Hello, I'm fairly new here, but I need some advice. I'm starting insulin injections tomorrow because my type 2 diabetes is way out of control, but what I want to know is, do I keep taking my tablets (metformin, glimeperide and sitagliptin) or do I discontinue these once I have the insulin, it's all a bit confusing at the moment, but I'm sure everything will become clearer as time goes on. My BS are reading in the mid 20's at the moment and I have protein in my urine, so I really need this insulin therapy.
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Starting Insulin tomorrow
- Thread starter Chrissy2k
- Start Date
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Well-Known Member
Hi Chrissy2K and welcome to the forum 
I cannot help you with your query really as I have no experience although logic tells me that your HCP will give you all the gen when they start you off with the insulin.
Best not to get too stressed about it as it won't help the numbers on your BG levels. :roll:
Hope all goes well for you!
I cannot help you with your query really as I have no experience although logic tells me that your HCP will give you all the gen when they start you off with the insulin.
Best not to get too stressed about it as it won't help the numbers on your BG levels. :roll:
Hope all goes well for you!
Thanks for your advice, I had my first insulin jab today and it wasn't so bad, it didn't hurt a bit and I wasn't too scared to do it either. Hopefully this is the start of me getting my BS on track and starting to feel much better, at the moment I'm so tired that I'm sleeping 16-18 hours a day which is a waste of my life. I'm glad I found this site, hopefully it will help me to get sorted, thanks everyone
Hi
After being on pills for 20 years, I was put on insulin 4 weeks ago.
I'm finding it reasonably painfree.
My B/S levels have dropped from a weekly average of 13 to 10.
I started on 10 units and am now taking 14.
I do still find that carb bumps up my readings so I'm sticking with my lowish carb diet and make sure I have emergency supplies at home, work and in the car.
Good luck
After being on pills for 20 years, I was put on insulin 4 weeks ago.
I'm finding it reasonably painfree.
My B/S levels have dropped from a weekly average of 13 to 10.
I started on 10 units and am now taking 14.
I do still find that carb bumps up my readings so I'm sticking with my lowish carb diet and make sure I have emergency supplies at home, work and in the car.
Good luck
Hi Chrissy,
I so know where you're coming from .. have been on insulin myself for 3 weeks now, after being permanently sleeping my life away for about a year and catching every ailment known to mankind. I have noticed a change, I'm not so tired and feel more alert (previously it felt as though I was moving through a permenant fog), although I still feel more tired than normal (ie prior to being diabetic). They're uping my dose every week, so in theory every week I should feel slightly more 'normal', eventually I'll be injecting with meals too. Am still taking metformin, but have dumped the gliclizides (sorry can't spell). Hope things improve for you too
I so know where you're coming from .. have been on insulin myself for 3 weeks now, after being permanently sleeping my life away for about a year and catching every ailment known to mankind. I have noticed a change, I'm not so tired and feel more alert (previously it felt as though I was moving through a permenant fog), although I still feel more tired than normal (ie prior to being diabetic). They're uping my dose every week, so in theory every week I should feel slightly more 'normal', eventually I'll be injecting with meals too. Am still taking metformin, but have dumped the gliclizides (sorry can't spell). Hope things improve for you too
Hi Gorgon,
it sounds like you have everything under control at last. I have just upped my insulin from 10 to 14, my blood sugars are coming down, but are still in the high teens. I'm also taking Metformin and Glimeperide, but hopefully I will come off the Glimeperide in time.
I'm finding it quite easy to inject the insulin, it is relatively pain free and nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, whats killing me is the getting up early to take my morning dose, I usually sleep for around 16 hours, so getting up at 8 am is a real killer
it sounds like you have everything under control at last. I have just upped my insulin from 10 to 14, my blood sugars are coming down, but are still in the high teens. I'm also taking Metformin and Glimeperide, but hopefully I will come off the Glimeperide in time.
