouch doesn’t become available again, I am going to switch medications. I used to rate it 10. Now it is 1."

• Kar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 9, 2023

"I now have to use the Levemir FlexPen. It is the cheapest thing I have been forced to use. They say the FlexTouch is discontinued. FlexPen is taller, skinnier, and harder to manage. It stops mid-delivery. It causes my needle to pull out, and I have to start over. The insulin is OK, the FlexPen is cheap and poorly designed. No stars from me for a rating."

• pen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 10, 2023

"The new pens for Levemir are not user-friendly. It's hard to inject the insulin. Getting the pen to zero is difficult. The other pen was in and out. This new pen has a problem pushing the insulin out. It stops before you get to zero. Hopefully, this issue can be fixed in the future. My rating for the pen is -1."

• Jac...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 2, 2023

"I have been using Levemir for several years, but I have encountered difficulties since they switched to the Levemir FlexPen. Unlike the previous FlexTouch version, injecting insulin with the FlexPen now requires more effort and almost always requires two hands. As a result, I often experience bleeding and injection marks because I have to press the needle too hard. Moreover, the FlexPen is less efficient, with a lot of wasted insulin left in the pen after the final shot. This situation is frustrating, and I am considering going back to using vials and filling my own needles. While I appreciate the effectiveness of Levemir as insulin, the FlexPen version is of low quality, and Levemir should revert to the FlexTouch pen. Thank you."

• TVZ...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 9, 2023

"The new Levemir Flex Pens are extremely disappointing. So much harder to use than the Flex Touch. Having essential tremors makes dispensing almost an impossibility. Frustrating! This change is such a downgrade. The tensile strength of the Flex Pen when taking off the needle is questionable. Hard to unscrew the needle... seems that the upper dispenser will snap. Please, Levemir... change back to the Flex Touch!!"

• Lar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 4, 2023

"This comment is about the new FlexPen by Levemir that replaced the FlexTouch pen. The new pen is cheaply made. Everything mechanical feels cheap. Other complaints: end button hard to push, spring for injection is weak, and only 60 units can be injected at a time. Please return to the original FlexTouch design."

• Ang...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 13, 2023

"My husband has been using Levemir for 13 years. I am a registered nurse and have been giving him his daily injections since the beginning. The new pen is absolutely awful. The pen is awkward to hold. The plunger is hard to depress. It's difficult, if not impossible, to tell when the dose is complete. It actually hurts the muscles in my hand to use it because the dosing plunger sticks out so far in the back and is so difficult to push. And because it is so hard to manipulate, it is impossible to hold it still during the injection. I'm sure it is even worse for patients who self-administer their insulin. This is the most un-user-friendly medication delivery system I have encountered in my 30+ years of nursing. If Novo Nordisk has any compassion for or interest in the people who must use Levemir, the company will abandon this inadequate piece of junk and go back to the former pen immediately. The new pen can reduce the effectiveness of a fine medication by compromising dosing."

• Dea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2023

"Levemir FlexPen is a slow-moving, hard-to-push, poorly designed pen that is so difficult to use that I know I’m not getting my full dosage! I changed years ago from Lantus slow-moving insulin pen to Levemir FlexTouch because it dispenses the insulin so quickly that I felt no pain. I will not continue to use this cheap Levemir FlexPen! They evidently forgot to test it on real users. Poor marketing decision."

• Bon...
• June 16, 2009

"I've been on Levemir for approximately 2 years and have found it to be quite effective. However, I've also noticed that over time the dosage has had to steadily increase in order to achieve optimum blood glucose levels."

• Anonymous
• August 6, 2010

"I've been using Levemir for about 2 years. As stated above, I have noticed a need for an increased amount. I started at 16 units and am now up to 25. My endocrinologist placed me on Glucophage, Actos, and Glyburide in the last week. I have noticed that my readings have been consistent throughout the day but sometimes run as low as 74. May have to adjust the amount of insulin. The doctor said it may take a few months for the Actos to kick in. If you don't have an endocrinologist and you are diabetic, you need to get one."

• Anonymous
• July 24, 2010

"I have been using Levemir for seven years now and find it to be very user-friendly, but as commented above, I have found that a steady increase in dosage is needed to keep the effectiveness of the medicine."

• Jmm...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 10, 2023

"I have been a type 2 diabetic for several years now. I have been on Levemir for a few years. The first pen, the Flex Touch, was so easy to use. I absolutely hate the new Levemir Flex pen they came out with. You not only have to use both of your hands to get the darn thing to plunge, you almost need to borrow someone else's too. I have had the needle on more than one occasion actually bend when it comes out, causing me to bleed because you have to push so hard on the pen to dispense the insulin. I called the company to complain. Whoever invented the new pen is obviously not a diabetic. Go back to the original style, please, this new style pen is junk!"

• and...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2019

"I have only been using it for no more than a month, and it does work on me. But the only thing I don't like is that many times, especially the last time, when I injected myself, the Levemir pen doesn't work well. I press it like you're supposed to, but it doesn't work, and it takes time, so I have to wait 'til the pen decides to release the insulin and keep on pressing. Once it reaches zero, I release my finger, pull out the pen, and the insulin shoots out some insulin, which should have gone into me. Maybe it never gave me any insulin, and now that the needle is out, it shoots the insulin onto my belly, and I realize I am wasting the insulin."

