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Medication & The Newcastle Diet

Flashtash2014

Well-Known Member
Messages
160
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hi people I'm hoping that someone out there can help me I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and have been put on 2 Gliclazide tablets a day morning and night (80mg) and Ramapril for my high blood pressure. A month or so on my blood pressure is now normal and my diabetes is within normal range both before and after meals. What I'm getting at is I'm going to try The Newcastle Diet on the first of January and questioning whether to carry on with my medication?

Has anyone tried the diet in conjunction with their medication?

And has anyone tried the diet without the medication?

Only asking as my GP cannot advise me.

Many thanks in advance
 
'Hi @Flashtash2014,
Bumping your post up as there are plenty of Newcastle participants who will answer.

I would think that you would need to review your medication if you are on the Newcastle Diet and do not understand why your G.P. cannot advise you. Is he aware of the ND because you could print off some of the literature and show him if he isn't.
 
Hi that's not a bad idea actually I think it's because she is not familiar with this method but I did explain to her in detail what the diet entails and she was intrigued by this method
 
@douglas99 has just been through this - and if I remember correctly, he stopped his medication at the start of the diet.
But he had already been cutting down, due to weight loss, before that.
Am I remembering correctly, Douglas?

My view is that your bg is likely to drop significantly during the first few days, so rigorous testing, plenty of strips, and monitoring for hypos would be a good idea. Plus a few small handy emergency snacks, in case you go a bit too low.

Any bg lowering medication probably needs adjusting, but only with the confirmation of your doc.
 
Hi. Are you overweight? if so you would normally be started on Metformin not Gliclazide. If the diet helps you, then you may want to discuss coming off the Gliclazide with the GP. BTW be aware that the Newcastle diet is more about calorie intake rather than carbs so is not ideally matched to diabetics although good overall. You could just lower the carbs and increase fat and protein.
 
@Flashtash2014
I would say at the moment, under no circumstances switch to a LCHF diet for a month.

There would be absolutely no benefit to you, if you are considering a LF, primarily carbs very low calories diet straight after. Indeed the change to metabolism from your diet now, then low carb, then back onto carbs again will affect your BG readings, and your bodies and meds reactions. I would also resist the temptation to alter the diet, I used a shake similar to the original (tescos) but if your doctor will prescribe, that's even better. My BG readings were fine, even with the 'high carbs' in the shake. (About 26g a shake in mine)

But to answer the original question, switching from your current diet, with controlled BG readings, to the Newcastle diet and your meds.

It is recommended you stop taking insulin stimulating drugs, such as a glicazide.
The reasoning behind it, is that if you change your diet in the extreme manner of the Newcastle diet, (particuarly as you have BG in the normal range), you may end up going hypo. (The same advice would apply switching to a LC diet, hence another reason why it is an unsuitable diet at the moment as well, without medical support/intervention).
To enable this though, you do need the support of your health care team, you need to monitor your own BG, and have the means to do it provided, and you need regular agreement on changing/decreasing, or even re-introducing meds.
Having said that, even on no meds, it's likely you'll have BG in the normal range within the first week.
But this does need to be tested.

I wasn't on an insulin stimulating drug, I was on Januvia though, which I dropped on day 1, and I was confident of my ability to self monitor,
My nurse was fairly relaxed about it, and I was scheduled for a full blood test after the second week, which was fine.
In fact everything was well in the normal range, apart from my ALT, which was a couple of points over)
However, the odd reading can change, as your body, and liver particularly, are burning fat, and muscle, to keep you going.

I had been on a low fat, low GI portion controlled diet before though, and was starting the Newcastle diet from a 'normal' BMI, but I still lost a stone and a quarter in 5 weeks, so I would say it's well worth the effort. I have just stopped the diet this last weekend, and am building the calories back up.
I will be back on my normal, portion controlled, low GI/GL low fat diet, and am thinking I'll stay on 500mg metformin long term.
The only bad reaction I had was being physically tired, and felt low on energy, so it's not a good diet to do if you are going to be physically active.
I planned the timing around this thought, so could cope, an didn't had to do excessive work for the period.
I have a busy weekend, and more work up to the christmas period, hence the early finish, and the build back up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi. Are you overweight? if so you would normally be started on Metformin not Gliclazide. If the diet helps you, then you may want to discuss coming off the Gliclazide with the GP. BTW be aware that the Newcastle diet is more about calorie intake rather than carbs so is not ideally matched to diabetics although good overall. You could just lower the carbs and increase fat and protein.

I suspect if you google it, you'll find it's very specifically aimed at all type 2 diabetics exclusively.
 
Thanks guys some food for thought there if you pardon the pun guys will see the GP in December and go from there
 
No Douglas I'm not really overweight I've lost over half a stone in a few weeks but down to cutting out alcohol and sugar so I'm hovering at just under the 12 stone mark at 5' 7"
 
No Douglas I'm not really overweight I've lost over half a stone in a few weeks but down to cutting out alcohol and sugar so I'm hovering at just under the 12 stone mark at 5' 7"
The newcastle diet was a study with obese patients, and like you, I wasn't in that category when I undertook it, so I will be interested in your results as well.
I'm just coming off it, so I'll be updating my results as they happen.
But I am of the opinion it's worth a shot, regardless of individual outcomes, as it does shift liver and other internal fat, which is always beneficial.
 
I have been reading your tread and would be interested in your results I've done something like this before for the same period when I was 18 and overweight but the calorie count I kid you not was about 200 calories a day lost about 5 stone in all. I'm quite a focused person so if i take on a challenge I tend to stick to it so this should be a breeze haha
 
I have been reading your tread and would be interested in your results I've done something like this before for the same period when I was 18 and overweight but the calorie count I kid you not was about 200 calories a day lost about 5 stone in all. I'm quite a focused person so if i take on a challenge I tend to stick to it so this should be a breeze haha

I'm just winding it up, I have to say apart from the weight loss, I'm not sure about anything else, as I'm ramping the carbs back up, and I know the response to increased carbs has a time lag on BG, so I need to let it level off.
I'm also building muscle I've lost back up, so again, my BG is higher because my muscles are poorer.
But I'm in for the long haul, so I am collating my results at the moment.
The other thing I have to consider is what is actually a 'normal' reading?

Two hours, one hour, the maximum at any time, whatever a none diabetic reads?
Information is scarce on this as well.
 
I think maybe you should continue with low carbs and more protein in a way to protect the muscle you have it's difficult to build back muscle but easy to loose fat
 
I low GI/GL, I guess higher protein, low fat, and exercise, resistance, and gym workout, but the Newcastle diet will take it out of you.
It is an intensive diet, I can't say it's not.
But regardless, I'd also, always, say it should be the first line of attack.
 
I think I will go with it discuss it with the GP at my next appointment it's strange how being diagnosed a while back I've never felt better haha
 
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