Effectiveness of Januvia (Sitagliptin)

[DavidGrahamJones]

I've been taking Januvia for 3 weeks now as my body is quite happy to go without carbs (40gms per day) and must be using fat and protein. I had a ketosis blood test some time ago which showed that my body was in ketosis and I should have been burning fat (in theory). Although my shape change my weight didn't.

Since taking Januvia I have observed that my BG is even worse and even more all over the place, I only have to put food (non carb) in my mouth and up it goes. It's almost as if my insulin resistance has worsened, but until I can get a private test organised, I'll not know.

I have often heard people mention that Metformin doesn't do much, has anyone found that Januvia isn't so good either. I realise we will all have different experiences, just interested in the experience of others.

 

[Chook]

Yes, I took it for over a year. I found that Januvia (Sitagliptin) didn't do anything for me except make me feel ill. When I stopped taking it nothing much happened to my BS but I did gain a bit of weight because the nausea and vomiting had gone and I felt more enthusiastic about food.

 

[Oldvatr]

I've been taking Januvia for 3 weeks now as my body is quite happy to go without carbs (40gms per day) and must be using fat and protein. I had a ketosis blood test some time ago which showed that my body was in ketosis and I should have been burning fat (in theory). Although my shape change my weight didn't.

Since taking Januvia I have observed that my BG is even worse and even more all over the place, I only have to put food (non carb) in my mouth and up it goes. It's almost as if my insulin resistance has worsened, but until I can get a private test organised, I'll not know.

I have often heard people mention that Metformin doesn't do much, has anyone found that Januvia isn't so good either. I realise we will all have different experiences, just interested in the experience of others.

The Wikipedia entry is interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitagliptin

Personally it did nothing for me after 3 months attempted use.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

The Wikipedia entry is interesting.

Thank you for that. I took the decision not to read up on side effects for the first two weeks so as not to affect the way I felt. I initially felt awful and I kept a note of what I was feeling. They were all on the side effects in my BNF. I now think I've given it a fair crack of the whip. I'm not sure what's next, Gliclazide? Seems to be like cracking a nut with a sledge hammer as before Januvia I could manage several hours with a BG of 6 - 7, with Januvia it's always in double figures and never after a meal, but 6 or 7 hours later.

 

[Oldvatr]

Thank you for that. I took the decision not to read up on side effects for the first two weeks so as not to affect the way I felt. I initially felt awful and I kept a note of what I was feeling. They were all on the side effects in my BNF. I now think I've given it a fair crack of the whip. I'm not sure what's next, Gliclazide? Seems to be like cracking a nut with a sledge hammer as before Januvia I could manage several hours with a BG of 6 - 7, with Januvia it's always in double figures and never after a meal, but 6 or 7 hours later.

I have been using Gliclazide for two years now, with success. But it is quite a sledgehammer, as you say, I was on 4x80mg per day but thanks to LCHF I have now reduced to 1 tab a day. Currently this one tab is capable of dropping my bgl by 5 or 6 mmol/l following a low carb meal, so i am considering splitting this dose into 2 to spread the load. So it is actually heap big powerful ju-ju.
It makes no sense for a T2D with IR to take a drug that squeezes more insulin from an already stressed pancreas just to force more glucose to be stored away, just to please the HCP's and tick the surgery boxes. So I am LCHF so I can eventually drop it altogther. My GP has already asked me to consider this possibility, but I think I will do the splits first. I actually use spare glic tabs to bolus for high carb intake when I want a treat.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Januvia (Sitagliptin) is a DPP-4 drug. It supresses an enzyme that in turn stops the pancreas producing insulin after a meal. The result is that it extends insulin production. It reduces spikes but doesn't cause hypos. I was on it for a few years and had no side effects. I found it helped a bit when the Gliclazide eventually failed. Are you sure you aren't a late onset T1 in honeymoon and not T2?

 

[Daphne917]

I was on it after my hba1c rose from 48 to 54 when I started taking statins. I came off it about 4 months later due to my hba1c dropping to 41 after I stopped taking statins ( and my DN still wonders why I won't take 'em!)

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Are you sure you aren't a late onset T1 in honeymoon and not T2?

Type II since 1997. Progressed from just Metformin to Rosiglitazone (totally messed me up liver and weight|), back to Metformin, then Gliclazide, then Januvia, the low carb and Gliclazide and Januvia binned, excellent HbA1c for 3 years then disaster last Christmas.

What you say is very interesting, I bet you my GP doesn't know how it really works, I thought it increased insulin production when it had to. I'm going to be trying the Newcastle diet because I've only got to take protein out of my diet anyway. Calorie intake has been down to 1200 cals per day so getting down to 800 (600 in initial trials at Newcastle, 800 considered easier to stick to). Perhaps losing a significant chunk of stubborn superfluous adipose tissue might reduce insulin resistance which seems to be the problem, as suggested by GP last Christmas. At least she has allowed me to try and sort things out with diet, but I really need to be getting these numbers down sooner rather than later.

Exercise is key, fatigue and back ached aren't helping. I'm on my feet till about 3pm every day doing this that and the other so not exactly idle but not going out of my way to exercise hard. I'm no stranger to the pool or gym, just need to control pain. As Jo Brand once said when advised to do something that would make her get out of breath. I might start "smoking" again.