Hi - First time posting! Trulicity is the condundrum!

Wendysqf

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi
I have been a diabetic for about 4 years now and was put onto Trulicity back in July after been trailed on another unsuitable medication.
I have a very weak stomach, and have been told that the side effects I am experiencing on Trulicity will pass.
I generally feel 'yuch' everyday, however, on days 4/5/6 of the week I have severe diarrhoea, which renders me house bound!!
Does anyone know why this happens, and how to remedy it (apart from coming of the meds as otherwise they work)?
 
Welcome to the forum
I just wonder if you have now been put on that medication because dietary options have not been sufficient to bring down your HbA1C. I know many do find that the first line medication metformin is not tolerated by some as are some of the other oral meds.
I remember somebody else mentioning issues with Trulicity, if you put that into the search bar (top right) you will come across some threads of others experience.
Do you know what your HbA1C is that led to the decision and what sort of meals do you have?
If you would like to post some examples then people might spot some foods which may not be doing you any favours for your blood glucose level.
 
Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear you are experiencing such dramatic and unpleasant side effects. Are you only on Trulicity for diabetes?
Just wondering if you also take Metformin or if that was the medication which was deemed unsuitable?

Do you know your most recent HbA1c result? Just wondering if dietary changes might be a better route for you than medication. Following a low carb way of eating can be a more powerful way of managing Type 2 diabetes than most medication and it can also help with weight loss. The problem is that many people (including many medical professionals) don't understand how effective it can be or how to make it work and because tastes are quite individual and culturally carbs have become a huge part of our diet, it takes some getting your head around to strip them back to basic levels.... ie reducing breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and fruit as well as the cakes and biscuits and sweets etc. It can still be a really enjoyable way of eating but it takes time and effort to figure it out and for your tastes to change.

I can't speak from experience with Trulicity and it may be worth persevering for a bit longer or at least discussing the problem with your GP or nurse, but if you haven't tried following a low carb diet as an alternative way of managing your diabetes and possible your weight too if that is an issue, we can help guide you with that with suggestions of alternative foods/meal ideas.
 
Welcome to the forum
I just wonder if you have now been put on that medication because dietary options have not been sufficient to bring down your HbA1C. I know many do find that the first line medication metformin is not tolerated by some as are some of the other oral meds.
I remember somebody else mentioning issues with Trulicity, if you put that into the search bar (top right) you will come across some threads of others experience.
Do you know what your HbA1C is that led to the decision and what sort of meals do you have?
If you would like to post some examples then people might spot some foods which may not be doing you any favours for your blood glucose level.
Thank you for this ....
I don't have my HbA1C to hand unfortunately.
I am only on Trulicity, they have tried me on many different tablets and now think that this is probably my only option at the moment.
I generally have a very stable balanced diet, I try to eat as little carbs as is practical. I like protein in the form of chicken, beef and fish. I did very well on a strict Keto diet, but was losing too much weight so have balanced it out now.
 
Hi and welcome.

Sorry to hear you are experiencing such dramatic and unpleasant side effects. Are you only on Trulicity for diabetes?
Just wondering if you also take Metformin or if that was the medication which was deemed unsuitable?

Do you know your most recent HbA1c result? Just wondering if dietary changes might be a better route for you than medication. Following a low carb way of eating can be a more powerful way of managing Type 2 diabetes than most medication and it can also help with weight loss. The problem is that many people (including many medical professionals) don't understand how effective it can be or how to make it work and because tastes are quite individual and culturally carbs have become a huge part of our diet, it takes some getting your head around to strip them back to basic levels.... ie reducing breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and fruit as well as the cakes and biscuits and sweets etc. It can still be a really enjoyable way of eating but it takes time and effort to figure it out and for your tastes to change.

I can't speak from experience with Trulicity and it may be worth persevering for a bit longer or at least discussing the problem with your GP or nurse, but if you haven't tried following a low carb diet as an alternative way of managing your diabetes and possible your weight too if that is an issue, we can help guide you with that with suggestions of alternative foods/meal ideas.
Hi Barbara

Thank you for this, I will have to look up my HbA1c. I have been on a low carb (keto) for quite a while earlier this year, mainly to lose some extra pounds I gained due to having covid, I lost too much weight so have now balanced it out again, focussing on keeping the carbs low.
I am determined to stick to Trulicity, as I have been told by the specialists that this is the only one they have at the moment which can deal with my sensitive stomach and my meds regime for other conditions. I will take a look at the other streams of conversations and see if there is anything there.

Many thanks and will keep this posted if I find anything which may help others.
Wendy
 
Can I assume from your comment that you are not overweight and would you be comfortable to elaborate on some of your other conditions? I am just wondering if you may be another mis diagnosed Type 1. If you have other autoimmune conditions and you are not particularly overweight then that might suggest a possibility of slow onset Type 1 diabetes, especially if your HbA1c is particularly high.
Would you be able to fill us in on how you initially came to be diagnosed with diabetes ie was it through a routine blood test or were you symptomatic and if so which symptoms and di they come on quite suddenly or was there a slow onset or perhaps it was identified following an illness?

Your GP's comment about Trulicity being the only option is probably not strictly true. Insulin is another treatment option, whether you are Type 1 or Type 2 or even some other diabetes Type. For some reason, medical professionals are really wary of prescribing insulin. Yes there are drawbacks to insulin usage but there are drawbacks to many drugs/medicines as you clearly experiencing. There are certainly less risks of digestive upset with insulin if that is somethin your body is struggling with.

If you were losing weight on a keto diet, then you would need to increase your fat content to stop that. It can be quite difficult to get your head around eating more fat when you have spent a lifetime of being told that fat is bad and to eat low fat products. I still feel guilty sometimes about eating more fat despite the fact I feel happier and healthier and fitter than I did on a low fat diet and my cholesterol is lower despite eating lots of fat now, particularly dairy ie cheese, cream, creamy yoghurt etc and fatty meat) which of course include a significant amount of saturated fats.
 
Can I assume from your comment that you are not overweight and would you be comfortable to elaborate on some of your other conditions? I am just wondering if you may be another mis diagnosed Type 1. ...
Yup-- when Wendy says she was recently 'losing too much weight' (and it sounds as though that was before she started getting the severe diarrhoea!), that does ring alarm bells.

See the NICE guidelines, https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/diagnosis/diagnosis-adults/ Of course one would hope, even expect, that all medics would know these-- but not all of them do, as I know from personal experience.
 
Sorry to hear about the stomach upsets you have been having @Wendysqf :(

We’ve had quite a few members on Trulicity. There are some threads here if you’d like to look into others’ experiences

If you’ve been sticking to a very low carb intake, and your levels have still been rising, and you‘ve been losing weight without meaning to, it might be worth checking with your Dr in case it needs checking out?
 
Back
Top