Diabetic Medicine

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Hippie_Soul
Hippie_Soul Posts: 190 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everybody. So, bad report from the doc last week. My A1C came back at 7.6 - it was at 6.7 at my last check, so the doctor put me on Metformin. It made me feel awful so I quit taking it. I told him that it made me feel bad, so now he has put me on 2 different kinds of medicine. I take one in the morning and 1 at night.
My question is: if I start taking these meds, am I always going to have to be on them? With diet and exercise, can I really get off all of the meds one day?
I find it all just terrifying.
Thanks in advance for your responses.

Replies

  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    I take Metformin, the first few days are absolutely awful,teh cramping, having to go to the bathroom, and the nausea but if you can make it past the first week your body levels out and it's not so bad. I started at 2000mg of it, I'm now down to 1500mg. It's a process.
  • faidwen
    faidwen Posts: 131 Member
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    ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I was on Metformin for a number of years, as well as Gluconorm, and a combination of the two recently.

    The doctor also put me on Invokana (which has you urinate out sugars). IT WAS A MIRACLE (but that is another story)....

    Anyways, last January 1st I weighed 310, and had super high A1C and regular testing of daily blood sugars would run in the 20's.

    Two months ago, the doctor had me STOP taking ALL medicine. My A1C is 5.2 and my type 2 diabetes is controlled through exercise and diet!!

    Of course I now weigh 159 lbs, eat healthily, and watch my nutrients!!!!

    IT CAN BE DONE!!! Do not give up hope. Feel free to holler if you have ANY questions.
  • truelight_photo_craig
    truelight_photo_craig Posts: 347 Member
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    faidwen wrote: »
    ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I was on Metformin for a number of years, as well as Gluconorm, and a combination of the two recently.

    The doctor also put me on Invokana (which has you urinate out sugars). IT WAS A MIRACLE (but that is another story)....

    Anyways, last January 1st I weighed 310, and had super high A1C and regular testing of daily blood sugars would run in the 20's.

    Two months ago, the doctor had me STOP taking ALL medicine. My A1C is 5.2 and my type 2 diabetes is controlled through exercise and diet!!

    Of course I now weigh 159 lbs, eat healthily, and watch my nutrients!!!!

    IT CAN BE DONE!!! Do not give up hope. Feel free to holler if you have ANY questions.

    Similar story, and YES IT CAN BE DONE!!!
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
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    Hi,

    My Dr also gave me Metformin but I don't feel bad on it luckily. With diet and exercise, yes you can reverse type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. There are many posts about people being able to stop their medications and reverse diabetes on Reddit in /r/keto. If you aren't aware of it, Keto is the low carb high fat moderate protein diet. It seems to really help diabetics because you cannot eat sugar so it ends up lowering your glucose levels. I won't spew about it too much here because I might end up offending someone but in any case it has helped many people including myself :) As always talk to a professional about it, but yes you can definitely reverse it.

    You can do it.. good luck!
  • Hippie_Soul
    Hippie_Soul Posts: 190 Member
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    Thank you, everybody!! Congrats on the people who have worked hard and are off their medication. I don't like taking any kind of medicine so I think that's why I'm just kinda scared.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Hippie_Soul wrote: »
    Hey everybody. So, bad report from the doc last week. My A1C came back at 7.6 - it was at 6.7 at my last check, so the doctor put me on Metformin. It made me feel awful so I quit taking it. I told him that it made me feel bad, so now he has put me on 2 different kinds of medicine. I take one in the morning and 1 at night.
    My question is: if I start taking these meds, am I always going to have to be on them? With diet and exercise, can I really get off all of the meds one day?
    I find it all just terrifying.
    Thanks in advance for your responses.

    Yes, with lifestyle changes you can eventually manage being off meds or on a reduced dose, at least until you are much older. Without the lifestyle changes, even meds, no matter how religiously you take them, will not help on the long run. If you do not have a diet plan for diabetes, get an appointment asap. And start exercising.
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
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    My husband was on Metformin, but it was giving him weird blood-sugar crashes sometimes, especially in the middle of the night, where he would get into an altered state. Our new doctor prefers a newer combination formulation called Janumet, because he thinks it's less likely to cause the crashes. We haven't had an episode lately, but it's only been a few weeks. The new doc is also a big believer in reversing insulin resistance with weight loss.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Weight loss, exercise, and/or a low carb high fat diet can all reduce or eliminate the need for diabetic meds. There is a large number of diabetics and prediabetics who have reversed their insulin with a LCHF diet in the Low Carber Daily group. It can be done.

    I found the book, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution extremely helpful. Dr R Bernstein is a type 1 diabetic who lays out a diet plan designed to reduce your blood glucose levels and your need for insulin. It worked really well for me, a prediabetic whose BG did not respond to weight loss.

