lucylocket61
Expert
Have you had any counseling?
-
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Severe anxiety and prediabetes
- Thread starter gowest12
- Start Date
Many people are in this situation.
We cannot change the past, it is important that we learn how to deal with diabetes by learning about this potentially fatal and debilitating disease as much as possible while relying as little as possible on doctors. (Of course you need the doctors for prescribing the drugs.)
Prediabetes or mild diabetes developed in people with genetic disposition and expresses when diet is rich in carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates converts to blood glucose (BG) within mins and with insufficient endogenous insulin and insulin resistance high blood glucose may results. Protein can also raise blood glucose in a much slower and moderate response requiring very small amount of insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis. Non-diabetics have blood glucose of 4.7mmol/l round the clock unless they are taking a high carb meal which the blood glucose may rise to no more than 6.0mmol/l.
There is this term called glucose toxicity where blood glucose elevation beyond 7.8 even for short period of time will destroy beta cells, (the cells that produces insulin in the pancreas). How long and how high the BG elevation will damage beta cells no one knows because it is unethical to do such an experimentation.
Many prediabetes and mild Type 2 progresses (gets worse) due to continuing eating carbohydrates and causes BG to be elevated after each meal. The BG may return to baseline after 3 hours or 4 hours after each elevation. The fasting BG may only be slightly elevated but the disease progresses.
If you are diagnosed with prediabetes your system is telling you that your days of eating ancestral starch of 15,000 years history is over. If you want to live a healthy life without any diabetic complications of neuropathy, arterial disease, kidney diseases, retinopathy etc then you have to eat a diet of ancestral protein of million of years since human evolves.
Some statistics in Singapore one out of three people > 65 years is diabetic, two out of three people > 70 years are diabetic.
One very useful source of information is on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRichardKBernstein/videos
In fact I may add that I got 90% of my knowledge from his videos and his book Diabetes Solution.
Regarding propanolol which is a beta blocker Dr Berstein suggested using it to deal with stressful situation eg when making speeches or when having competitive football. The action of propanolol will block action of adrenaline and rise in BG. He suggested taking the quick acting type up to an hour before such events. It is a rather benign drug with little adverse effect and the dose has to be tailored to each individual.
We cannot change the past, it is important that we learn how to deal with diabetes by learning about this potentially fatal and debilitating disease as much as possible while relying as little as possible on doctors. (Of course you need the doctors for prescribing the drugs.)
Prediabetes or mild diabetes developed in people with genetic disposition and expresses when diet is rich in carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates converts to blood glucose (BG) within mins and with insufficient endogenous insulin and insulin resistance high blood glucose may results. Protein can also raise blood glucose in a much slower and moderate response requiring very small amount of insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis. Non-diabetics have blood glucose of 4.7mmol/l round the clock unless they are taking a high carb meal which the blood glucose may rise to no more than 6.0mmol/l.
There is this term called glucose toxicity where blood glucose elevation beyond 7.8 even for short period of time will destroy beta cells, (the cells that produces insulin in the pancreas). How long and how high the BG elevation will damage beta cells no one knows because it is unethical to do such an experimentation.
Many prediabetes and mild Type 2 progresses (gets worse) due to continuing eating carbohydrates and causes BG to be elevated after each meal. The BG may return to baseline after 3 hours or 4 hours after each elevation. The fasting BG may only be slightly elevated but the disease progresses.
If you are diagnosed with prediabetes your system is telling you that your days of eating ancestral starch of 15,000 years history is over. If you want to live a healthy life without any diabetic complications of neuropathy, arterial disease, kidney diseases, retinopathy etc then you have to eat a diet of ancestral protein of million of years since human evolves.
Some statistics in Singapore one out of three people > 65 years is diabetic, two out of three people > 70 years are diabetic.
One very useful source of information is on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRichardKBernstein/videos
In fact I may add that I got 90% of my knowledge from his videos and his book Diabetes Solution.
Regarding propanolol which is a beta blocker Dr Berstein suggested using it to deal with stressful situation eg when making speeches or when having competitive football. The action of propanolol will block action of adrenaline and rise in BG. He suggested taking the quick acting type up to an hour before such events. It is a rather benign drug with little adverse effect and the dose has to be tailored to each individual.
Resurgam
Master
Remember that anxiety is often totally misplaced - having had to work with a few overly anxious people in my time I see them fretting themselves into a limp rag of their true selves and there being no actual reason for it.
As for the diabetes - well - that seems to be a mole hill and not a mountain too.
