Avoiding Tablets

[Dicky_Davis]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me. I have type 2 diabetes and am very reluctant to go onto tablets. is there something I can do to avoid them?

 

[PerfectStorm]

Hi. I'm a type 2 and am controlling it with diet, like many on this site i'm doing that by eating low carb.

@daisy1 provides some useful info for newbies

 

[Brunneria]

Type 2s are usually prescribed meds when their blood glucose rises too high.
there is a progression of meds given when/if diabetes progresses, so people usually start off on just diet and exercise, and if that fails to control blood glucose, then they are usually offered Metformin. If that blood glucose levels are still not controlled, other drugs are offered right up to insulin which has to be injected.

The good news is that a lot of type 2s manage to control their blood glucose very well by changing their diet and increasing their activity levels, although of course this is not always possible.

Can you tell us a little about your circumstances, so we can hopefully give some suggestions that will work for you personally?

How long have you been diagnosed?
What was your HbA1c blood test result?
What meds has your doctor suggested you take?

 

[Squire Fulwood]

The difficulty is that if you just say that you don't want to take them then you may be thought of as uncooperative. I took the tablets in the beginning but took an active interest in the results they achieved. Adverse side effects and ineffective tablets resulted in me being pill free for a couple of years. I take a beta blocker at the moment to see if it improves my not so very high blood pressure.

The bottom line is that nobody can force you to take tablets but be diplomatic about it. You may be visiting your DN for years and you don't want it to be unpleasant.

 

[daisy1]

@Dicky_Davis

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. The sections on diet and carbs will be especially useful to you. Ask more questions 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 150,000 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.

 

[Dicky_Davis]

Type 2s are usually prescribed meds when their blood glucose rises too high.
there is a progression of meds given when/if diabetes progresses, so people usually start off on just diet and exercise, and if that fails to control blood glucose, then they are usually offered Metformin. If that blood glucose levels are still not controlled, other drugs are offered right up to insulin which has to be injected.

The good news is that a lot of type 2s manage to control their blood glucose very well by changing their diet and increasing their activity levels, although of course this is not always possible.

Can you tell us a little about your circumstances, so we can hopefully give some suggestions that will work for you personally?

How long have you been diagnosed?
What was your HbA1c blood test result?
What meds has your doctor suggested you take?

 

[Dicky_Davis]

Thank you all for your great support. I have had diabetes for about 8 years,never taken any sort of medication. I was also in denial, and I was eating anything and everything, especially sweets as I have a sweet tooth. I went to my doctor about a month ago and he randomly fid a blood test and it came up at 21. That was a wake up call, since then I have been on a low carbon diet and exercise. My sugars today was 9.3