Side Effects, how long do they last.

[Ruth B]

Its been 10 to 15 years since I was on here, and the help i received help me keep the diabetic progress at bay for quite some time, but a rough few years (both parents died) have seen my control slip and a gradual move onto more medication to control it. First Metformin and then Dapagliflozin, both of which I tolerated well. Back in early November I saw the Doctor for a regular check up and my HBA1C was raised, not horrendously (high 60s from what i recall), but the Doctor wanted to put me on a new medication to bring it back down. First of all she put me on Trulicity, to which i reacted really badly, not only constant vomiting, but also swelling in the throat. I spoke to the emergency doctor at the practive and was given medication to control the vomiting and told to not take any more, as the swelling hadn't happened suddenly and didnt' seem to be gettng worse or stopping me breathing, they were willing to see if it would go down on its own, and if not to go to A&E.
After a few weeks to getthe Trulicity fully out of my system, I was put onto Ozempic to see if I reacted to that which fortunately I didn't anywhere near as much.
I've now been on the Ozempic for almost 3 months and i'm really torn about it. While the side effects aren't anything like the Trulicity they are still uncomfortable. I can normally guarentee that I will have at least 1 or 2 bad days each week, always stomach cramps, and probably 2 out of 3 weeks i'll be throwing up one of those days. I've tried the antisickness medication and if anything it makes things worse as my body wants to be sick, but the tablets prevent me from throwing up making me feel even worse. Once I've thrown up I seem to recover quickly and the side effects are over for that week
I'm still only on the lowest dose 0.25 (mg I think).
The problem is, it is working, before I started on it my fasting test was 10 or 11 (it went down duringthe day, but was always high in a morning), now it is down to 6 or 7 each morning.
I desperately want to try and continue the Ozempic and when the side effects aren't effecting me I feel fine and the fasting test result is really encouraging, but then i have a bad day (like to day) and I feel I really can't keep on like this. For the first few weeks i could tell which days i would be bad, I did the injection on a Tuesday, and either Wednesday or Thursday would be a bad day so I could work around it, now it is getting more eratic, i've been fine last week and over the weekend then last night woke up in the early hours feeling really nauseous, and i've been rough all day from it, and i'm due my next injection tomorrow. Part of me wonders if the length of time between injection and side effects is a good thing and a sign I'm getting more used to the medication.
I've a blood test booked for early March which will no doubt tell the doctor how well it has been working, but I'm also wondering if i'm going to have to ask to come off it due to the side effects. I hoped coming on here I might opinions and experiences from other people an what they have gone through with it as to how long the side effects can last. I can't see the doctor increasing the dose just yet and I'm really not sure I could take it as it is likely to make the side effects even worse than they are. I know people here aren't doctors, but I was hoping some one might be able to tell me the side effects will wear off in another few weeks, or if having had them for 3 months, they aren't likely to go away.

 

[Pipp]

Just wanted to say welcome back, @Ruth B , and I am sorry you have been having a tough time.

Sorty I have no experience of the medications you mention. The side effects seem very uncomfortable, for you, but only you can decide if they are worth it. I would be seeking opinion of GP to help with decision making regarding continuing. Though perhaps some members here will have had experience that will help.

 

[AndBreathe]

Hi @Ruth B , good to see you back, but I wish the circumstances were happier.

I don't have any personal experience of Ozempic, but I wonder if it could be worthwhile running a food diary for a few weeks to see if there's something you are eating or drinking that's causing the upset? I know for some on Metformin, if they overdo the carbs, it can cause their bond with the loo to strengthen for a few days. That's just a potential example, although it could be it's a heavier day on the fats or dairy that could be upsetting you.

All of that is speculation, but it'd be helpful to count it in or out. There's nothing worse than feeling you're dealing with a lottery and not knowing when your numbers will come up.

 

[Ruth B]

The food diary is certainly a good idea, I should have thought of it myself, but you know what it is like, you can forget the obvious choices. It is why I thought of coming back here a few weeks before the blood test and before i see the doctor so I can arry out things like this and go to the surgery with as much information as I can.
As for myself, it has been a rough few years, but I'm in a better place now than I was a few years ago and ready to get on top of this disease again, back to testing when needed to work out what is happening and seeing what i can do to stabilise things using both medication and diet. As you may guess, yesterday's bad day is over and i'm feeling good this morning, i've a jab to do later and will see how things go after that, and I'll be taking more notes as to what I eat and how I'm feeling each day as well as what my blood sugars are doing.
People here helped me a lot when i was first diagnosed and trying to control it, so I knew I would get help, or at least support here again.

 

[Sarah69]

I take ozempic, I was on 1g but have been dropped down to 0.5mg due to sickness and feeling unwell some days. I see your taking an anti emetic was this prescribed for you while taking this medication?

 

[Ruth B]

The anti sickness medication was prescibed after I tried the Trulicity as I was struggling to keep even water down, fortunately by the time i came to take one of the tablets the worse was over and it did its job. The doctor did ask whether i had any left when she put me on the Ozempic and I as I had quite a few she told me to take them as needed. If it was just the nausea they would be great, the problem seems to be that they can't fully deal with the vomiting, and if anything make it worse, I can feel that i need to throw up and know that I would be better if I did, but it seems like they stop me for a while until it gets so bad it over comes the medication.

 

[Ruth B]

Well the decission is made, I'm no longer on the Ozempic, just now waiting to see what the diabetic clinic try next.

I did my injection yesterday, then this morning at about 3.00am, I woke up feeling dreadful, I spend the next 3 hours sat up in bed, drifting in and out of sleep and in tears thinking about it all and i realised just what a dark place it had driven me into. I couldn't plan anything, everything I did had to be arranged around how the side effects were effecting me that day, I was barely leaving the house, half the time I didnt' feel well enough to, and the other half i was tryingto get all the work done that I should have done on the bad days. I have workmen coming Monday and Tuesday next week to do some work on the house, i'm terrified that I'm going to be throwing up when they are here, i have a blood test booked for 2 weeks today, and if it had been this morning I would have had to cancel, i'm self employed and have craft fairs booked for April, and was thinking about whether i'd be better ot cancel them in case I had a bad day.
So this morning, I phoned the surgery and found out that the doctor I spoke to previously after the reaction with the Trulicity and who decided to try me on the Ozempic to see if it was just Trulicity or the whole class of medication I reacted to, had an appointment avaialable this morning (the surgery is normally pretty good at having some same day appointment available if you ring early, i was luckyit was a doctor who had seen me before). She has told me to stop the Ozempic, but as she isn't a diabetes specialist is refering me to the diabetic clinic to see what they can suggest I try next. I'm still going for the blood test in 2 weeks time as while it won't be entirely accurate as it will mostly cover the time I was on the Ozempic not what happens when it wears off, at least it will atleast be some information and might help.

I know this week could still be rough, but I'm already feeling more positive, I may not be able to take this type of medication, but others are out there, and there were a couple of times when I shocked the doctors with the way my HBA1C reduced when I started with my meter and really controlling my diet, so it is time to look at that as well.