I have never known what my daily CARB intake is, guess have been lucky that by being good most of the time the odd potato, rice, pasta have been OK. But CARBS in morning have always peaked me, so only porridge or a low oat cereal some days, but eggs, mushrooms, fish and sausage being my main combinations of breakfast. The Dr likes Metformin as seems to be prescribed for a lot of prevention in the cardio area and possible diabetic effects, but now only on Dapagliflozin which am told clears out the blood sugar thu urine, but has no magical properties of metformin. Looks like a handle on CARB intake is the way forward.
Lots of support in this forum if you are choosing to go the low-carb way.
I have been thinking a lot about drugs and diabetes, during this lively debate including about oats
. (And I was in another thread having a very lively discussion about nuts!). So did a wander around online to learn about your dapagliflozin (really - I ought to be pre-Xmas cooking!) (but I don't like cooking! Just eating.). You've probably already done a net-wander? But I did find this, as the most straight forward
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24951310 -
I don't even know what some of those downsides-things mean? But interesting that it can cause dehydration. What's it doing in there? Inside your bod....
And yes indeed - Metformin is pretty marvellous, apparently, and been around a long time, and so well-tested, but there are downsides to it? So I believe. Just to put it in perspective Suzy Cohen - 'America's pharmacist' ('Diabetes without drugs') talks about taking supplements to ensure you don't get deficiencies from long-term drug use - particularly B12, and CoQ10 I think it is - oh - here is segment online that sums it up:
Suzy Cohen: "Do you take Metformin? If so, this medication could be drug-mugging you of these vital nutrients. CoQ-10, folic acid, B-12, and probiotics. Reductions in these nutrients can lead to liver damage, confusion, depression, neuropathy, muscle cramps, memory loss, fatigue, higher risk for heart disease and stroke and high blood pressure. Supplementation to offset the drug-mugging effect includes:
CoQ-10--50 to 100 mg twice daily (or ubiquinol, 100 mg daily)
Folic Acid-- 400 to 800 micrograms daily.
B-12 (Methylcobalamin)--250 to 1,000 micrograms daily
Probiotics-- one or two capsules daily."
I had a lively dialogue with an endocrinologist once who was telling a roomful of diabetics, me included of course, that it was too hard to treat T2d with diet and exercise. And I said, "And it's easy to take drugs every day?", thinking about standing in a health food store once with a list of the supplements I would take if I decided to go home and take my prescription of metformin. Those supplements (above) were hugely expensive. And I was already eating foods that would supposedly help me with insulin sensitivity improvement. So I just decided to go the wholehog - as it were. And do it with nutrition. We have to eat anyway! And eating, is you know - wonderful!
It's not an easy decision - drugs or 'way of eating'. Or both. And if drugs, to supplement? For me, it was the biggest and most difficult decision to make. I haven't looked back though. And I do a lot of explaining my treatment with friends and family. That is not always easy. But all my nearest and dearest know it pretty well now, and no-one hassles me. Well - there is one of my cousins who stirs the s*** out of me ... but everyone near to me is very supportive. (It helps!). And there is this wonderful forum! So how's that for a nice circle? (Back to the point at the beginning of this post.) Now I really do have to go make that Paleo pav for Friday....