Forxiga

[scotmcg71]

Hi everyone,
Looking for advice from anyone on a new drug I’ve been put on.

I’ve been T2 for 6 years (diagnosed at 42) thus far on metformin (2 tabs twice a day) plus one Atorvastatin, Doctor has now added Forxiga, one tablet per day.

I’ve had better control in the past, managed to get down to 48 on Blood Sugar Diet (2017) but have lost a bit of control since then and back up at 70, the carbs have come back in but I have good days and bad days.

My cholesterol has improved, back to 4, and today the doc said I wasn’t seeing any real damage to kidneys, eyes etc. YET. But I have a fatty liver, which having read Mike Mosley is also part of the metabolic syndrome.

Anyway, I’ve been given the additional tablet Forxiga - and my question is would it be safe to go low carb on this? For example doing the protein shakes as in the Newcastle diet? The doc gave me a familiar story, I have a genetic predisposition to diabetes and should take the tablets and live with it, moderate my diet but not too severely...sure you’ll have heard this.

Anyone who can help with their experiences and advice, I’ll be really grateful.

cheers,
Scott

 

[Twisticles]

I'm also on Forxiga (with Diamicron, Victoza and Met).
You're not on any insulin or sulphonylureas, so the risk of hypo is low. However you should be aware of the symptoms just in case.
I think, in terms of SGLT2 inhibitors I see more posts on here regarding Jardiance so you might get more advice searching for that.
I was doing very low carb when my Endo put me on Forxiga, including shakes for breakfast and lunch. I was using Optifast, but that pesky 18g of carbs was spiking me every time, so I switched to a carb-less protein shake. Now I am one meal a day in the evenings and my BG is generally hovering around 5-6mmol!

My endo would only put me on my combination if I used the libre sensors to maintain frequent BG monitoring. If you're low carbing and taking Forxiga you should test frequently.

 

[scotmcg71]

Thanks a lot for the reply, much appreciated! Stay well.

 

[Twisticles]

Thanks a lot for the reply, much appreciated! Stay well.

Are you finger pricking often? I thought I read somewhere on here that NHS guidelines require frequent testing for anyone prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors.

 

[Montrealer]

Hi everyone,
Looking for advice from anyone on a new drug I’ve been put on.

I’ve been T2 for 6 years (diagnosed at 42) thus far on metformin (2 tabs twice a day) plus one Atorvastatin, Doctor has now added Forxiga, one tablet per day.

I’ve had better control in the past, managed to get down to 48 on Blood Sugar Diet (2017) but have lost a bit of control since then and back up at 70, the carbs have come back in but I have good days and bad days.

My cholesterol has improved, back to 4, and today the doc said I wasn’t seeing any real damage to kidneys, eyes etc. YET. But I have a fatty liver, which having read Mike Mosley is also part of the metabolic syndrome.

Anyway, I’ve been given the additional tablet Forxiga - and my question is would it be safe to go low carb on this? For example doing the protein shakes as in the Newcastle diet? The doc gave me a familiar story, I have a genetic predisposition to diabetes and should take the tablets and live with it, moderate my diet but not too severely...sure you’ll have heard this.

Anyone who can help with their experiences and advice, I’ll be really grateful.

cheers,
Scott

Been on Sandoz for 6 weeks......down from 21.5 to 12.5 in 6 weeks.......3 tabs per day..."working for me

 

[ringi]

There is a risk of DKA at normal BG levels if Forxiga is combined with very low carb. Hence insure you know the symptoms of DKA, also keep hydration good as dehydration increases the risk of DKA.

If there is any possibility of DKA you need to quickly get a blood ketone test and get to A&E quickly if the ketones are very high. Hence having your own blood ketone meter would be sensible.

 

[scotmcg71]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I did use test strips a lot in the years following diagnosis and found they helped with control but it became really expensive to test all the time for me. However, with the new tablet I’ve invested in a supply of both glucose and ketone strips to keep tabs. Two days in and I’m feeling generally okay, albeit a little bit light headed at times and the first day there were frequent and longer visits to the loo! I am trying to limit carbs more this week too, but perhaps not too drastically at this stage given all the comments on DKA. The Doctor who prescribed this new tablet did not mention anything about that at all.

 

[ringi]

albeit a little bit light headed at times

You may need to increase your salt intake.