I have two meals a day and that means I can go out all day and not trouble over finding things to eat.
A few times I have gone on long trips, I pack a picnic table and small stove and pull into a layby, to cook myself a meal and then travel on into the night feeling able to go on for hours.
Some people find that steak or a pork chop for breakfast is unusual, even fish is a bit doubtful - but it was perfectly normal before Mr Kellog started his campaign to get us to eat more carbs.
MrsA2
Expert
Carb creep is where the number of carbs you consume gradually rises, especially if after cutting down.
For example someone may say "I will allow myself one takeout curry a month" but then it starts creeping up to once every 2 weeks, then every week, then on Wednesdays as well.
It's just something to be aware of. It's very easy for most people to fall back into old habits.
New habits take time to form and to stick.
MrsA2
Expert
Type 2 diabetes is a manageable condition which many people manage through what they eat (or don't eat) with or with the help of medication . Some exercise helps too.
In the past it was thought to be a progressive disease but that was before a lot of the recent developments and discoveries.
There wouldn't be thousands of people here on these forums looking after their diabetes if they thought it was futile and they were doomed.
We are here because we are positive about our futures and want to do what we can to help ourselves.
To me, anxiety is worrying about things we can't change or affect, and depression is a medical condition that can be helped with medication and talking therapy of some kind .
It might well be that you'd prefer to concentrate on helping your anxiety and depression before going in too hard and fast to looking after your diabetes, BUT do at least cut way down on carbs and up your protein and healthy fats (from meat, dairy, olive oil) to stop yourself getting too hungry. That will help your bg while you concentrate on your other issues.
Please don't ignore your diabetes, or beat yourself up with it by overloading carbs, that's just going too far the other way.
You can get this licked, it's just up to you when and in which order.
And if your anxiety is blocking you, then deal with that first.
Did you know you can self refer for counselling? Just Google CBT and your area and it will come up. On line sessions have a far shorter wait than face to face sessions, and many people find them more convenient and private.
And any time you feel doomed the Samaritans are always there on 116 123
Hope at least some of this helps.
No I haven’t had any counselling
Thank you for all this. From my understanding on all the reading I’ve done is that we need to be as low carb as possible to reverse prediabetes or diabetes. This includes slow release carbs like lentils chickpeas and all sorts of carbs. Isn’t that really difficult????? So many websites I’ve looked at say the same. And to exercise and I’ve never really exercised as I feel so exhausted from depression anxiety. So I feel even worse now. I’m almost underweight so can’t afford to lose more weight it is a nightmareType 2 diabetes is a manageable condition which many people manage through what they eat (or don't eat) with or with the help of medication . Some exercise helps too.
In the past it was thought to be a progressive disease but that was before a lot of the recent developments and discoveries.
There wouldn't be thousands of people here on these forums looking after their diabetes if they thought it was futile and they were doomed.
We are here because we are positive about our futures and want to do what we can to help ourselves.
To me, anxiety is worrying about things we can't change or affect, and depression is a medical condition that can be helped with medication and talking therapy of some kind .
It might well be that you'd prefer to concentrate on helping your anxiety and depression before going in too hard and fast to looking after your diabetes, BUT do at least cut way down on carbs and up your protein and healthy fats (from meat, dairy, olive oil) to stop yourself getting too hungry. That will help your bg while you concentrate on your other issues.
Please don't ignore your diabetes, or beat yourself up with it by overloading carbs, that's just going too far the other way.
You can get this licked, it's just up to you when and in which order.
And if your anxiety is blocking you, then deal with that first.
Did you know you can self refer for counselling? Just Google CBT and your area and it will come up. On line sessions have a far shorter wait than face to face sessions, and many people find them more convenient and private.
And any time you feel doomed the Samaritans are always there on 116 123
Hope at least some of this helps.
chrisjohnh
Well-Known Member
This remark is likely to alarm unjustifiably those experiencing even modest elevations into fearing that each such occurrence will irreversibly kill off a bit more of their beta cell mass. There is no clear scientific evidence for this that I can find. To see just how little is understood or even observed about glucose toxicity and beta cell function one has only to read the recent and highly detailed 2021 paper by Weir et al in the Metabolism journal. At a deep scientific level almost nothing is yet fully understood about diabetes or about its remediation. More or less, at present we have little more than our empirical personal experiences to go by in trying to deal with this disease. And those experiences - E.g. “grains are bad” - do not have the status of universal theorems and ought not to be bandied about as if they did.
Oh where does dr Bernstein advise using propanolol for anxiety ? Thank you for this info.
