Rybelsus medication

[Kathy1960]

Hi everyone - just wondering if any of you have any experience or thoughts on Rybelsus medication? It’s similar to ozempic.
I have recently been prescribed it as my Hba1c was in the low 60s. I am a bit reluctant to take it as the side effects sound pretty awful - nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea- risk of thyroid cancer.
I know I can get my hba1c down through diet as I have done it before, but haven’t been able to sustain it over time. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 6 years ago.
I don’t know if to take the meds or make an effort with my food.
Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you x
PS I’m already taking Metformin.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi everyone - just wondering if any of you have any experience or thoughts on Rybelsus medication? It’s similar to ozempic.
I have recently been prescribed it as my Hba1c was in the low 60s. I am a bit reluctant to take it as the side effects sound pretty awful - nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea- risk of thyroid cancer.
I know I can get my hba1c down through diet as I have done it before, but haven’t been able to sustain it over time. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 6 years ago.
I don’t know if to take the meds or make an effort with my food.
Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you x
PS I’m already taking Metformin.

Welcome to the forum.
I have no experience of the medication but I know many do manage to reduce their HbA1C from levels higher than yours by making dietary changes but the important thing is to make it a dietary approach that is enjoyable and that you can sustain. As you say you have done it before and what you have to do is not regard it as A DIET but a new way of eating for life.
I found the principals in this link successful and it is my new normal. It is a low carb approach not a NO carb and there are some recipes and menu plans to suit various tastes and budgets based on real food. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[Kathy1960]

Welcome to the forum.
I have no experience of the medication but I know many do manage to reduce their HbA1C from levels higher than yours by making dietary changes but the important thing is to make it a dietary approach that is enjoyable and that you can sustain. As you say you have done it before and what you have to do is not regard it as A DIET but a new way of eating for life.
I found the principals in this link successful and it is my new normal. It is a low carb approach not a NO carb and there are some recipes and menu plans to suit various tastes and budgets based on real food. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

Thank you so much for your reply and encouraging advice. That link is really helpful. I’m just trying to get my head in the right space to really crack on with eating approach.

 

[Sussexmax]

I’ve been taking rybelsus alongside metformin for about 18 months without any issues or side effects. It’s helped me to lose a significant amount of weight, which I’ve managed to keep off so far! I did have a few months on sitagliptin when it was unavailable, but I’ve been back on the rybelsus for several months now. I started on the 3mg, but that’s recently been increased to 7mg as the lower dose wasn’t making me remain feeling full for longer. Not sure if I’ll be kept on it long term/permanently, but it’s certainly working well for me!

 

[Kathy1960]

Thank you so much for your reply. It’s great to hear that you have had no side effects and had such great results. I have still been dithering about taking it, but your reply has made me think I should give it a go. X

 

[Sussexmax]

Thank you so much for your reply. It’s great to hear that you have had no side effects and had such great results. I have still been dithering about taking it, but your reply has made me think I should give it a go. X

We obviously can all react differently to medications, but I can honestly say that the only effect that I’m aware of is to counteract the potential ‘looseness’ caused by metformin! I think the feeling of fullness has helped me to cut carb intake and generally reduce what I eat. Do you just take metformin at the moment, and has your dose of that changed? Hope you get on well with the rybelsus x

 

[Sussexmax]

Thank you so much for your reply. It’s great to hear that you have had no side effects and had such great results. I have still been dithering about taking it, but your reply has made me think I should give it a go. X

I should have added to make sure you take it when/just before you get up with no more than 200ml of water, and at least 20 minutes before you eat/drink anything else. It sounds like a faff but once you get into the habit it’s no drama! x

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope you get on well with it @Kathy1960

There’s a legal obligation on drugs companies to be open about any potential side effects however rare or unlikely. Which can make for pretty scary reading, and yet is often one of the first things people check out.

Large numbers of people get no, or very few negative effects from medications they are offered. Sometimes there’s a ‘settling in’ period where short term effects are felt which then disappear.

And of course, the only way to know how any medication will affect you is to try it for yourself.

Hope it works well for you. Several members here have used meds as a sort of kickstart for their diabetes management, and have found they can discuss dose reductions of stopping meds sometime down the line if that seems right for them.

And of course all meds work best when balanced with appropriate changes to a person’s way of eating.

Let us know how you get on 🙂

 

[Kathy1960]

We obviously can all react differently to medications, but I can honestly say that the only effect that I’m aware of is to counteract the potential ‘looseness’ caused by metformin! I think the feeling of fullness has helped me to cut carb intake and generally reduce what I eat. Do you just take metformin at the moment, and has your dose of that changed? Hope you get on well with the rybelsus x

Thanks again - yes - I’m on Metformin - have been since I was diagnosed 8 years ago - 4x 500mg a day. I have been fine on that - no side effects. I have decided to try the Rybelsus and will be starting at the beginning of April when I get back from holiday - don’t want to risk symptoms while I’m away! Hopefully it will be fine. I’ll doing the eating/exercise stuff as well, but came to the conclusion I might as well take the medication help offered being offered. X

 

[Kathy1960]

Hope you get on well with it @Kathy1960

There’s a legal obligation on drugs companies to be open about any potential side effects however rare or unlikely. Which can make for pretty scary reading, and yet is often one of the first things people check out.

Large numbers of people get no, or very few negative effects from medications they are offered. Sometimes there’s a ‘settling in’ period where short term effects are felt which then disappear.

And of course, the only way to know how any medication will affect you is to try it for yourself.

Hope it works well for you. Several members here have used meds as a sort of kickstart for their diabetes management, and have found they can discuss dose reductions of stopping meds sometime down the line if that seems right for them.

And of course all meds work best when balanced with appropriate changes to a person’s way of eating.

Let us know how you get on 🙂

Thank you Mike. I have decided to give it a go and as you say, it could be a good kick start. I had a very good conversation with the pharmacist at my GP surgery today and am feeling much more confident about taking it.
Again. As you say, I won’t know til I try.
I’ll let you know how it goes. x

 

[Annette&Bert]

I have been on Trulicity for 18 months until it became unavailable, I have to be honest its effect on my weight was negligable, like Rybelsus, Trulicity was known to cause the side effects mentioned as well as pancreatitis, and tumours on the thyroid. What bothers me is that due to long term use of certain meds here in the 21st century your drugs can damage other organs, rtidiculous that by taking a drug for diabetes you can damage your thyroid and pancreas. I am not happy with this possibility. I seemy DN on 2nd April when options will be discussed. In honesty I don’t think I can control it with diet alone.