If I use various herbs to control diabk99

friendly9 said:

Or is it correct to use herbs and metformin at the same time?

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You need to stick to one or the other either the Metformin or the herbs, not both together, as you will never know which is helping you with your T2.

Hi @friendly9 ,

Welcome to the forum.

How long have you been diabetic?
What is your HbA1c?

You would need to discus any potential medication changes with your Doctor..

friendly9 said:

I have been using 1-2 table spoons bitter gourd raw crushed with water when I eat or drink something sweet. I noticed that when I only use metformin, it does not prevent my blood sugar level to rise if I eat sweet things, although it does help for regular food of rice or bread.

I have frozen raw bitter gourd crushed it tiny pieces & keep it for later use when I need it

In my country Mauritius, there are two varieties of bitter gourd , one is a small variety that very bitter, and other that that grows to a much larger size (I 've been told that this variety originates from china) is a lot less bitter.
Do you or any one knows whether the more bitter the bitter gourd is, the more effective it is to lower blood sugar levels?

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Are you testing your blood sugar levels at home?

HbA1c of 6.2 is very good but how long ago was it done? And do you have any other conditions, such as high blood pressure?

friendly9 said:

I don't have any blood pressure problems, just erection problems, difficult to get one & even then can't keep it for long. I do blood tests from time to time. just tested a few hrs ago about 3 hrs after dinner I ate sphaggetti boiled & fried like fried noodles & bitter gourd with chicken, didnot use metformin this time, and results was 5.4

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Have you discussed the erection problems with your doctor?

If you test your blood sugar before a meal then 2 hours after, you'll get a more useful result.

friendly9 said:

Yes I did , I asked tried to buy Viagra, at pharmacy was told I need prescription, consulted a doctor for it, he had me do a heart test(echocardiogram), results ok, doctor at dispensary refused to give me a prescription, had to go to a private doctor(paying ) to get one. According to instructions Viagra need to be consumed 30 mins before the act to be effective.

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Thanks for the info but I don't quite understand the way things work where you live. Are you saying you don't want to try Viagra because it has to be taken 30 mins before you want it to take effect? There's another drug called Cialis which last for 36 hours and doesn't "do it's thing" the whole time. My ex husband used it and it was much better than Viagra. (He didn't have diabetes, it was due to another condition). I don't know what either of them cost. In NZ the government health system funds both drugs for men with diabetes.

In any case, the reason diabetic men with erection problems are recommended to see their doctor isn't just to go straight to medication, although it often is prescribed, and I think that's a good thing. As I understand it, it's so the doctor can look into the problem to make sure there's not some other medical issue causing it and do give the man an overall check up too.

Women can also get sexual dysfunction as a result of diabetes or other conditions. It's all a very sensitive subject and often not easy to talk about. While women obviously don't have the same issues men have, they can have difficulty with libido, lubrication, muscle spams, difficulty reaching climax, pain on climax, to name a few.

I think there are probably things that a doctor can suggest that can help both men and women who have these issues. I hope you find some answers soon.

friendly9 said:

I have been using 1-2 table spoons bitter gourd raw crushed with water when I eat or drink something sweet. I noticed that when I only use metformin, it does not prevent my blood sugar level to rise if I eat sweet things, although it does help for regular food of rice or bread.

I have frozen raw bitter gourd crushed it tiny pieces & keep it for later use when I need it

In my country Mauritius, there are two varieties of bitter gourd , one is a small variety that very bitter, and other that that grows to a much larger size (I 've been told that this variety originates from china) is a lot less bitter.
Do you or any one knows whether the more bitter the bitter gourd is, the more effective it is to lower blood sugar levels?

Click to expand...

The more bitter it is the more it slow down the rate of gastric emptying. I am not sure if it has other beneficial effects like increasing insulin release or improve insulin sensitivity.