Lets try . . . . . .

[DavidGrahamJones]

There are times when I'm not so forgiving of the medical team who are supposed to be helping me get well. I get more useful advice from this and other forums. So, after trying a drug called Victoza for six months, prescribed by the diabetic specialist, for a metabolic problem I have (my body is defying the first law of thermodynamics - Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only change forms. In any process, the total energy of the universe remains the same.)

However, after six months of severe constipation, indigestion, constant burping, and a bill to the NHS of over £100 per month I decided to stop, after talking to my GP who agreed with me, it wasn't doing what it was supposed to do and causing other symptoms.

I've now been informed that they would like me to try Trulicity and was wondering if anyone has experience of this drug which is obviously helping with BG levels but more importantly for me how does it affect weight?

One of the things I found with Victoza which was very good at keeping BG under control, I found that I was more tempted to eat things that I would not have done normally, like bread and potato.

 

[Alexandra100]

they would like me to try Trulicity and was wondering if anyone has experience of this drug

I have no experience of any diabetes drug except Glucophage. However, you might like to read this article by Jenny Ruhl: https://www.bloodsugar101.com/glp-1-agonists
PS I see you are considering going back on to extended release Metformin. For some time I have been taking the maximum dose (1g twice daily) of Glucophage XR as recommended by Dr Bernstein. I started with the lowest possible dose and increased very slowly, and I have had no digestive problems with it. In fact, I have become so blasé, I don't even bother to take it with food.

 

[Oldvatr]

I have no experience of any diabetes drug except Glucophage. However, you might like to read this article by Jenny Ruhl: https://www.bloodsugar101.com/glp-1-agonists
PS I see you are considering going back on to extended release Metformin. For some time I have been taking the maximum dose (1g twice daily) of Glucophage XR as recommended by Dr Bernstein. I started with the lowest possible dose and increased very slowly, and I have had no digestive problems with it. In fact, I have become so blasé, I don't even bother to take it with food.

I second that with the FDA advisory and the mandated changed label
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/125469s007s008lbl.pdf

According to WebMD there is a black list advisory of foods that are also contraindicated when taking Trulicity, but there is a copyright notice out on it, and the information cannot be released to the public domain.

I suspect it is the fats or high fibre foods that also slow gastric transit. Also to note is that this drug slows down the absorbtion of other oral meds and supplements you may be using, and this effect persists for the week of the dose. But I do not have that in writing. Just reading between the lines on Drugs.com

 

[Alexandra100]

I second that with the FDA advisory and the mandated changed label
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/125469s007s008lbl.pdf

Wow! Thank-you, terrifying! And given that delayed stomach emptying is a common and troublesome complication brought about by high bg, the last thing IMO we need is a drug that further delays stomach emptying.

 

[Daibell]

There are times when I'm not so forgiving of the medical team who are supposed to be helping me get well. I get more useful advice from this and other forums. So, after trying a drug called Victoza for six months, prescribed by the diabetic specialist, for a metabolic problem I have (my body is defying the first law of thermodynamics - Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only change forms. In any process, the total energy of the universe remains the same.)

However, after six months of severe constipation, indigestion, constant burping, and a bill to the NHS of over £100 per month I decided to stop, after talking to my GP who agreed with me, it wasn't doing what it was supposed to do and causing other symptoms.

I've now been informed that they would like me to try Trulicity and was wondering if anyone has experience of this drug which is obviously helping with BG levels but more importantly for me how does it affect weight?

One of the things I found with Victoza which was very good at keeping BG under control, I found that I was more tempted to eat things that I would not have done normally, like bread and potato.

Hi. I see you may not have used Metformin SR when you had it previously? It makes a big difference if you do have trouble with the vanilla version.

 

[Alexandra100]

According to WebMD there is a black list advisory of foods that are also contraindicated when taking Trulicity, but there is a copyright notice out on it, and the information cannot be released to the public domain.

This is SO shocking, but not surprising, given the history of skulduggery recounted by Dr Bernstein which for so long deprived diabetics of the testing and control we so value now.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Thank you all, really must update my notes. I'm the sort of person who reads too much about everything, so knowing about possible connections about pancreatic cancer (read that a while ago) I'm not in favour of taking Trulicity. My GP is OK with that and as I had explained to her about my 2019 which wasn't great, she's been very understanding.
One of the problems I had with Victoza was more psychological because my resolve to keep to less than 50gms of carb a day seemed to disappear. Although I wasn't eating any more than a slice or two of bread each day and maybe more fruit than usual, it was enough to push my HbA1c up. Also, my love of meat (therefore more fat) was evident in my total cholesterol. In April it was 4, in December 6.2.
So, 2020 will be back to the drawing board and some severe carb, meat restriction.