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Where do I go from here

A

Antony121

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Having been diagnosed with type 2 for a year and a half now its seems my Bg is still too high despite the amount of medication I take.
I'm currently taking 2000mg of metformin
40mg of Alogliptin & 1.2mg of victoza.
My last A1c had gone up from 56 to 70
So here's my question , what the next step in terms of medication.? I'm guessing there has to be a point when insulin has to be introduced , any thoughts would be welcomed
 
Have you made any other changes? Like the foods you eat or your weight or your activities? Food is a huge factor in controlling numbers and if you are eating a lot of carbs the levels will stay high. Pretty much all the meds say they should be taken in conjunction with diet and lifestyle changes.
 
Can I suggest you take a good look at LCHF ie low carb higher fat (than typically recommended) methods of eating (keto is just a version of this). It helps many of us lose significant amounts of weight, if desired, keep our numbers down and for some even eliminate medications and achieve remission and reduce or improve complications. It can also help with joint pains and high blood pressure and other conditions. Try clicking these links for more detailed explanations that are well worth readings. Please make sure to read the caution about testing and adjusting meds at the end.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/jokalsbeek.401801/ for info including low carb made simple


And https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/success-stories-and-testimonials.43/ to show it really works and for motivation


and https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/ for food ideas


also https://www.dietdoctor.com/ for more food ideas and general info of carb content of foods. Lots of other websites for recipes out there too. Just use the term low carb or keto with whatever you fancy.


Also it’s very important to be able to check for yourself what’s happening so you can make the necessary adjustments day to day and meal by meal rather than wait 3, 6 or even 12 months and then have no idea what had what effect. It also helps keep an eye out that any meds are working appropriately not too much or too little. Getting a blood glucose meter is the only way to do this (no matter what contradictory advice you may have heard - it’s usually budget based rather than anything more scientific). Please ask if you want any guidance on this or how and when to test for best use of the meter.


IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE ON MEDS CONSIDERING LOWERING CARBS: if you lower your carbs then any glucose lowering meds or insulin increasing meds may need to be adjusted accordingly to make sure you aren’t taking more than your new diet requires. It can cause a hypo if you have more gliclazide or insulin etc (this is not relevant for metformin on its own) than your new carb intake requires. Keep a close eye on your numbers and do this with your dr’s knowledge. Please don’t be put off by an ill informed out dated rubbishing of low carb diets or being told you should eat carbs to match meds, it should be the other way around.
 
Also when diagnosed on what basis did they decide you were type 2? Did they test GAD antibodies or c peptide to see if type 1 or LADA was a possibility?
 
Hello and welcome.

I'm a relative newbie so have no advice on medication. Have your levels been high for all the time since your diagnosis? or have the levels gone up recently? What advice have you received from your doctor?

Do you have a meter and test your levels regularly? If you do what sort of levels are you getting?

If you haven't tried a LCHF diet you may wish to consider that? Many type 2s on this site eat LCHF and manage to keep their levels low without medication.

There is a lot of information here and I hope you get the answers you need.

Welcome.
 
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