Insulin ?

[veganlass]

Is it true that injectable insulin, causes excess glucose to be converted into fat cells?.

If this is the case, its unbelievable that something to give overweight folks to control their diabetes can cause obesity!!.

Also can someone change from insulin to metformin?.

 

[Northerner]

Hi veganlass, good to hear from you again, hope you are well 🙂 It's a tricky question. Ultimately, your diet is what will make you gain weight, whether you are injecting or not, since you need to balance your energy intake with your energy needs throughout the day. Insulin acts to enable glucose to leave the blood and enter the body's cells for use as energy. If the cells are 'full', then insulin will help to convert the blood glucose as fat. The problem can arise therefore that if you have too much glucose then you will gain weight - it's not really insulin's fault - without it your blood glucose levels would climb high and eventually spill over into your urine, but the high levels would cause long-term damage to your blood vessels and organs.

If your body can't convert the glucose at all due to insufficient insulin then your cells will fail to get the energy they need, so insulin is necessary to sustain life - there is no alternative.

As for stopping insulin and going back to metformin only, this may be possible for some individuals if their main problem is insulin resistance. Losing wieght and making the body more sensitive to its own insulin might result in it no longer needing 'supplementary' injections of insulin. However, by the time that insulin is prescribed it is likely that various other drugs will have been tried and no longer work, so I believe the likelihood is rare.

p.s. It's worth reading The Insulin Factor for an explanation about the relationship between insulin and potential weight gain.

 

[veganlass]

Thanks.

I am going through a rebelious stage at the moment. All the weight I lost has been put back on and I am eating a 'normal' vegan diet regardless of diabetes.

I want to scrap the insulin regime and just take two metformin tabs a day and forget the diabetes.

My BG's fluctuate between 9.0 pre brekkie, drops to sometimes to below 4 at lunchtime and then due to my disability making me fatigued by afternoon and evening I tend to snack and then my BG is pre tea time anything from 11 to 16.

I DO NOT want to inject more than twice a day. My insulin uptake varies from 14u morning and then anything up to 17u in the evening. My BG;s are no better than it was when I was trying diet only.

 

[Vicsetter]

As a T2 you can stop insulin whenever you want, but your BG readings will go up. You should of course discuss this with your GP. It sounds to me as if your doseage needs adjusting. Do you do this yourself or is it up to your GP/nurse?
It is doubtful that your GP will take you off insulin and put you on Metformin as I assume your have been on Metformin and it didn't do the trick.

Have you talked about Byetta/Bydureon/Victoza instead of insulin, these are all supposed to help with weight loss, but of course cost a lot more.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I think i'm right in saying that it isn't just injected insulin that has the ability to store excess blood glucose as fat either - natural insulin from your own pancreas will do just the same. And if your metabolism struggles to utilise its own 'homegrown' and responds by secreting more and more in an attempt to keep BGs down you can end up with a high level of circulating insulin and high BGs.

Reducing carb intake should reduce the amount of insulin required (either natural or injected)

 

[novorapidboi26]

After going on the pump I learned that when injecting insulin, not all of it is actually used, so this is why you take more units when injecting than you do when pumping........

I realize some pumpers may tell a different story........

But what happens with this excess insulin..........?

Must be involved in some extent to fat storage to some extent........

I lost over a stone after going on the pump and taking half my original total daily dose......

 

[veganlass]

Thanks folks
I am due to see the dsn next month with the latest Blood results.


It was my choice to go straight onto insulin as I didnt want to risk side effects.

Iwill continue with prescribed insulin till I see her.

I was hoping for a warm sunny time so would be busier in the garden etc,. Instead of sitting here!!.

When the weather is great I am hardly indoors and that effects my diet/snacking and weight!!.