januvia:

[korfila]

any comments on any person using this medication.

[Daibell]

Hi. I've been on it for 18 months. It's a useful and good new'ish drug. It works by supressing an enzyme that in turn swtiches off production of insulin by the pancreas sometimes too early. It only works when blood sugar is above normal so it doesn't cause hypos. It also has little effect on weight. With some notable exceptions it has very few side effects. It is still a bit expensive so GPs aren't aware of it or don't want to prescribe it.

[korfila]

thanks,
i hope it does not have the same intestinal explosive side-effect as Metformin?
thanks.
kene,

[korfila]

is it safe to occasionally drink a few beers with the januvia medication?


thanks,
kene

[Meg2009Arm]

Hi

I was on this but not anymore. Do you need to loose much weight? My consultant took me off it after saying it should be prescribed only for people with a BMI of 30 or above. Mine was 17. No side affects for me but I don't think it helped much either. Good Luck

[Daibell]

Hi Meg2009Arm. I'm surprised your consultant suggested Januvia should only be used where you have a BMI above 30. I've read a lot about Januvia on the web including the maker's advice to the profession and never come across this and the NICE guidelines don't mention the weight aspect either. As Januvia has no effect on weight and works on a (DPP4) enzyme the BMI thing seems wrong to me?

[Meg2009Arm]

Fair enough Diabell. I know nothing about it but was on it for two years then after me asking to be referred to the hospital as I wasn't happy with my doctor they told me to stop with Januvia imediately and said they couldn't understand why I had ever been put on it as my weight was on the low side. Maybe they said they recommend it to be used for people with a BMI over 30 and this is just their opinion.