Looking for advice on pros and cons of type 2 medications

rachaelc

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi. I am about to be put on new medication for my type 2. My last Hba1c was 90 - I have no idea what this converts to as previously I was given it as a percentage. I am on max dose Metformin which appears to do nothing. Dr has mentioned Glipizide which I've heard bad things about (weight gain, hypos - I take a beta blocker). Is Januvia worth considering? Any advice gratefully received. Emma
Hi. I've been diagnosed T2D for 20yrs and like you wasn't hugely overweight. I'm surprised you're only on metformin with that level of HBA1C, sounds like this is a necessary wake up call to take your condition seriously. I was put on a combo of met. + glipizide at the time, (now replaced with gliclazide – same type). Yes it can cause hypos, but if you keep glucose tabs or an apple with you, you can stop it getting too bad. All metformin does is divert the glucose away from the liver and to muscles. Glipizide just makes your pancreas work harder but not just when you eat.

The impact of hypos forced me to regulate my life and meals. I learned when I'm most likely to experience hypos, ie mid morning or late afternoon and avoid them happening, or to recognise the sensation one beginning and take snack, before it becomes full-blown. Important especially if taking on extra physical activity, like today I'm leading a walk with a group, so will have early lunch. In the intervening years I tried several different meds: pioglitizone was ace at keeping my sugar levels tight, but may have caused bone density loss after 5yrs, so had to change. Then gliptides which work after meals, but didn't suit. Last one was Forxiga or Dappagliflozin, where you pee out excess sugar and lose weight rapidly. It was brilliant at losing weight quite fast but again I might have had side effects from losing it rapidly and hence back on metformin/glicizide with sustained relief metformin which seems to provide more stable sugars, less up and down. Different meds suit different people. BTW I'm now 70.

All of this was against a background of standard NHS advice to high carb/low fat diet. I tried at times to explore current policy of low carb high fat, but they weren't interested. In fact the dietician was sceptical saying it's only in Australia & Canada. Now of course they've all turned into gung-ho low-carb fanatics and I've even been shamed about not going into remission, which I objet to. I'm not extreme low carb, but enough to maintain my sugar levels and weight & I'm happy with that. Unfortunately my 6mthly reviews are August and January just after holidays when I lapse somewhat. I'm going to try and push it away from those 2 moments in the yr when I'm more likely to stray.

I tend to think there are parallels between being T2D and Climate Change. If the threat was always in the future you mentally kick it down the road, but when it starts to impact on your health and life more directly then you panic and take steps.
Good luck with it.