More flipping pills ?!

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SHORAN

SHORAN

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello all,

I'm wondering if any of you have tried the drug PIOGLITAZONE ( 30mg daily )- what do you think of it ?


I'm a a type 2 - genetic, diagnosed about 2 years ago. I was always slim and now I'm practically skinny. I eat very little carbs, I "survive" mostly on salads, cheese, nuts, full fat yogurt, fish meat, some veg ( if I eat potatoes it's a small portion and fried in rapeseed oil ), I do have some fruit like strawberries or raspberries. I don't touch- rice, pasta, pizza, sweet stuff etc. No root veg.( I do eat Broccoli and Cabbage and baby Sweetcorn ) I eat very little ( lowest carb versions I can find ) bread daily, maybe 1-2 slices or 1 pitta bread ( these are higher in carbs I know )

I exercise very moderately just once a week - I think though... I probably should do every day !... high intensity burst perhaps ?

I walk around in London a fair bit and am often on my fold up bike for short rides here and there at least 4-5 times a week .

Where am I going wrong ?

Doctor thinks my levels are a bit high, I'm already on Metformin slow release 2 x 1000mg daily and 100mg Sitiagliptin. Now the doctor wants to add this other flipping drug Pioglitazone 30mg daily. He'd like me to go for another blood test to check my blood levels again in 2-3 months

Boy am I fed up! I was hoping to practically reverse my diabetes - or at least not need much meds !

Two years ago when I was diagnosed I couldn't take Gliclazide ( with my metformin ). The Gliclazide was giving me hypos and too low fasting level readings so I stopped the Gliclazide.

Doctor said to me "it's quite common for T2 diabetics to have worsening insulin resistance so you may need to go on INSULIN !" Now that's definitely not something I wanted to hear ! Boy am I fed up ! ( again !! )

Should I start exercising daily !? - would that help reduce my meds ... or eat something to help improve my insulin sensitivity... so any brilliant tips ?

Got me fingers crossed.

Thanks, Shoran
 
Hi SHORAN, sorry can't give any advise, but what I can do is sympathise, I'm on insulin and my BG is all over the place, had to go to hospital for 2 of my hypos, and like you generally fed up, eat well try to sensible, and up goes up my insulin, thinking of you and hope it all goes well.
 
Don't think you are going wrong at all. If anything is a bit of a problem it is that anything other than type 1 diabetes is thrown into the box labelled type 2 and it is left to people with limited expertise in the condition (the average GP) to experiment with different approaches in the hope they find something that works for an individual. It is not a particularly efficient way of going about things.

This is not a dig at GP's by the way, they do a great job, but the way I see it they need more help in sub dividing type 2 into sub types and then tailoring treatments for those sub types.
 
Viv. ((((HUGS))))

Apologies if you have been asked this before but have they ever Done a C peptide or oops I have forgotten the name of the other blood test. Because I am wondering if you may have. LADA instead of T2 .

Yes some of us with T2 do progress to needing insulin (I have, but I am not entirely sure I have t2 as I don’t need much of it ) if this is the case with you, I strongly suggest not to be afraid of it, imo it’s great stuff
 
Docb said:
Don't think you are going wrong at all. If anything is a bit of a problem it is that anything other than type 1 diabetes is thrown into the box labelled type 2 and it is left to people with limited expertise in the condition (the average GP) to experiment with different approaches in the hope they find something that works for an individual. It is not a particularly efficient way of going about things.

This is not a dig at GP's by the way, they do a great job, but the way I see it they need more help in sub dividing type 2 into sub types and then tailoring treatments for those sub types.
Click to expand...
This is so true.

Imo T2 is a complicated range of conditions. Many of us tend to be round balls that they try and shove into square holes, then some blame us when it doesn’t work
 
Would be interested to see what your c-peptide levels were @SHORAN

Is your body actually producing lots of insulin and not using it properly...? Or are you LADA and losing beta cells so you aren’t producing much insulin at all?
 
Hello Mike,

I've no idea to be honest ! My GP is meant to be a 'specialist' on Diabetes - he hasn't said anything along these lines. I'll certainly bring it up with him asap.

About a year ago I did mention to a specialist Diabetic consultant the fact that I could be a T1.5, he was dismissive and not pro active.

I just picked up my PIOGLITAZONE.... I am wondering if I should just start taking them as prescribed and see the doctor in 2-3 months. Or carry on as I normally do except - exercise daily - get a 10-15 min sweat on ! Carry on with my usual meds first ( Metformin and Sitiagliptin ) see if this makes all the difference in bringing down my glucose levels. ( then arrange to see my GP ? ) I only do a fasting test teach morning and this is currently anything from 6.7 to 9. Usually around 8 - 8.5

So what do you more experienced T2'ers think ? - take the new drug now, or avoid and carry on as usual and exercise more as an experiment etc . Think I should check my levels more often during the day too ?

