Dapagliflozin

[Dippy Dora]

Hi all

after years on Liraglutide and metforminI was finally encouraged to try insulin as a way to get my blood sugars down below 9 on my hBA1c. This worked and it did lower it. I got more energy. I had more good days and less bad days whereby I couldnt function. The insulin made me feel so much better. My sugars dropped and were much better controlled. I was on 28 units twice a day.The problem is that within 6 months I had gained nearly 2 stone in weight. This is not good for my mental health, my clothes, my confidence or my purse. I have had to go out and buy new underwear and clothes. This isnt a problem in itself as the clothes fit me now.

I got so low and down because I could not see when this weight gain was going to stop that I was referred to a diabetic dietician consultant. This has now resulted in me being prescribed Dapagliflozin. I have been taking this for three weeks and am losing the weight again. This is very promising. I have noticed however that my blood sugars are too high with the Dapagliflozin alone and the consultant advised continuing to take 10 units of insulin a day too. I am now trying to get my sugar levels down again but so far I havent had a reading below 9.

We did talk about Orlistat but they advised against it due to the unpleasant side effects! So we didnt go down that route.

I am also going through menopause so dont know if the hot sweats and tiredness are due to this or the meds. I am up about four times a night with the hot sweats but could also be due to needing to go to the loo and rid myself of the blood glucose.

Is there anyone else out there on the Dapagliflozin and what side effects have you experienced. Has anyone been prescribed this drug whilst on HRT (I dont currently take HRT but would really like to find something to help with the unpleasantness of the constant hot flushes.

I hate this disease as people do not understand the effects it has. I recently had to leave my job due to the fact that they wouldnt make reasonable adjustments to enable me to function and do my work. It needs to be classified as a disability then people may take a bit more notice. I dont see myself as disabled though so dont get me wrong. I want others to treat it as a serious illness though. Temperature of 28 in an office environment, no breaks to eat, even having to ask permission to use the loo - ridiculous really.

anyway, would appreciate any feedback on this new medication. Thanks.

 

[catherinecherub]

I hate this disease as people do not understand the effects it has. I recently had to leave my job due to the fact that they wouldnt make reasonable adjustments to enable me to function and do my work. It needs to be classified as a disability then people may take a bit more notice. I dont see myself as disabled though so dont get me wrong. I want others to treat it as a serious illness though. Temperature of 28 in an office environment, no breaks to eat, even having to ask permission to use the loo - ridiculous really.

Your employers do have a duty of care towards you and Diabetes comes under the Disability Act.

Employment. Your rights at work.

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/upload/How we help/Avocacy/Employment-advocacy-pack-2013.pdf

There is a thread about your medication here,

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/dapagliflozin-forxiga.53395/


Do you need any help with diet?

@daisy1 has some basic information that will help you.

 

[jack412]

have you tried reducing your carbs?
This gives a simple overview to how it works
For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. They don’t give up easy and it’s biochemical

a long page and a few good video’s
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm


From the @Southport GP who posts here

http://www.practicaldiabetes.com/Sp.../March 2014/PP Unwin final proofs revised.pdf

 

[daisy1]

@Dippy Dora

Hello Dora and welcome to the forum

In case you need any advice on diet, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 140,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.