Hello

[Smileyp123]

Hi, I,m a newbie,
just saying hi, I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 and I also have psoriatic arthritis. any tips on managing medication to prevent nausea would be gratefully received. TIA

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome.

It would help to know which medication you are on and also your HbA1c result if you know it. It is the blood test result used to diagnose diabetes and will usually be expressed as a number in excess of 47 but can be up into 3 figures if things have gone seriously astray.
Is psoriatic arthritis an autoimmune condition?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi Smileyp123, Welcome to the forum.
A bit more information would help would help to be able to give appropriate suggestions.
What medication is it you are on? I would assume it is metformin as you are newly diagnosed.
If so then nausea and stomach issues are a common side effect when first starting it but the dose is normally started at a low level then increased gradually. The issues should settle down, if not then a slow / modified release version should be requested.
Taking with a substantial meal (rather than no food or just a snack) helps for some people.
What is your HbA1C which has led to your diagnosis, it will be a number above 48mmol/mol

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi and welcome.

It would help to know which medication you are on and also your HbA1c result if you know it. It is the blood test result used to diagnose diabetes and will usually be expressed as a number in excess of 47 but can be up into 3 figures if things have gone seriously astray.
Is psoriatic arthritis an autoimmune condition?

Snap, you beat me to it.

 

[Smileyp123]

Hi and welcome.

It would help to know which medication you are on and also your HbA1c result if you know it. It is the blood test result used to diagnose diabetes and will usually be expressed as a number in excess of 47 but can be up into 3 figures if things have gone seriously astray.
Is psoriatic arthritis an autoimmune condition?

Hi, I’m on Metformin and my test result just says raised! Yes it is an auto immune condition, I’m also on medication for that but struggle to manage the nausea. TIA

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi, I’m on Metformin and my test result just says raised! Yes it is an auto immune condition, I’m also on medication for that but struggle to manage the nausea. TIA

It would be useful for you to find out the actual number as that will indicate how much you need to do to get it down.
The reason for asking about your other condition is that Type 1 diabetes is also an autoimmune condition so it could be a possibility that you might actually be Type 1 so I should ask if they are sure you are Type 2 as treatment would be different.
There are additional tests for Type 1 which you could ask for. GAD antibody and C-peptide.

 

[Smileyp123]

Ok, thanks for the information, I will check it out.

 

[rebrascora]

Has the nausea started since you were put on the Metformin or could it be the medication for the PA?
Metformin is known for digestive upset but it is usually lower tract with flatulence (it's not unaffectionately known as Metfartin for nothing!!) and diarrheoa but some people experience reflux and nausea with it although it is less common. Generally we recommend taking the Metformin mid meal with a substantial amount of food so it is sandwiched in the food as it goes through your digestive tract. I found if I took it after food I sometimes got reflux, so mid meal was best. I still got colic spasms occasionally and wind and loose stools but it mostly settled down after a couple of weeks.

It is important to start the metformin dose gradually and build it up to full dose over a period of a few weeks to reduce the digestive upset.

I would ask for your HbA1c result or obtain it online if you are able. You are entitled to know the number not just a vague assessment of what it means. This is the test which is used to track your management of your diabetes so knowing the numbers is important and particularly your starting point. A lot of good diabetes management will be down to you. Relying on medication to do it is naive at best and potentially gambling with your future health. Making the right choices and gaining knowledge and understanding of how your body responds to foods will enable you to take control rather than relying on the GP to adjust your meds every 6 months or so. Many of us have become fitter and healthier and slimmer as a result of our diagnosis by changing our lifestyle and particularly diet but knowledge is the key ingredient and having the right advice, which is where the forum comes into it's own. We are hear to support you and help to point you in the right direction but it will be a journey that will involve some effort and experimentation on your part as our bodies, tastes metabolism and gut biome are all different, so you have to become the expert in your own diabetes.

The PA being autoimmune is a bit of a red flag as autoimmune conditions are quite gregarious and sometimes like to congregate and party in the same body. Can I ask if you have much/any weight to lose and are yopu reasonably active PA allowing? Type 1 diabetes is also autoimmune and despite many doctors believing it only affects children it can manifest at any age and sometimes has a slower onset later in life. There are many of us here who were initially mis-diagnosed as Type 2. An HbA1c of 48 or more gets you a diabetes badge but the type of diabetes is down to an assessment of clinical factors and the doctor's knowledge or interest. It is very easy to look at people and say they are middle aged and a bit overweight so they must be Type 2, without looking more closely at their individual circumstances and your PA should flag a bit more interest if the doc is switched on.
There are tests they can do to confirm Type 1. These are a GAD antibody test and a C-peptide test. The latter indicates how much insulin you are able to produce. Most Type 2 diabetics produce a lot of insulin because their bodies have become insulin resistant whereas Type 1 diabetics has reduced insulin production because their immune system is killing off their insulin producing cells. These two tests are best sanctioned by a consultant as firstly they are expensive and therefore GPs are reluctant, secondly the results should be considered by someone who has specialist knowledge to come to a diagnosis as they are not always clear cut and thirdly the samples need special conditions for storage and transport that most GP practices would not have facilities for.

I appreciate that I am probably bombarding you with information but as I said, knowledge is power. Knowlng your HbA1c might have added weight to the debate as Type 1 diabetics usually have a very high HbA1c sometimes accompanied by symptoms like unexplained weight loss as well as thirst and weeing a lot which can be common to both if BG levels are very high. Many Type 2 diabetics have no apparent symptoms.

Anyway, just some extra background info to bear in mind particularly if you don't respond as expected to medication and dietary changes.

 

[Smileyp123]

Ok thanks for all that, I will need a little time to check it all out and I do have the HbA1c number in my medical paperwork that I keep but not to hand.
Yes the Metformin is taken gradually but I had to go back to the start as it was making me feel very sick before Christmas, to the point where I didn’t eat anything for nearly a week. The PA medicine is also a gradual rise in medication, but I take them at different times so I don’t think its them, they don’t need to be taken with food either.
I do have quite a lot of weight to lose, already lost some with low carb and not feeling so good. But I have other things going on medically too, which I wont go into, so when I get all the results from that I will check out your advice with my GP. Thanks again, I will take the Metformin during the meal rather than after.

 

[Leadinglights]

Ok thanks for all that, I will need a little time to check it all out and I do have the HbA1c number in my medical paperwork that I keep but not to hand.
Yes the Metformin is taken gradually but I had to go back to the start as it was making me feel very sick before Christmas, to the point where I didn’t eat anything for nearly a week. The PA medicine is also a gradual rise in medication, but I take them at different times so I don’t think its them, they don’t need to be taken with food either.
I do have quite a lot of weight to lose, already lost some with low carb and not feeling so good. But I have other things going on medically too, which I wont go into, so when I get all the results from that I will check out your advice with my GP. Thanks again, I will take the Metformin during the meal rather than after.

If you continue to feel unwell then you could ask for the slow release metformin if that is not what you are on. Depending on what your HbA1C is it might be perfectly possible to reduce it with the low carb approach without the metformin. Many Type 2 people have done just that.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Smileyp123

Glad you have found us!

Diabetes can be a frustrating and tricky business at times, and it can really help to have folks alongside who instinctively ‘get it’.

Hopefully your nausea will settle (those who experience nausea/gastric upset from Met often find it settles in a few weeks).

If you are hungry for more information about managing your diabetes, you might like to register with the Learning Zone, which has lots of informative bite-sized modules you can work through at your own pace 🙂

And keep asking questions on the forum too, or just use it to rant and moan about any frustrations, or celebrate any little wins