If only my anxiety was about things I cannot change my life would be so much calmer. Depression can be an imbalance of serotonin levels also and I have declined meds for years. CBT never worked but talking has at times helped. Exercise also de stresses me and I think lowers the serotonin levels... just my take on things xType 2 diabetes is a manageable condition which many people manage through what they eat (or don't eat) with or with the help of medication . Some exercise helps too.
In the past it was thought to be a progressive disease but that was before a lot of the recent developments and discoveries.
There wouldn't be thousands of people here on these forums looking after their diabetes if they thought it was futile and they were doomed.
We are here because we are positive about our futures and want to do what we can to help ourselves.
To me, anxiety is worrying about things we can't change or affect, and depression is a medical condition that can be helped with medication and talking therapy of some kind .
It might well be that you'd prefer to concentrate on helping your anxiety and depression before going in too hard and fast to looking after your diabetes, BUT do at least cut way down on carbs and up your protein and healthy fats (from meat, dairy, olive oil) to stop yourself getting too hungry. That will help your bg while you concentrate on your other issues.
Please don't ignore your diabetes, or beat yourself up with it by overloading carbs, that's just going too far the other way.
You can get this licked, it's just up to you when and in which order.
And if your anxiety is blocking you, then deal with that first.
Did you know you can self refer for counselling? Just Google CBT and your area and it will come up. On line sessions have a far shorter wait than face to face sessions, and many people find them more convenient and private.
And any time you feel doomed the Samaritans are always there on 116 123
Hope at least some of this helps.
I am someone who never exercised I must admit I’ve lived a very sedentary lifestyle which I know is no good but I just don’t have the energy to do anything I feel so tired. I am already close to underweight so the thought of having to take in more calories to exercise doesn’t appeal to me. How do I start? I do swimming a few days a week but I keep hearing the best exercises are aerobics and I just feel so shattered. I’m sure that’s the anxiety depression I just wish something could make me feel good.
lucylocket61
Expert
Swimming is exercise. It's a very good exercise. The resistance of the water makes it more strenuous than it seems.
MrsA2
Expert
Any movement is good. Find something you enjoy
I walk 2 or 3 times a week with different friends. By the time we've chatted and gossiped, I don't even notice we've walked for a couple of hours
I also go to a dance class. So busy trying to remember the steps and not fall over my own or anyone else's feet, that suddenly an hours vanished.
Yoga is calming relaxing and stretching, but still counts as exercise and movement.
I love what I do, but it's not a chore or onerous, i dont even notice it's exercise
I walk 2 or 3 times a week with different friends. By the time we've chatted and gossiped, I don't even notice we've walked for a couple of hours
I also go to a dance class. So busy trying to remember the steps and not fall over my own or anyone else's feet, that suddenly an hours vanished.
Yoga is calming relaxing and stretching, but still counts as exercise and movement.
I love what I do, but it's not a chore or onerous, i dont even notice it's exercise
I do Yoga and have surprised my self as to how bendy I am now!
Rimshaahmed
Newbie
Hello. I have anxiety and prediabetes and not a lot of people to talk to. Can you guys please help me with some answers.
I feel very weak almost every two hours, almost like I'm about to faint, get tachycardia. So i go and eat something again. Is it normal. Also if my blood sugar is already high enough but I get this feeling again, should I eat something? If I don't I feel I'm going to lose it, if I do I fear my blood sugar rising.
I feel very weak almost every two hours, almost like I'm about to faint, get tachycardia. So i go and eat something again. Is it normal. Also if my blood sugar is already high enough but I get this feeling again, should I eat something? If I don't I feel I'm going to lose it, if I do I fear my blood sugar rising.
A pre diabetes diagnosis should really be taken as a final warning. If you act now that can most likely be reversed with a low carb diet.
I have had bouts of depression and anxiety in the past. Since going low carb, eating mostly meat and removing seed oils from my diet I have had no issues at all on that side. That could just be coincidence but the more I read it may well not be coincidence at all. And anecdotally I know I'm not the only one that has found this.
How are you getting on?? What is your hba1c? Mine is 42. I think from what you say it’s low sugar that makes you feel like that? How is it going with the diet? I’m in the same situation with anxiety and prediabetes. Please let me know if you’ve had another hba1c any improvement???
I have anxiety and I’d say depression now since
My sister died. I’m on a low dose of citalopram but I feel it needs increasing recently but I haven’t done it yet. Never had the other drug you say. But having them palpitations would make you feel more anxious.
You’re definitely not alone in this. Lots of people like you feel the same way xxx
