Medications & Weight Loss

AlexD3

I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes this week. Not a shocker - but a heart breaker. I've been prescribed Metformin ER (1000 MG 2x's daily) & and Glipizide ER (5 MG once per day). After reading some of the posts in the different groups, I think that my dosage is pretty high. I'm 45 yrs old, 5' 10" and weight 245 lbs. Blood Sugar ranging from 260 to 214. I now know this is high.

Since starting this medication this week (Tues), I've found myself to be somewhat off/on nauseated (not to the point of up-chucking anything - just uncomfortable). It comes and goes throughout the day - more so around meals. I've been very conscientious about tracking my meals and exercising. Today when I weighted in, I actually gained 1.5 pounds (unspoken explicatives!).

Anybody have any experiences to share?

travisseger

I'm on Metformin (500 mg 2x per day), and for the first two weeks after diagnosis I felt like complete garbage. I was walking around in a fog, nauseated on and off, my vision went haywire…it was awful. Right around the two week mark, the fog lifted one night and I was feeling normal again. I know nausea is a common side-effect of Metformin, and some people have a hard time with it. The extended release, which you are taking, is supposed to be a little easier, but I'm wondering if the dosage is a little high to start off on. My doc prescribed me the 500 mg 2x per day for the first three weeks for my system to get used to the drug, with the intention of upping my dosage after three weeks. It just turned out that I didn't need to up the dosage. So you may want to talk to the doctor about easing yourself onto it. I have no experience with Glipizide, so I can't speak to that.

It does seem that many diabetes medications slow weight loss or may even cause weight gain. Metformin is not supposed to be one of those drugs - in fact, some people are prescribed Metformin to assist in weight loss. That hasn't been my experience. I lost 90 lbs. in the year leading up to diagnosis, and only 9 in the six months since. Definitely frustrating, but I'm hoping my renewed commitment to tracking calories rather than just eating to my meter will help get me moving in the right direction again.

Hang in there. You are not alone.

AlexD3

Good information. I was concerned with the small jump in weight, when I am supposed to be losing weight. Thanks.

Sharonks

I have never taken anything besides met and insulin when I was preg. There is a nice explanation of side effects of drugs on bloodsugar101.com. And met can cause stomach upset. Recently my dose was increased by only 500mg and I had some upset for a couple weeks.

AlexD3

Nice cite. It was helpful. I talked it over with my doc and she said the same thing. All is normal for this medication.

waldenfam2

I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes this week. Not a shocker - but a heart breaker. I've been prescribed Metformin ER (1000 MG 2x's daily) & and Glipizide ER (5 MG once per day). After reading some of the posts in the different groups, I think that my dosage is pretty high. I'm 45 yrs old, 5' 10" and weight 245 lbs. Blood Sugar ranging from 260 to 214. I now know this is high.

Since starting this medication this week (Tues), I've found myself to be somewhat off/on nauseated (not to the point of up-chucking anything - just uncomfortable). It comes and goes throughout the day - more so around meals. I've been very conscientious about tracking my meals and exercising. Today when I weighted in, I actually gained 1.5 pounds (unspoken explicatives!).

Anybody have any experiences to share?

Hi there! Last year I was on both of those, and Glipizide didn't give me any side effects except for making me go low but the Metformin on the other hand, oh my, that was rough. I took it for about a month and couldn't handle it anymore. It made me very ill and I was only on 500mg X 1. After that the doctor put me on Victoza with the Glipizide and that combined with a strict diet got my sugars down relatively fast. Once I started exercising I was able to get off of the Glipizide because of constant low sugars. I can't say that I gained weight on any of the meds though. I would just watch your weight and see what happens over the next few weeks, maybe your body is just freaking out because you haven't been feeling well.

cheap_thoughts

You can also ask your doctor about byetta (also knowns as bydureon). It's an injection done once a week and in case studies, has modest (like ten pounds) weight loss in those who took it. I just started it this week, and I was told that I should see some improvements about five weeks in.