Experiences with Dapagliflozin

[MikeyA]

Hi,
My name's Mikey, just turned 40 and was diagnosed with T2 in September 2022 (with a reading of 106!) Was put on max dosage Metformin, which I didn't react well to so i asked to go on the slow release version which worked better. Had an appointment a couple of weeks ago and hba1c now down to 64. Have been prescribed Dapagliflozin and was wondering if anyone that may be on it has any personal experience advice.
I'm also looking to lose a large amount of weight. Have been somewhat overwhelmed with a myriad of somewhat often contradictory advice I.e. Keto bad but low carb good? Is portion size blanket advice or individual dependant based on current weight etc.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Felinia]

I was switched to Dapagliflozin this September and it has been fine for me, with no side effects. The medication makes you pass out glucose through your urine so you are advised to drink a lot. I get through 4+ pints of fluid a day, which does mean you wee a lot!
I follow a low carb approach, so my portion sizes are related to their carb value. I try and keep my daily carb intake 75-90gm a day, but certainly below 130gm a day. The app which measures my carbs, also measures my calories, and sets a daily cal value for weight loss, from half a pound to 2 pounds per week. People with a lot of weight to lose are often set fairly high starting cal values, which they can reduce as the weight drops off.

 

[Leadinglights]

You have done really well to get your HbA1C down to 64 but obviously it would be better to get it down further but it sounds as if you may not have made enough changes to your diet.
Low carb has been successful for many in losing weight and reducing blood glucose, that is suggested as being no more than 130g carbs not just sugar per day, it is not NO carbs. Keto is quite extreme being less than 40g per day.
Keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink with an estimate of the carb would help you see how far you are rom that and where you could make some savings on carb intake.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for modifying your diet.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.com

 

[RBZ5416]

Previous threads with Dapagliflozin in the title.

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

I've only been on Dapagliflozin a few weeks but have noticed no side effects. My rate of weight loss has increased markedly since I started it, without any changes to diet, but it's too soon for me to tell how much of that change is down to the medication.

I would urge you to read the patient information leaflet carefully, as with any medication, so that you are aware of the symptoms of very rare but serious potential side effects.

The prescribing doctor advised that the most common potential side effect is thrush. The medication causes excess blood glucose to be dumped via urine, which makes the urine sweet, which can feed bacteria and fungi and lead to infection. I was advised that drinking plenty of water helps (to dilute the sugar in the urine) as does meticulous personal hygiene.

As regards low carb diets - it's a spectrum and a complex matter. Having read about it as much as I could for the past couple of weeks I came to the conclusion that I should absolutely never go back to eating meals that are extremely high in carbs - heaping plates of pasta or loads of potatoes for example. However, reducing carb intake to very low levels permanently in order to manage blood sugar may possibly have unintended consequences later in life. The lower your carb intake, the higher your protein and/or fat intake must be to make up the missing calories. Positive evidence on the long term effects of a high fat diet for example, if trying to justify a low carb diet, seems patchy and inconclusive to me at best. I've settled on a somewhat reduced carb, balanced diet approach for the next year or so until I know more about the effects that weight loss and medication have on my blood glucose levels. I intend to reevaluate a low carb approach at that time if I am still on more medications than I want to be on, or have side effects that I am unhappy with.

Best of luck