Glucose Absorbtion Inhibitors Farxiga etc..

Hi,

I was on metformin, lost 1.5 stone. but didn't help lower readings much so was given gliclazide too.
In a few months I put the 1.5 stone back on and slowly kept putting weight on around torso.

So did lot of research.. and initially asked for GLP-1 weekly injections but was told they didn't exist and it was daily.
Didn't fancy that idea or injecting really and found out about Glucose Absorption Inhibitors.

One was approved for use in the UK. Farxiga.

After some critical 'feedback' my surgery did agree for me to trial it.

Been on it for 8 months and have some feedback.

The liver removes blood sugar from the blood during its cleansing of the blood. So the urea is full of sugar.
Of course that is wasteful in the biological sense so the body reabsorbs the glucose when processing the urea into urine.
Farxiga works by blocking the body from reabsorbing all the glucose. Not all of it about 1/3 I believe.

Result is that your urine is sugary/soapy and your blood sugar level goes down.
Sort of like punching a hole in your fuel tank.
Also you have to drink a lot and pee a lot.
Your blood pressure goes down due to your higher fluid intake.

That's the pros.
Of course that means you wake up after few hours needing to pee.
You have to drink quite a lot of water.. Lots of Tea and Coffee just won't be enough.
I found that the redness/ache/swelling/poor circ. in my left leg I had with gliclazide disappeared.
My urine went soapy but was yellow and felt/smelt normal again.

Negative.
Didn't drink one day until lunch and my back started to itch like crazy.. thought I had fleas.
Did a test and I had 30... drank 1 litre of water and 10 mins later tested and I was 13.
After about 4 months of constant use I felt rather ill, developed Plantar Fasciitis or perhaps rather tendonosis
my knees, shoulders, base of skull hurt.
Did the blood test, antibiotics etc no avail. so I decided myself to stop taking Farxiga to see if that was the cause..
Slowly my pains got less after about a week just my heel hurt but not as much.

Now I take one day a week off and use just Metformin if I can and a gliclazide if needed.
Think the constant exchanging of body fluid isn't healthy in the long run.
I am getting lower glucose levels tho.

One other thing I am trying is Probiotics with meals and drinking Kefir before a meal. It does seem to lower things a bit.
Not that good at eating right food, but I do believe the gut bacteria theories are more logical than the official ones.
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/555792/Simple-pill-could-spell-the-end-for-diabetes-agony

The Lactobacillus acidophilus is the one found to make the upper intestine function better and produce GLP-1.
It's found in Live Greek yoghurt, and in 'Kefir' but not in any probiotic drink I have seen.
Kefir is drunk a lot in Scandinavia and Iceland and in east European countries, where diabetes is not as common as in UK.
Kefir has an interesting story with a russian female spy being kidnapped by Turkish Prince/Sultan and the Tsar then ordering him to give Russia the secret of Kefir.
http://www.kefir.biz/history.htm

To get Kefir in UK go to Tesco they sell a milk Kefir drink and a Kefir yoghurt both from Poland.
Use it instead of cream, yogurt etc. It is bit sour and has a 'zing' to it due to the alcohol I guess ~1%
Great with Nachos, cheese & chill con carne.
Also great in leek soup.
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=278297723

Lived off just leek/cabbage soup no bread for 3 days. Still woke up with 13 if not on meds and went to 18 after having soup.
Think the longer I have used metformin the less effect it has which wasn't that much in the beginning.
Did lose weight (1.5stone) but put that down to the metformin rush effect.

Had back problems since '95 and really bad in 2002. After 3months of increasing agony and paying £100 to see private surgeon for 10mins, I managed to convince my NHS GP to prescribe Doxycycline 100 mg and 2 tablets later all the pain had gone.
But never quite got 'back' muscles to work probably,
Constantly tweaked a nerve and back would go out.
Spent thousands on Chiropractors to nudge pelvis/back into place. Recommend McTimothy Chiro, much better than Palmer Chiro.
That was until I was prescribed metformin. One tablet a day makes muscles work/react and I can bend down without my brain blocking me from doing so.
Cycling is effortless like when I was younger, not a trek up everest.
Understandable really, as that is what metformin actually does. It increases AMPK.
Athletes/body builders use it to lose weight, increase muscle workouts .
They should trial it with people suffering from back problems along with doxycycline.

I think I was prediabetic for 5-10yrs before diagnosed as diabetic.
Had **** GPs at my local surgery, so went elsewhere.

Afraid I'm not that keen on veg. I can do veg soup, but it does get boring.
I have done a lot of tests on what food make me surge.. Just about all.
I did find semi skimmed milk was worse than Full milk so now drink full milk rather than semi skimmed.
UK bread is not good for sugar but I try to buy seeded and not have much. Now just have bacon, eggs, mushrooms with no bread.
Also eat oats in morning. Microwave some rolled oats with milk and stevia.
Tried to find steel cut oats but can't. Stopped buying packet porridge, especially the ones with sugar induced fruit. ?
When I was working used to eat apples a lot and drank water.
Find if I exercise I go up 3-4 afterwards and stay hi for a while.
The lowest I get is 8-9 after taking meds and not eating.
I do not feel that bad. On gliclazide my left foot was red and felt sore, but Fariga stopped that.