I'm finding it quite easy to inject the insulin, it is relatively pain free and nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, whats killing me is the getting up early to take my morning dose, I usually sleep for around 16 hours, so getting up at 8 am is a real killer
Hi,
Len has been type 2 and on pills for quite a number of years. However on 25 May he ended up in hospital with blood sugar levels off the scale and he is now on insulin. He was started on 12 in the evening and 16 during the day but every few days in consultation with the practice nurse they have been increased now 35 in the evening and 40 during the day. However b lood glucose levels have not come down all that much. Still blurred vision, unable to walk very far, extreme exhaustion etc. We are just wondering if this is all normal? Will it come down and when? If it does when will the blurred vision etc rectify itself?
Any help very gratefully appreciated.
Juliet
Len has been type 2 and on pills for quite a number of years. However on 25 May he ended up in hospital with blood sugar levels off the scale and he is now on insulin. He was started on 12 in the evening and 16 during the day but every few days in consultation with the practice nurse they have been increased now 35 in the evening and 40 during the day. However b lood glucose levels have not come down all that much. Still blurred vision, unable to walk very far, extreme exhaustion etc. We are just wondering if this is all normal? Will it come down and when? If it does when will the blurred vision etc rectify itself?
Any help very gratefully appreciated.
Juliet
- Messages
- 4,388
- Location
- Suffolk, UK
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Chrissy2k said:
Slightly off the current topic, but I had similar (but less severe) symptoms from Symvastatin which cleared over a period of weeks when I went onto Pravastatin.
I have a (non-diabetic) friend who is on Symvastatin as well as various other drugs and I sometimes wonder if the signs of tiredness and mental confusion he sometimes shows can be at least partly attributed to the Symvastatin.
Difficult to tell when you are on multiple medications which is having an effect.
So (knowing that most diabetics are encouraged to take statins) I would encourage people to check on the possible side effects of other medications (if any) as well.
The blood sugar levels are an obvious culprit in this case but it is always worth checking for additional causes rather than putting all the symptoms down to one cause.
It can be both depressing and confusing when you treat one cause successfully but don't entirely clear the symptoms.
HTH
Dave R
[quote
So (knowing that most diabetics are encouraged to take statins) I would encourage people to check on the possible side effects of other medications (if any) as well.
HTH
Dave R[/quote][/quote]
Regarding the statins I can only speak for myself. I stopped taking them a year or so ago due to a swelling on my neck that appeared and general muscle pains. To be honest after changing my diet my cholesterol isn't that high (over the recommended limit) but not too high. For me the side effects weren't worth it.
The sleep issue is definitely down to high sugars, blurred vision, feeling constantly ill, poor concentration and the poor memory all come from my unstable sugars. I have been on a slow release insulin now for maybe 7 or 8 weeks and I am needing less sleep (still more than the average bod) and my concentration and ability to cope with life in general are improving. So there is light at the end of the tunnel. I started taking 10 units per day and am now on 28, sugar still averaging around 9.5 so still some way to go, but I'm hopeful it won't be too long before life evens out.
So (knowing that most diabetics are encouraged to take statins) I would encourage people to check on the possible side effects of other medications (if any) as well.
HTH
Dave R[/quote][/quote]
Regarding the statins I can only speak for myself. I stopped taking them a year or so ago due to a swelling on my neck that appeared and general muscle pains. To be honest after changing my diet my cholesterol isn't that high (over the recommended limit) but not too high. For me the side effects weren't worth it.
The sleep issue is definitely down to high sugars, blurred vision, feeling constantly ill, poor concentration and the poor memory all come from my unstable sugars. I have been on a slow release insulin now for maybe 7 or 8 weeks and I am needing less sleep (still more than the average bod) and my concentration and ability to cope with life in general are improving. So there is light at the end of the tunnel. I started taking 10 units per day and am now on 28, sugar still averaging around 9.5 so still some way to go, but I'm hopeful it won't be too long before life evens out.
