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Is anyone on oral meds and insulin?

lcarter

Well-Known Member
Hi.

I’m a type 2, but I’m not 100% convinced as I was apparently a type 1 for 11 years (I feel like I’m in-between the two) and I am on:

25mg Empagliflozin x 1 a day

Glucophage SR 1000mg tablets x 2 a day

Levemier insulin 10 units x 2 a day

Fiasp insulin with carb counting with each meal.

I’ve asked to be referred to the consultant as my levels are anything between 12-20 most days.

I tried keto for a few months and my levels were still high.

I just wondered if anyone takes similar meds to me and I’m curious what kind of diet you do and how your levels are?

Thank you.
 
I take oral medication, as well as insulin:
1000mg metformin
25 mg Jardiance
40u Tresiba
Variable scale Novorapid.

My blood sugar level was really not controlled very well until about 4 years ago when I started following a low carb eating regime. Nowadays, my blood sugar levels are mostly between 4 and 7, unless I eat some carb rich food such as bread or fries. Then I have to inject some novorapid to neutralize the carbs.
 

Thanks for replying.

That’s great! So you’re okay doing low carb along with the Jardiance? I was advised against it.
 
I am not negatively impacted by Jardiance, but some of my friends have had nasty side-effects. My urine has a higher sugar content, as i notice sometimes after a few days a black ring start to develop in the toilet bowl. Bacteria feeding on the sugar in my urine. Also, I am using the Libre system (perhaps obsessively), so I would know virtually immediately if my blood sugar starts doing funny things.
 


Hi,

I've been diagnosed diabetic for approximately 13 yrs. now. It's possible that I was diabetic previous to that.
My kind pharmacist, and previously an optometrist (20 yrs. ago) knew I was diabetic or in the case of optometrist checking retina, at least pre-diabetic. My pharmacist checked me at 30.

At first dx:

Metformin 3000mg

Glubutride (forget dose)
--------------------------------------------

As diabetes progessed, past 5 yrs:

Humulin N insulin starting at 10, now 46 max. according to feedback

Glyclazide 80mg

Metformin 600 mg (reduced; don't know why) "Yours is not to reason why, yours is but to do and die." black humour

Lots of other meds for other conditions.

I used a meter and try to eat accordingly. I do tend to overcompensate during hypos, which are rarer than hyperclycemia numbers.
 
I take metformin and insulin, I also believe I am somewhere in between or have multiple types.

Diet is either medium, low or very low, broken up by spells of junk, I’m a terrible diabetic who deserves everything coming to me. Not proud of myself. Feel totally defeated by it all.

Effort doesn’t seem to equal success.

Started a new leaf today… again.

I hope you find some answers.
 
Fenn said:
Diet is either medium, low or very low, broken up by spells of junk, I’m a terrible diabetic who deserves everything coming to me. Not proud of myself. Feel totally defeated by it all.
Click to expand...

Please don't beat yourself up by occasional (or not so occasional) lapses in control/diet. It's easy to feel discouraged by the diet controlled T2s on here who achieve non diabetic hba1c and never see a double digit blood sugar. For those of us on insulin (whether T1 or T2), that's not a realistic comparison, and we learn to groan at the highs and try again another day/week/momth/year. No one deserves to be diabetic and no one deserves to get diabetic complications. (Though considering some of the blood sugars I've run over the last 50 years, I could argue that I am very lucky to still be mostly complication free, yes, I've got a bit of retinopathy that hasn't yet needed treatment.)
It's easy to blame yourself for random highs and lows but honestly they happen anyway. Sometimes insulin dosing feels more like an art than a science and the jokes about bgs being affected by the colour of socks worn that morning ring all too true.

Sorry, that was a cross post from a T1 with mild T2 tendencies. I think that T2s on insulin have a difficult time because they don't seem to get a lot of help on dosing and they don't seem to get the automatic referral to a consultant that T1s get. @lcarter, did you have a hospital referral when you were changed over from a T1 to T2 diagnosis? I hope you get one now.
 
I rely on my meter. I think experience has taught me some personal feedback. Unfortunately, a recent fall has prevented my exercise routine, but I think this is transient. Tx
 
Hi. I`m on Metformin, Empagliflozin, Humalog Mix25 and Ozempic. Been on tablets for quite some time but only injecting from 2 years ago. Reading between the lines I suspect that you`re not in regular contact with the Hospital Diabetic Dept. Give them a ring and arrange , firstly, an appointment with a Dietician, who can guide you and send you on to the Consultant. I would also recommend " My Fitness Pal " , a phone app that includes a food Diary which reads barcodes and tells you exactly what you`re eating! I`ve cut out all bread products and very rarely eat rice but I have a weakness for potatoes! Lovely things,lol. Boiled seem to be ok and roasties don`t seem to do much harm either.
Use that phone
 

Good afternoon ICarter,
I have been Type 2 now for about 30 years, although it took me 2 years to convince my then Doctor that I was Diabetic.

I have been on Insulin Humilin M3 for about 10 years with 4 Metformin SR daily with Levothyroxine 75 micrograms.

Before starting on Insulin and Metformin SR I was on Glyclazide for 20 years and my Blood Sugars were all over the place- sometimes as high as 24 and I also had frequent Hypos.

