Board index » diabetes » high fasting numbers/glucotrol

2003-07-28 11:00:21 PM
A bit of history -- I am type 2 diabetes and had been taking Glucotrol
XL for about 3 years with excellent control (fasting 110, hbA1c 5.9)
but my doctor decided I needed to be on Glucophage 500 and he took me
off the Glucotrol altogether. Well after 2 months the glucphage did
nothing for me so he changed me to a combo pill and that did help.
However, every day on the Glucophage I had some level of diarrhea and
couldn't handle it so he finally consented to return me to the level
of Glucotrol XL I had been on up to the switch. I went back on the
Glucotrol XL in April and have not had very many good number since.
Some days I expected poor numbers because of poor eating but in the
last few weeks I have dropped my carbs down to almost nothing and my
numbers are still not good. My fasting is running 170-200 and
post-prandial around 250 which is still too high. In relation to
where it started out I'd say the after meals number isn't too bad
however overall a 250 is not a good number.
So this leaves me with wondering where do I go from here? I am going
to see a diabetic specialist but the first appointment isn't until
October. Until then I will return to my internist and see what he has
in mind. I am at the lowest dose of Glucotrol XL right now -- should
he just increase that? I hate the gastric problems but should I
return to the Glucophage? Every med I've tried with my internist has
been at the lowest dose and when it doesn't work he switches it. I
don't want insulin (who does?) and won't go that route until I've seen
the specialist. But I do need to get my current numbers down and want
to know what to expect from my internist. Sometimes I think the
people who have been there, done that are more informed on diabetes
than the doctors doing the treating which is why I turn to you guys in
this group.
Additional info if it has any bearing -- I made the switch to
Glucophage and dropped the Glucotrol XL in November of last year. We
dropped the Glucophage and changed to the combo in January. In April
I went back to Glucotrol XL. I am female, 40 years old, have
polycystic ovarian disease and since December have not had regular
periods, something I did have when my numbers were all good. A
connection? Who knows, but I think maybe?
Thanks for reading this far and for any words of advice you can offer.
Obviously following a strict diet and excercise are necessary, that
goes without saying. I don't and I do, but I know that I need to be
more diligent. Overall my diet is pretty good but I'm not as active
as need be.
Garland
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Using insulin does mean failure.
Insulin is one of the tools we have in our diabetic toolbox.
If your numbers are that high, you are doing damage to your body.
You may not have to use insulin forever, but just for now, as you figure
out your next plan of attack.
But in the mean time, you are saving your body from harm.
Jennifer
GT wrote:

GT wrote in message <1b1627a2.0307280700.36a6139f@posting.google.com>...
Type 2 diabetes is a symptom of high Insulin Resistance.
Glucotrol just sorta treats one of the symptoms of high Insulin Resistance
instead of attacking the Insulin Resistance itself.
Your doc tried Glucophage (metformin), a reliable med which attacks
Insulin Resistance. Unfortunately, for some folks, it causes an awful lot
of G.I. problems. Some folks will acclimatize to the med and the G.I.
problems disappear, or quiet down. However, looks like that is not to be
for you.
The other anti-Insulin Resistance meds are the thiazolidinediones, Actos and
Avandia. My local endo favors Actos. AFAIK, it is a useful med for PCOS
suffers as long as they are not trying to become pregnant.
". . .There are limited data for the thiazolidinediones, but these agents
cause small-for-gestational age infants in animal models and are classified
as "pregnancy category C," so they should be stopped when pregnancy begins..
. ."
If you can find an anti-Insulin Resistance med that you can tolerate, it
probably will:
a. Ease your PCOS problems
b. Lower your blood sugars.
c. and, Oh, by the way, give you some protection against Heart
Attack. . .a serious problem for Type 2 diabetics.
You can take Glucotrol together with Actos. The Glucotrol "finishes" the
job the Actos does on the high blood sugars while the Actos goes after the
Insulin Resistance.
Regards
Old Al
Regards
Old Al
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health diabetes

Oh God yes!!!
Jennifer
bj wrote:

"oldal4865" <oldal4865@yahoo.com>wrote in message
<snip>
4 mg a day and it did absolutley nothing the first 2 weeks, I then upped my
excercise to about 1,5 hours a day, 7 days a week, and this has done good,
so I thought that I would stop the pill for a few days and see if I could do
this by D&E only.. my sugars went up the second day and my muscles started
to ache, I guess that is because the lack of energy. I started to take the
pill again and it's getting better.
Neither Avandia or Actos is aproved for refund by the norwegian goverment,
so this is quite expensive (Allthough you can apply for a refund after you
have spent about 200 $).
I still have spikes after meals but not as bad anymore, the last weekly avg.
was 8,9 (162) which is alot better than 11,9 (216), before Avandia. What
should I do to get rid of the spikes?
I have lost 0,5 kilos (<= Very upset about that...) and 2 sizes in my jeans
and my belt has 2 brand new holes in it..
br
Steinar Mortensen
T2
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steinar_m wrote in message ...
triglyerides. My local endocrinologist favors Actos over Avandia.
I know of no other differences.
My local endo (a very good doc) uses this med sequence to control blood
sugars in Type 2 diabetics:
a. First try metformin
b. Then add Actos
c. Then add a beta stimulator.
i. Prandin for folks who can remember to take one before each
meal
ii Glucotrol for the rest
d. Then add a single shot of insulin at bedtime
e Then replace the beta stimulator with multiple injections of
insulin.
If you skip "c." and go straight to insulin in combination with metformin
and Actos, a Type 2 can achieve spectacular blood sugar control.
Regards
Old Al
Regards
Old Al
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On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 09:10:41 +0200, "steinar_m"
<steinar@chello-removethis.no>wrote:
}Do you know what the diffrence is with Avandia and Actos. I am using Avandia
}4 mg a day and it did absolutley nothing the first 2 weeks...
My endo said it takes a few weeks for Avandia to kick in or show some
effect. Maybe you didn't wait long enough...
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