Benfotiamine

Manogwent

Well-Known Member
Messages
63
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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carling lager
Hi, Soundgen, i got my tabs from amazon ,120 x 80mg for £12 with P&P, i started 1 x tabs am and pm daily, did for a week and now upped to 2 x tabs am and pm. so far my BG's seem to be levelling out and not spiking so high but not as low as i would like them to be as i am in 7's again in morning which is why i went on glicalazide. now asking doc to let me try starlix as this sounds better for weight gain which i got with gliclazide as i put a stone on when GP is moaning at me to get it off as i was 6' and 14stone, now 15 stone odd so going wrong way. just checked - 15 stone after 2 mugs of tea and 2 slices toast with just the bare necessitiesof clothing. i also take a B vit cap once a day and 2 caps of B12 for other reasons. is this what i should be doing? mano :?:
 

Manogwent

Well-Known Member
Messages
63
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
carling lager
Hi,All,I have been trying Benfotiamine for 3 weeks now and although it seems that BG levels seem to be evening out,they are still higher than i would like. I am taking 2 x 80 mg AM and PM, eating 2 slices of wholegrain toast with spread and 2 hours later i am over 10. I am going to persevere with this 'aid' as i do have problems with feet although not neuropathy, Plantarfascitis ? inflammation of the gristle in my feet, makes them burn and sting and be painful so can't walk too far without resting.Talked to GP about Benfotiamine and he is ok with me trying it. I cut the Gliclazide back to half tab and i am back to high 7's and 8's in AM. Any way saw GP yesterday and i can try Starlix for a few weeks to see if any better as 15.5 stone with clothes on is not could for me. Any comments/ suggestions would be appreciated. :roll: :roll:
 

cugila

Master
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Hi MoG.

If I was you I would ditch the supplement AND cut back on the bread/toast. Get those levels back down again. Try a less carby breakfast.
 

Soundgen

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
The reason that I knew about Benfotiamine was my friend Gerry who is a Type 1 diabetic ( for ever ) and also a coeliac , he has neuropathy and has had 15 eye operations relating to retinopathy ( he didn't pay any attention to BG levels when young ) . Whenever I saw in print or the BBC etc anything relating to diabetes , I kept and printed a copy for him and also sent details to other friends who had diabetic friends , so when I was diagnosed as having diabetes decided to take benfotiamine ASAP . Surprisingly it reduced my 2 hour BG by up to 50% . It also immediately ammeliorated my neuropathy . further internet research led me to MethylB12 , these two supplements have reduced the neuropathy to nearly zero . I also used to get drowsy in the afternoons , now no drowsiness . I didn't realise this was a diabetic problem until Gerry said it was . I also had other slight long term medical problems together with neuropathy , slight bleeding nose , itching and skin infections , ALL of these have remitted since taking these producsts .

My friend Gerry didn't take the advice in the BBC article until now when I have described the changes in my health . he is now taking both Benfotiamine and methylB12 after discussing both products with his GP and also his hospital consultant , neither had heard of Benfotiamine ( ostrich with head in sand comes to mind ) but they said as it is "only B1 and B12 it shouldn't be a problem "

So he has started taking both , 80 mg Benfotiamine twice a day and 1,000mg MethylB12 every other day , he said the results were startling , he said he could feel a change in his blood flow , his muscles became tight , unpleasantly so and talked to his brother who he knew took methylB12 for anaemia , the cure for the tightness was a Magnesium supplement , he also said that his vision became immediately clearer , he aslo felt much more " alive " and at first had problems getting to sleep

All of the changes were unquantifiable , they were just feelings , AND he had no changes in his blood sugar levels , but he felt so much better he intends to continue
 

Soundgen

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
Better still use the search form on the main home page , this produces many Google ads for it , which presumably when you click on them generate income for the site owners and help pay for the site being here , it has to be the home page search though as the Search on other pages doesn't seem to do the same thing for some reason
 
C

catherinecherub

Guest
For anyone thinking of taking B vitamins and supplements, please read pages 1 and 2 of the website below. There are health factors that need to be taken into consideration and whilst there may be no risk to one person there can be for another. Supplements are like medication as there can be side effects.

http://www.acu-cell.com/bx.html
 

graham64

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From CC's link.

Anyone suffering from low blood sugar episodes should avoid larger amounts of Vitamin B6 and C,
which can cause blood sugar to drop even more, but they are generally helped with extra niacinamide

Thanks for the link Catherine, seeing I don't suffer from Hypoglycemia this warrants futher investigation :D .

Take care
Graham
 
C

catherinecherub

Guest
Thanks for highlighting that Graham. Something for insulin dependant diabetics to be aware of.

There are risk factors including,
Biotin. "Reduced/slow release insulin, increased Vit C requirements, skin eruptions, increased blood sugars......
B12. Can cause folic acid related anemia if low, numbness or tingling in R arm or R side of face, anxieties, panic attacks, heart palpitations, insomnia etc..........

Before taking up any supplements it is advisable to do some research into possible side effects and any interactions with prescribed medication.
 

Soundgen

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
If vitamin supplements such as B1 or C cause BG level reductions surely this implies a shortage of these vitamins and that the correct response would be to take the supplement and reduce your other medication( insulin or other ) to compenaste , it seems to me that vitamins are better than meds !
 

sugarless sue

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Soundgen, this is the best place for your thread if you read the definition of this particular part of the forum.

To accompany a new rich media content section on Diabetes.co.uk, please use this section of the forum to discuss complementary and alternative remedies and medication to help the mind, body and spirit. These don't have to be diabetes-related, so long as they are of use to the diabetic community.

We have been ' tidying' up threads and redirecting them to the most appropriate parts of the forum.
 

Patch

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,981
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
soundgen said:
If vitamin supplements such as B1 or C cause BG level reductions surely this implies a shortage of these vitamins and that the correct response would be to take the supplement and reduce your other medication( insulin or other ) to compenaste , it seems to me that vitamins are better than meds !

Hell yeah!!! Vitamins are NOT EXPENSIVE. Most other meds ARE!
 

Ardbeg

Well-Known Member
Messages
654
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Self serving politicians
Just waded my way right through this thread, including all the weblinks along the way.

(NOTE TO SELF - you need to get out more) :twisted:

I have eye trouble, kidney problems and pain in my hands and feet. All the reports and testimonials on the various weblinks are positive, but some on this forum are not. Is anyone on the forum actually taking this supplement and if so what results are you getting?

Thanks.