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Coming off medications

Celeriac

Celeriac

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,065
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Although the charity Diabetes UK helpfully told the media that diabetes would bankrupt the NHS, looking at the prices the NHS pays for drugs, I think if they quit handing them out like M&Ms, it would probably help.

After reading about Sitagliptin, I was pretty sure that because I'm only just into Overweight now, and my BG is stable between 4 something and 6 something over 90% of the time, that it wasn't working for me.That the probability is that I'm getting the side effects, without the benefits.

My.GP who puts up with my non-conventional behaviour, is used to me experimenting. I think he realises that he ain't gonna stop me, so he tells me very firmly, to test.

I discovered that much as I'd like to be drug-free, that it isn't going to happen. If I miss my morning Metformin, my BG starts to rise. I can manage a weekend without Metformin, but by Monday lunchtime it's not looking good and then of course I get Metformin's Revenge.

I'm now really really good about taking my Metformin. I also believe that it does have a lot of benefits, beyond BG.

But when I tried going without Sitagliptin, nothing happened . to my BG numbers at all.

I'm testing a lot at the moment and if my BG starts to rise, I'll be straight back on it. I won't take risks with my eyes.

I don't advocate people messing with their prescriptions - my GP and I discuss my drugs together and I wouldn't start using a supplement or even a herb/spice in greater quantities than I would in cooking, without consulting him.

So for those who lowered their medications did you do it after checking on withdrawal symptoms, did you suggest it to GP, did GP suggest it ? Did you get any negative effects ? Positives ?

If going without Sitagliptin continues to work, I'll use the money saved by the practice as additional leverage for asking for test strips ;)
 
I tried to come off the gliclizide after reducing it down from max dose to 40mg twice a day. My numbers slowly crept up again even with less than 30g a day carbs, went back onto it eventually as I just couldn't get numbers down and found the optimum lowest carb for me with the glic to keep my numbers low but avoiding hypos was 80 - 90g of carb.

It's a ashamed I couldn't ditch it completely but I am happier on that dose with those carbs and getting a HBa1c of 5.8% than being free of the drug and getting up to the high 6s for my HB1ac.

I sometimes see posters say go low carb and you there will be no need for meds but it's not always as simple as that, some of us are further down the line than that, I reckon I was diabetic for a good number of years before I was diagnosed and this is the main reason I still need the glic

I did it with the knowledge of my GP practice
 
Celeriac said:
Although the charity Diabetes UK helpfully told the media that diabetes would bankrupt the NHS, looking at the prices the NHS pays for drugs, I think if they quit handing them out like M&Ms, it would probably help.

After reading about Sitagliptin, I was pretty sure that because I'm only just into Overweight now, and my BG is stable between 4 something and 6 something over 90% of the time, that it wasn't working for me.That the probability is that I'm getting the side effects, without the benefits.

My.GP who puts up with my non-conventional behaviour, is used to me experimenting. I think he realises that he ain't gonna stop me, so he tells me very firmly, to test.

I discovered that much as I'd like to be drug-free, that it isn't going to happen. If I miss my morning Metformin, my BG starts to rise. I can manage a weekend without Metformin, but by Monday lunchtime it's not looking good and then of course I get Metformin's Revenge.

I'm now really really good about taking my Metformin. I also believe that it does have a lot of benefits, beyond BG.

But when I tried going without Sitagliptin, nothing happened . to my BG numbers at all.

I'm testing a lot at the moment and if my BG starts to rise, I'll be straight back on it. I won't take risks with my eyes.

I don't advocate people messing with their prescriptions - my GP and I discuss my drugs together and I wouldn't start using a supplement or even a herb/spice in greater quantities than I would in cooking, without consulting him.

So for those who lowered their medications did you do it after checking on withdrawal symptoms, did you suggest it to GP, did GP suggest it ? Did you get any negative effects ? Positives ?

If going without Sitagliptin continues to work, I'll use the money saved by the practice as additional leverage for asking for test strips ;)
Click to expand...
Is your doctor going to do a hba1c test after 3 months? I took Sitagliptin for about 6-9 months after the statins that I was taking pushed my hba1c up from 48 to 54. When I came off the statins it dropped to 42 and at my August check last year I asked whether I could stop taking the Sitagliptin and rely on diet only. My DN agreed but decided to do a hba1c after 3 months just to check all was well. Last December my hba1c was 41 and this July it was 36.
 
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