confusion on Glucophage

[Elixers]

During pregnancy 21 years ago developed diabetes, soon after giving birth ( following day) blood sugars turned back to normal however was warned it could come back. It did with a vengeance! Was originally told to control with diet when that wasnt working was told to go straight onto insulin, that was 14 years ago. In all honesty i wasnt controlling my sugars at all probably as i was not educated enough by doctors on the effect it could have on me if i didnt control it. Since i was put on the insulin 14years ago i have been on various types of insulin, from injecting 2x daily to 3 x daily now im injecting 2x daily with novo mix 30 and told to use 30 units morning and 20 units at night. ive also been advised to combine it with metformin 850mg 3 x daily, which combined i started to develope hypos few times in the day. So i took it upon myself to reduce the insulin in the morning to 25 units, which proved successful. By the way on insulin alone from the beginning i noticed a great increase in weight which i mentioned to the doctors, was told had to live with it as it was side effects from insulin and just monitor what i eat. Side effects of metformin was severe as i has stomach upsets and flatdulence big time! Again decided to reduce metform to 1 daily at night controlled my diet in one month alone lost 18 kg ( is that normal in such short time?) . Now the other day visited doctor and was told i should increase my insulin back to 30 units and now have been given glucophage 500mg sr one daily and to increase dosage after 2 weeks to 2 daily. my hbc is 9.7 in april was 11 so i know its getting better. I have not taken the doctors advice to increase the insulin as i know weight will start to increase again. my blood sugars have been controlled pretty well. I have been also told that im insulin resistance and they still cant diagnose me if im insulin type 1 or 2 . scrolling on what ive just written it does sound a little confusing i know but i really would like some help here from diabetic sufferes as i feel they probably know more, can any one help?

 

[hanadr]

Developing diabetes after having had gestational diabetes, usually means type 1 or one of the others that are usually diagnosed type 1 (MODY or LADA) If it presents as type 1 they won't bother to find out if it's one of the others. If you're insulin resistant at the same time, that's why they've put you on to Glucophage otherwise called Metformin. Metformin acts against insulin resistance. it does often cause "tummy grumbles" , but you adjust to it. you can help yourself with it by taking it half way through your meal. If that still doesn't help in a few weeks, you can ask your doctor for the slow release form, which is less "Grumbly", so I'm told. I've been using the ordinary one for 5 years trouble free. Your doctor is right, insulin is what puts weight on, but it does so by processing the carbohydrates you eat. So you can control your numbers better and your weight by dropping the intake of carbohydrates. If you're still eating sugary stuff. Get rid of it! also cut back on bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals. We know that's what many dieticians recommend as the basis of your diet, but it doesn't work! Even our own Ally5555 admits to getting her patients to cut back. Lastly cut out junk foods and reduce portions. If you do it a bit at a time, you'll get used to it. As you cut back on food, you'll find you need to cut the insulin too. Keep testing and if your BGs keep going too low, you'll know to do that. While you're adapting, it might be a good idea to carry glucose tabs in case of a hypo.
Hope there's something there you can use

 

[Elixers]

Thank you so much for your reply. I have now started the Prolonged release Metformin its been 3 days now as before i was on metformin 850mg. I also explained to the doctor that i recently returned from italy after spending a month with friends and i reduced my carbs considerably hence the reduction in weight. Before leaving for Italy on the 3rd of June weighed 114kg. Friday just gone was weighed again coming in at 97kg. And that was due to better diet monitering and leaving carbs out altogether. However doctor insists that i should be eating carbs in my diet. I totally agree with you that dieticians are not always right, and to a degree should follow my own instinct on this matter. Dont suffer with a sweet tooth at all, however have the urge every month when due for my cycle. still not sure what my weight should be, i am 5ft 9. I had noticed by cutting down portions and thecarbs i was reducing insulin by 5 units so far and im sure i can do more, this i believe was due to the past being in denial but now having excepted that i am diabetic and left untreated what the consiquences are its petrifying to say the least. I still feel though i have alot to learn about this disease , i do from time to time look for the subject on google but some sites frighten the life out of me when you read the stuuf they say about it , probably thats one of the reasons in the past i was in denial about it.

 

[hanadr]

I am slightly shorter than you. I'm a 61 year old woman and aiming my weight to get down to 75 kg. so somewhere between there and 80Kg should be about right for that extra inch.( or look up a BMI website and calculate it) I have taken a year to get down from 107 to 89.5. I estimate it's going to take another year. I've done it by low carbing. Doctors tell you to eat carbs. Ignore it, you don't need them. Read Gary Taubes "diet deception" and Richard Bernsteins Diabetes Solution. Bernstein is a doctor specialising in treating diabetes and a lifelong diabetic himself. Taubes is a medical journalist, who did a most scholarly search(took years) of what has actually been investigated and published in peer reviewed journals about Healthy Eating. Most doctors in this country are VERY slow to take on board the latest knowledge about diabetic diet and follow the old idea that if you don't eat carbs, you will eat too much fat and probably die of cardio-vascular diseae.
There is evidence that diabetics are very vulnerable to CV disease, but I can't find figures to show what effect the advice on eating a high carb diet has had on mortality from CVD. Until about 20 years ago the advice for diabetics was to restrict carbs. After all it makes sense not to eat what you can't process. The "eat whatever you fancy and take shedloads of medication" route doesn't make sense to me.