Penny for your thoughts !

Appreciated,
Shoran.
 
Hi. Do checkout the glitazone as it does have some downsides. Glicazide is very safe but the dose needs to be low enough to avoid hypos (you can get 40mg pills). Do pursue the possibility of LADA if you are slim. My GP was also very dismissive but finally agreed insulin. I'm still listed as T2 but know I am LADA. I had my own c-peptide done privately last month and is showed low insulin i.e. LADA.
 
Dave

Thanks - interesting.

I don't know why but the idea of going on insulin and all the malarky around it just makes me say to myself "no, no, no... I don't fancy it ! I'd rather stick just pills"

If only they invented a pill that you popped once a day and it was an INSULIN PILL ? wishful thinking eh .....

I'm not afraid of needles if that's what any of you are thinking. I really will have to carb count ( not that I have very much at all ) every meal etc, jab, jab, jab etc .....

Maybe it's not that bad and it actually helps one beef up ( though I do quite like my lean look ! - I am a little thin for sure - need more muscle mass )

Hope you dont mind my asking but...Did you actively want to go on Insulin - how so, why ?....

Shoran
 
SHORAN said:
I don't know why but the idea of going on insulin and all the malarky around it just makes me say to myself "no, no, no... I don't fancy it ! I'd rather stick just pills"
Click to expand...

If you have to then you have to. While there are certainly downsides to depending on insulin there's the upside that it does allow more flexibility in diet.
 
I'm so sorry. At least I know mine is self-inflicted and I'm doomed by my own hand, not so much the D as my liver's packed up. I hope you can find answers.
 
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SHORAN said:
Dave

Thanks - interesting.

I don't know why but the idea of going on insulin and all the malarky around it just makes me say to myself "no, no, no... I don't fancy it ! I'd rather stick just pills"

If only they invented a pill that you popped once a day and it was an INSULIN PILL ? wishful thinking eh .....

I'm not afraid of needles if that's what any of you are thinking. I really will have to carb count ( not that I have very much at all ) every meal etc, jab, jab, jab etc .....

Maybe it's not that bad and it actually helps one beef up ( though I do quite like my lean look ! - I am a little thin for sure - need more muscle mass )

Hope you dont mind my asking but...Did you actively want to go on Insulin - how so, why ?....

Shoran
Click to expand...

I never had the choice really, the tablets weren’t working any more and with my poorly kidneys Insukin was the only choice.
Since going on MDI I feel oh so much better in myself, I now am mostly :D🙄:D in the diving seat rather than the diabetes.
Of course their are a couple of downsides (ain’t there always lol) but for me the benefits far outweigh the cons
Sometimes I get right fed up with it , it’s usually silly things like, if I am going out, h@ving to have my kit with me.
I also have some upsides too. My Basal Insulin alone seems to help my pancreas deal with me eating a certain amount of carbs , providing I’m in range I can eat an apple, a pear or a rather large portion of strawberries and I enjoy them even more because I haven’t had to jab for them, but for me feeling oh so much better is the best thing ever.
 
Last edited:
SHORAN said:
Dave

Thanks - interesting.

I don't know why but the idea of going on insulin and all the malarky around it just makes me say to myself "no, no, no... I don't fancy it ! I'd rather stick just pills"

If only they invented a pill that you popped once a day and it was an INSULIN PILL ? wishful thinking eh .....

I'm not afraid of needles if that's what any of you are thinking. I really will have to carb count ( not that I have very much at all ) every meal etc, jab, jab, jab etc .....

Maybe it's not that bad and it actually helps one beef up ( though I do quite like my lean look ! - I am a little thin for sure - need more muscle mass )

Hope you dont mind my asking but...Did you actively want to go on Insulin - how so, why ?....

Shoran
Click to expand...
Yes, I actively wanted to go onto insulin when I was taking 320mg Gliclazide, Metformin and Sitagliptin and still having BS figures often into the 20s despite low-carbing. My ignorant 'diabetes' GP refused me insulin saying I should just have a 'balanced' diet and said there was no way I was T1. A year later she said I had to go onto insulin and did I mind! I managed to control my temper. So, when you have the complete set of tablets and they don't work and you are slim you know that your pancreas has given up. The move to insulin was a joy. Injecting is just a nuisance and I can now eat fairly freely but still keep the carbs sensibly down to avoid weight gain and BS spikes together with hypo risk. Had I known more at the time I should have insisted on a c-peptide test. I did have a GAD test done privately which was negative which proves to me that the c-peptide test is more useful than GAD to determine if your beta cells still exist.
 
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