• Fea...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 26, 2018

"My diabetes was controlled with Lantus, which kept my blood sugar A1C between 6.8-7.4 generally. My health insurance prescribed Levemir. Since then, I've gained weight, blood sugars now 330-440 range. 100-140 was normal before. My eye ached this morning. I had been warned by my eye doctor that high blood sugars could blind me, causing blood vessels to burst behind my retina. Yep, another 330. Levemir is fake insulin, at least for me. Was this developed for Type 1? It isn't much cheaper, so the insurance company game is favoring certain companies for friendly deals rather than good medicine. I'm angry because I only recently received sight after both eyes had cataracts for years. Losing it at 75 years of age is too hard to bear."

• Fle...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 11, 2023

"I take 130 units twice a day. I have to pull the plunger at least three times for my amount 60 + 60 + 10. It is hard to do with one needle tip without pulling out or bending, and it hurts my skin. I am very disappointed in this switch and will be looking for a different medication. I rate it a zero."

• Jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 23, 2016

"Before starting Levemir, I was on Janumet, Glipizide, and Invokana. The Invokana triggered a rapid (over a 3-month period) weight loss from 138 pounds down to 115 pounds. I felt miserable. Thirsty, cottonmouth, constant urination, leakage, etc. My glucose went up from around 130 to an average of 240. My doctor took me off Invokana and started me on Levemir. The results were astounding! Within a week, my fasting glucose was down to 100, and my weight started to increase. After 2 months, my weight is at 131. All of the dehydration symptoms are gone! I can't wait to see what A1C level a month from now (3 months on Levemir) I now feel physically and mentally much better."

• Sup...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 20, 2016

"I have tried using this twice (it is the only thing ICH offers), and it has been worse than being on no medication at all. Both excessive glucose levels and dangerous hypoglycemic episodes. Looking for alternatives. Dosage required is double of what I used with Lantus."

• Ant...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 16, 2023

"The pens used to be easy to use and quick to dispense. In order to save money, it appears that the manufacturers have modified the original design and made the pens more difficult to use. They require much more pressure to dispense the medication and take longer to do so."

• mha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2017

"I've only been on Levemir, 12 units for about a week, and I feel like I'm going to die. I take it at 9 every night, yet my blood sugar first thing in the morning was still 154. We try to keep it under 140. Before, it was usually under 200. My last A1C was 7.2. I'm so tired, very weak, can only walk for 10 yards without stopping to rest. My heart pounds too. I called my endo doc, and he now wants to supplement it with Novolog to control meal spikes. Now I'm afraid to take it because it may make me feel even worse. I've been so careful with what I eat and have lost 7 pounds, but I feel like garbage. Any ideas, anyone? Have I just not been on Levemir long enough for my body to adapt?"

• Anonymous
• July 17, 2023

"The FlexPen is much more difficult to use than the FlexTouch pen. When insulin is administered in larger volumes, the pen is hard to push, and many times the needle comes out, requiring more sticks to deliver the set dose. In addition, the FlexPen was discontinued back in 2014 because the design did not work well in larger doses as the part to push extends outward, making it more difficult to push with the thumb. Unfortunately, this is a major downgrade."

• Loj...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 7, 2017

"I was on Lantus and Novolog for 10 years, then my doctor switched me to Invokana, Levemir, and Victoza. The Invokana made me throw my guts up, lose my vision on and off, blood sugar levels spiked to 400 or more, always dehydrated, and several other symptoms. I stopped taking it. The Levemir makes me have several bowel movements daily, and I lost 15 lbs, but I didn't want to lose weight, I only weigh 140. I have lost all my muscle and still crave sugar. I quit taking the Victoza because my sugar spikes were over 300. These medications are killing me. They all have me craving sugar, diarrhea, and even have me depressed. I only take Metformin pills, 4 500 milligrams a day."

• Saf...
• February 11, 2018

"I was put on it last year. I inadvertently missed a couple of doses, and my blood sugar actually went down in the morning all but once. The exercise works, oral medications work, vitamins work (a little), Levemir really does not appear effective. I also upped the dosage, and my fasting BS went up by 20-30 points with a 4-unit increase. Depending on the next A1C reading, I may start decreasing my dose to see what will happen."

• rom...
• February 19, 2013

"I have been using Levemir for about 4 years, 20 & 20 units twice a day, but lately I had to increase to 20/20/20, and when my sugar goes over 160, I will use fast-acting Novolog, 10-20 units, but now I will be trying Bydureon to see if it helps me control my blood sugar."

• Bot...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 14, 2017

"Did not know your insulin could make you dizzy, lethargic, tired, joints aching, back hurting, and conditions mentioned by these patients. Levemir may not be for me. I switched because I thought it would be cheaper than Lantus. Was surprised its costs are also horrific. I may see my doctor to go back on Lantus."

• nor...
• June 12, 2016

"I have been using this insulin for 2 years. My fasting reads are over 200. I feel tired, muscle and joint pain. I use it along with Novorapid, and no effectiveness whatsoever. My doctor is certain that this is the right one for me."