How many meds are you on?

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Jackthehat @Indie Cole
Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 600,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Edited by mod to add in another tag.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Daphne917

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,320
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Levothyroxine 50mg per day and Candasartan 8mg per day.
 

lovinglife

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
4,540
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Just got rid of my gliclizide and ramipril - now only on metformin 500 2 times a day

Considering I started off 10 years ago on insulin - soon dropped after 3 weeks, highest dose gliclizide, statins and ramipril for kidney protection I'm pretty chuffed! :)
 

pixie1

Well-Known Member
Messages
372
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
For diabetes none.
For hypertension I take two meds. This is on going and a pain, I'm on 10mg ramipril,
I should be on 8mg doxazocin, I reduced it down 4mg as I became incontinent if I wasn't able to go to the loo in time. At the lower dosage I do not have this problem.
It's a constant battle to lower my Bp.
I think I have to keep my carbs right down and drink plenty of water to my Bp down.
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
I'm not on any diabetes meds.
I do take one 100mcg Levothyroxene Sodium tablet every day as I have hypothyroidism, and one 20mg Fluoxetine (Prozac) capsule daily to keep depression at bay.
I've just started taking Loratadine tablets for hayfever as the grass pollen season seems to be getting under way.
I do take Omega oil capsules daily, and Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K capsules during the winter.
And I have various vitamin supplements - multivitamins, vitamin B, and zinc tablets which I take from time to time when I remember.
 
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Hiitsme

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,987
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
None

Was on Metformin for about 3 days before GP took me off. He assumed I was going straight onto Insulin.
 
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ally1

Expert
Messages
5,402
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
liver
Metformin and victoza for diabetes
Several others for other conditions
 

Diawara

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,298
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
nothing since june 2018 four months after being diagnosed....
 
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britishpub

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,722
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Prescribed: 500mg Metformin and 5mg Amlodopine

Prescriptions filled: None
 
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Hammer1964

Well-Known Member
Messages
249
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Meat, meat substitutes and fish
Glicazide 40mg x 1 a day, Amlopidine 5mg x 1 a day, Pravastatin 20mg x 1 a day and Lansoprazole 30mg x 1 a day
 
Messages
12
Several for other conditions, but none for my T2D. Doc wanted to prescribe Metformin but I managed to convince him to give me 3 months to prove I didn't need it. Dropped myself from 76 down to 46 in 3 months, and now I seem to have got the hang of LCHF and fasting, I fully expect to be in remission at next test (my meter predicts my hba1c @ 4.6). If successful I want to start removing some of the non-diabetes related meds, or at least reducing them substantially.
 
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LizAnne2015

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
right now politicians - don't care what party.
Metformin 500 (2 morning and 2 evening)
lisinopril
atorvastatin
gabapentin
Omeprazole
ferrous sulphate
amitriptyline
folic acid
Clenil modulite
salbutamol

Probably forgotten something but I think that's it.
 

Severe_Needle_phobia

Well-Known Member
Messages
111
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Been told lies , fake people
Metformin 500mg ( 2morning + 2 evening)
Jardiance 10mg in the morning
Lot of other meds for other problems .
 

JohnEGreen

Master
Messages
13,189
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Tripe and Onions
Pyridostigmine 360 mg daily depending on how I feel sometimes have to double the dose.
Prednisolone 10 mg daily now 15 mg daily
Azathioprine 200 mg daily now on hold till leukocyte levels recover
Losartin potassium 50 mg daily
Alendronic acid 70 mg once a week
Simvastatin 40 mg daily
Lansoprazole 15 mg daily
Ventolin inhaler
Clenil Modulite inhaler
Adcal-D3 3000 mg per day chewable tablets
Soluble Asprin 75 mg per day
Furosemide 20 mg per day
Fluconazole 50 mg daily
Co-Trimoxazole 960 mg per week on Monday then Friday
Folic Acid 5 mg daily
Metformin 500 mg per day

Metformin is the only one for diabetes
 

lucylocket61

Expert
Messages
6,435
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Its been seven years since my diagnosis, and probably pre-diabetic for 10 year before that. I still take no diabetic medication, never have. I was back to non-diabetic levels within 6 months, and apart from a bad year, I have remained non-diabetic.
 
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