It took me some time to regulate my BS on Insulin even on 100 units per day.

Now I find that my ideal routine is:
!0 am Fasting BS about 5.6 Insulin 34 Units am 24 Units pm - 2 Metformin am 2 Metformin pm.
If my FBS is below 5 I reduce my Insulin to 30 Units and if it is near or above 7 I increase my Insulin to 38 units'

Breakfast: 1 medium Orange, i bowl Jordans Muesli in Skimmed Milk; 2 cups Green Tea with slice of Lemon.
Lunch: 2 pm: 1 Panini with cheese and Tomato.
Dinner: 6.30 pm: Salad with Cheese or Chicken and plenty of greens, egg, Tomato and Peppers - or: Cooked Dinner with plenty of greens, 2 small Potatoes. Sweet: 2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream with Prunes or Fruit.
Bedtime: 11 pm: 1 cup of Cocoa with small Rock Bun.

During the day: 3 cups Marmite ( I don't drink tea or coffee at all)
Exercise: 1 mile walk (half mile there and half mile back).

This routine keeps my FBS around 5-6 and my HbAic around 46 - 50 mmol/mol

I hope this information is of some use to you. Have a nice day.
 
Last edited:
Hi. I'm T2, diagnosed 13 or 14 years ago but had the problem quite possibly 50+ years.

Started on Metformin for about a year (500mg x 4) but had all sorts of problems with it and was put on 500mg x 2 daily plus insulin. BG has never been under good control and yo-yos between hypo and 20 on my meter. I've been on many different insulins over the years - too many to remember - and am currently on 52u Tresiba as a basal dose and 60u Humalog before any meal - that's on low carb way of eating. If I, foolishly, eat carbs, even fairly low amounts, the 60u doesn't control BG. However, on the odd occasion (and I mean odd where I am concerned) BG drops down to hypo levels.

My normal BG level is between 9 and 14 whatever I do or eat.
 
Empiglifazone
90u Tresiba
Metformin

I had trouble controlling my sugar levels so my diabetic nurse put me on Ozempic injection once a week, I am currently into my 5th week of it and on 0.5 dose and have lost a stone in weight, my sugar levels are excellent, in fact im expecting to reduce my insulin soon, the only down side is that it does make you feel a little sick the day you take it, but, it reduces your appetite, and it works.
 

Hi, Did you have your blood checked for the antibody? That would determine whether you're type 1 or 2 and seems to me to be the first place to start to get proper treatment. As an aside, I found the Levemir was very ineffective in providing proper basal control.
 

Yes, I take
Metformin 1000mg per day
Glyclazide 80x4 per day
Insulin Humulin N 42-46 depending on life variations
Food and activity are the biggest factors in regulating sugar for me.

I am not 100% certain of the correct doses I take. I am not under the care of a diabetes specialist.
 

Good afternoon Annb,

We are all different and what works for one person does not always work for another person.

Having said that - the information given on this site can help guide us to make better decisions.

I managed to get "control" by 2 things:
1. The" Low Carb High Fat" program.
2. I purchased one months supply of the "Freestyle Libre" which enabled me to see when my "Liver Dumps" were happening and also which "Foods" were "spiking" my blood sugars.

With that information I could then decide my diet and exercise and also the amount of Insulin I take

Have a nice day.
.
 

If it helps I’m exactly the same. It’s hard to not eat junk when you don’t get results eating the same way as others that are successful. I did low carb and keto for a while and my levels refused to come down. Crazy.
 

So very true.

I didn’t get a referral after being changed to type 2. Sigh.
 

They didn’t check it when I was diagnosed or after. I doctor did a c peptide test and saw I was producing a lot of insulin so they changed my diagnosis. I’ve tried tresiba and Lantus but I feel levermier is the quickest to change and respond if needed.
 

I also am on a low carb, high fat diet - for a while tried to go zero carb but couldn't keep it up, especially when BG refused to come down to a level I thought was reasonable. Low carb for me is around the 30 - 40 g mark per day. I try to stay around 20 g. Yesterday must have been less than 20 but BG stayed around 12 all day.

I have a Freestyle Libre (free under our health board) so can see what my BG is all the time. It is consistently high in the mornings and reasonable (around 10) in the afternoons/evenings. Whatever I do, nothing changes that.

A c-peptide test indicated that I am making insulin so I am T2. Despite making insulin, and injecting plenty more, my system just doesn't seem to use it.

Being unable to walk due to arthritis, I cannot do much in the way of movement never mind real exercise.

I also take lots of other medicines so that may have some effect on BG levels whatever I do.
 

Good afternoon Annb,

When I read some of these Posts I realise how fortunate I am - and I am thankful to God that my BS are so well under control.

Sometimes I forget to take my meds - so now my wife has to check twice a day if I have taken them.

I don't take much CARBS these days, but I do take some - but I avoid ALL junk foods - except ice cream.

Last night I had a MIXED GRILL in a Restaurant and this morning my FBS was 8.5 so I increased my Insulin by 4 units (I never ask my DBN or Doctor if I can vary my Insulin units - I just take control and do it.

Tomorrow I hope to have FBS down to around 5 to 6 - if higher I will raise my Insulin - if lower I will reduce my Insulin.

This method works for me.

Have a nice day.
 
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