    Best wishes.
  • Hippie_Soul
    Hippie_Soul Posts: 190 Member
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    I guess I will start taking the meds and just keep working towards my healthier goals. I'm so glad to hear positive feedback and congrats to all of you that have worked so hard to not have to take these pills anymore!
  • faidwen
    faidwen Posts: 131 Member
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    Hippie_Soul wrote: »
    I guess I will start taking the meds and just keep working towards my healthier goals. I'm so glad to hear positive feedback and congrats to all of you that have worked so hard to not have to take these pills anymore!

    YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!! The world is becoming filled with more and more diabetics, lets reverse the trend!!!!
  • ozmaldonado
    ozmaldonado Posts: 2 Member
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    I have the "dawn phenomenon/ dawn effect" in which my blood sugar goes up while I am sleeping, thus resulting in a high morning fasting (140-180). I started metformin but didn't help, so I was given humilin injections at night before bed also. I am not happy with this path, and as of today, I am changing it!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I work hard, don't need to lose weight, and I still have to take them. You definitely get inspired to reverse it, though :) I just want to point out that folks who can't might be working hard, too. I was at a good BMI when I was diagnosed, so there's a big difference. Watch your carbs, lose weight, and exercise and you have a good shot!
  • mrtastybutt
    mrtastybutt Posts: 87 Member
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    I was also at a normal BMI when I got diagnosed type 2. I ended up having to go on insulin, but was able to come off insulin after a round of plaquenil used as an anti inflammatory for my joints. Now I'm on Metformin and Glipizide, but I have to go back to the doc since I keep getting lows in the 40-50 range.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I too experience the dawn phenomenon too, although I am very lucky in that it is not very high and still within prediabetic numbers. I find that I can't eat much in the evening, and no carbs, or FBG is a bit high. Keeping protein on the low side of moderate helps me too.

    The traditional advice of an apple with a slice of cheese for a bed time snack is the opposite on what works for me.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    SOMETIMES insulin resistance can be reversed with significant weight loss. Please don't feel like a failure if you lose the weight and you still need meds. For some people its genetic.

    https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes?language=en
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    SOMETIMES insulin resistance can be reversed with significant weight loss. Please don't feel like a failure if you lose the weight and you still need meds. For some people its genetic.

    https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes?language=en

    Yup.

    I'm hoping to lower insulin resistance. 10% weight loss is supposed to make a significant difference, I'm down 16% (and no longer obese) and no change. I'll be in the normal range by summer - but I'm not expecting much since every descendant of my grandfather who is my age or older has diabetes. He was skinny as a rail. My mother has always exercised religiously - and lost at least 20% of her weight at diagnosis & her insulin resistance has increased.

    But - hope springs eternal that someday I will occasionally be able to have a nice buttered roll again!
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
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    Hippie_Soul wrote: »
    I guess I will start taking the meds and just keep working towards my healthier goals. I'm so glad to hear positive feedback and congrats to all of you that have worked so hard to not have to take these pills anymore!

    Just be careful if you are taking a drug that adds insulin, or increases insulin production indiscriminately (most of the alternatives to Metformin). Those can create dangerous hypoglycemic spells if you don't eat a minimum number of carbs - so lowering carbs while on one of those can be dangerous.

    Metformin only works to lower insulin resistance, not add insulin to the system, so it is safe from that perspective. If you weren't on the extended release version, ask your doctor if you could try that version. It has fewer side effects. I could probably convince my doctor to eliminate the metformin, at this point, since my blood sugars are completely in the normal range as long as I limit my carb intake - but there may be a benefits to staying on it so I'm in no rush to discontinue it.

    I'd encourage you to give Metformin another chance - at a lower dose or extended release if you haven't already tried it - before trying an alternative. At a minimum, you should read up on the other meds first. Here is a source of collected information with links to sources - and some of it is pretty scary. If I get to the point where I need more than help with insulin resistance, I will ask to go directly to insulin supplementation rather than use any of the other alternatives.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    You can certainly lower your A1C and fasting blood sugar in the long term with diet and exercise. Mine has been around 5.0 for several years, in spite of multiple/complex metabolic issues. Eating a moderate or lower-carb diet is a powerful tool.

    Please don't go on and off of the medications--you need to take them consistently.

    Metformin is a very good drug, it just takes time to get used to. If you are asked to try it again, make sure that you are on the time-release formula, as it is better tolerated.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I weaned on the Metformin, and that helped a lot for me. I did it quite slowly to get up to the full dose (after having bad side effects from not doing that). Now I have no problems, and I even have GERD so my stomach is sensitive.

    I have PCOS, and Metformin also helps balance other hormones than just insulin with that condition (according to studies, anyway). So I'd likely take it if my numbers were really low. They are just nice now, but with the medicine. If I ever stop it like I did for a while with a bad GERD flare-up, they go too high again :( Not crazy-high, though, so I feel like my work helps a lot! I bet it does.

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