Symlin

daynalawson

Has anyone used symlin? my doctor suggested it and I wanted input before I agreed to it and started using it. I have worked REALLY hard but my A1C is always higher, I have lots of highs and lows (multiple lows in a day), and it seems like I just can't lose weight no matter how hard I try. Here is a link to the medication description. Let me know if you have tried this and had either a good or bad experience with it and why. Thanks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000314/

Canderson58054

I am pretty shocked that he reccomended it if you're already having low blood sugars, but I'm not the doctor- lol. I don't know personally- but I've known a few people that tried it and they had some pretty crappy symptoms. They mainly experienced stomach issues and said they felt like they had no energy. But everyone is different. Side effects affect everyone differently. The only way you will know is to try it. Based on the medicine, I would just suggest keeping close attention to your blood sugars( since you do experience quite a few lows from the sounds of it) and note any changes in how you feel. Good luck

Amber82479

Hey there, I’ve tried two rounds of Symlin. On the good side, I did need less insulin to cover my meals. But personally, for me, the bad outweighed the good. For one, you have time taking it properly, otherwise your sugar will bottom out. It made me feel nauseous for the first month or two. Although that definitely curbs your appetite, it’s not how I want to curb it. I frequently hit blood vessels, had a bit of swelling and sometimes bruising with injections. Often some of the Symlin would leak out before the injection site closed, leaving me to wonder how much I was actually receiving. I did not lose weight using Symlin and the low blood sugars were scary. I couldn’t figure out how to make everything work together. Now, that being said, I have a good friend who uses Symlin and lost 30 pounds. So, I know it’s possible. Personally, I achieved far better blood sugar control by getting a continuous glucose monitor. It helped me figure out what was happening with my sugar and why I was experiencing highs and lows. Now my sugar is in the normal range probably 85-90% of the time and I feel much better. Unfortunately, difficulty losing weight is a side effect of taking insulin. So if you’re comfortable with it, try the Symlin. You can always quite if you don’t like it. I would say be VERY careful about low blood sugar using it though. You might want to see about getting a continuous glucose monitor or using the one your endocrinologists office should be able to loan you for a week, so that you can see how it affects your sugar. I haven’t tried it since getting my CGM, but perhaps I should give it one more go. If you have other questions, let me know!