Read a lot about gut bacteria and diabetes. I do not think medicine really know much about it. Just best guesses and observations.
The first metformin killed more than it helped and was banned.
I guess Farxiga isn't the best either (has pancreatic cancer as 'possible' side effect).
Originally I did ask for weekly GLP-1 injections to stop using gliclazide which was making me put on weight.
(Funny how GPs give you meds to lose weight with meds to put it on)
The GP gave me incorrect answers and told me it was daily injections.
After some feedback to the surgery, he saw me a second time with another GP sitting in and begrudgingly agreed to let me trial Farxiga and also get testing strips on prescription.

In regards Doxycycline, I am starting to suspect having my gut bacteria wiped out with antibiotics might have something to do with putting on weight, becoming diabetic.

I have had the advice from diabetic nurse
Eat veg, low GI foods and often, 3+ bowls a day etc.
Cut out potatoes, bread, starchy foods, eggs, full milk etc.

Well I found eggs do not increase sugar level, but semi skimmed milk does with me.
Found out green/yellow Bananas are quite good for you as they contain restricted starch as do cold potatoes.
The more times you heat and cool potatoes they less starch is digested by upper gut.
Tried asparagus/Chicory but can't stand the smell/taste. Do drink Camp coffee tho.
Have tried to have days with just porridge, leek or mushroom soup. Still get high sugars just not so high.
Also take probiotics tablets and now drink glass of Kefir before meals.
Found out that taking meds/metformin 1/2hr before meals is better than with a meal too.
Takes about 1/2 hr for tablets to start dispensing.

What I like about Farxiga is if my sugar does go up, I drink more water and it lowers it.
Of course I am trying to find meals/ways of lowering my initial sugar levels but if you are overweight/diabetic I think you body will produce the sugar no matter what you eat until you get rid of your excess visceral fat.

My main goal is to lose weight, not become non diabetic. Mainly for quality of life.
Hopefully will do both.
We all die someday..why worry.

Had Control Systems at tech college, and in my opinion Diabetes 2 is a Control system out of whack.
To me it looks likes there is not one Control System just like in modern building ventilation there are a few.
Bit like a PID regulator.
The discovery that the upper gut actually is part of a healthy blood glucose 'control system' and it is OFF in people with mellitus is pointing to a better understanding of Diabetes.
also the lower gut is
I think we have a much closer connection with our gut bacteria than accepted medicine thinks.


Wonder how many diabetic people have back (degenerated disc), skin, auto immune problems.
Seen a few posts about other illnesses.
Is there a questionnaire option on diabetes.co.uk?

Nice to see you have 'cured' your diabetes.. and didn't fall for Statin hysteria.
Statin side effects include diabetes, weight gain yet they prescribe it to everyone and then tell you to lose weight.
This is interesting
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/11/gut-biology-health-bacteria-future-medicine

Not on Carb diet, but on low GI.
Oats, bananas etc are low GI, but I eat it more to try to change my gut flora. It also stops me from getting hungry so quickly after breakfast.
Ready meals porridge does increase BS as they have added sugar, but just plain oats shouldn't.
If you don't tolerate milk, the lactose in milk will raise BS.
I tolerate milk and if I spit in milk it solidifies quickly. Being part Scandinavian helps.
I am trying not to eat too much bread, potatoes etc.
Will start eating more cold potato since I learnt that they are good for butyle producing bacteria in the lower gut.
Along with Leek, Onion, Tomato, brown long grain rice, Popcorn.
Trying to increase exercise, that also raises my BS without eating, so now I know to eat an apple before.
Recently bought a turbo trainer so I can do better exercise at home.

I don't think life is meant to be one long diet, so I'm going to just see what I can do to steer my eating habits into a better one for my gut.
I love dairy always have, love bacon, eggs etc.
Taking probiotics have helped reduce my levels in GP's blood tests. My BS jojos using a meter but I've gotten used to that, and I don't feel too bad even with 14-16 after eating.
in 2007/8 I was falling asleep at work. That doesn't happen anymore and my BS is probably higher.

Must admit the Kefir does seem to be working. My BS isn't going as high after eating if I drink some kefir first.
Mind you I get same effect if I took spoonfull of JaiggerMeister before meals.


I think diabetes is unique for everyone. What works for one person doesn't for another.

Maybe, maybe not..

If I was going to stay on a low carb for a long time I would at least pay for a gut flora check to make sure I wasn't replacing diabetes with another possible illness. IBS and C diff are lot worse.

I'm sure low carb will work for some and not for others.

http://humanfoodproject.com/sorry-low-carbers-your-microbiome-is-just-not-that-into-you/

I have bmi of 40, so losing weight isn't quite as easy. also have foot drop and L4/L5/S1 disc degeneration.
Not keen on gastric op or any op.
Atkins/low carb is just not for me. I am tired enough without losing more energy.
I think cycling/veg soup/kefir/probiotics is a slower more certain way for me.