Trulicity

[ladyengineer]

Hi
Does anyone have recent experience of being on Trulicity? I have read threads on the forum mentioning side effects for some and some success for others but I was wondering if anyone had an update.

L

 

[Ljc]

Sorry I can’t help but wanted to give this a bump up.

 

[ladyengineer]

I just started on Trulicity and my bg readings have dropped to between 5.0 and 6.0 before eating from 7.0 plus.
If i understand correctly this is good and the medication is working as it should. However I am experiencing some of the symptoms associated with a hypo. Is this just my body being out of its comfort zone?

Mixed feelings atm because the nausea is distracting.

L

 

[mikeyB]

If your BG has been running high, then a fairly quick drop will give the sensation of a hypo - it’s called a false hypo. As your body gets used to lower BGs that feeling will go. The same should happen with the nausea, but if it persists for more than 2-3 weeks, tell your doctor.

So you’re exactly right - it’s your body being taken out of its comfort zone.🙂

 

[kkma0706]

Hi there, this is my first post so apologies if I don't get it quite right. I started on Trulicity on 20th March so can share my experience so far. As a bit of background, I was diagnosed in August 2016 after going in to DKA at 36 years old, and was presumed to be Type 1. I was put on a basal bolus regime of insulin and also metformin. However, I was very overweight and had a strong family history of type 2. After numerous tests they have decided I am ketosis-prone type 2 and I have been off insulin since January 2017. Initially I was doing well but my Hba1c has crept up so I am trying 2g metformin MR and Trulicity 1.5mg. I was very reluctant to take it initially reading all the bad press but decided to give it a go as I was feeling so lousy with high blood sugars all the time. The first 2 weeks were hell, severe nausea, vomiting and upset stomach plus extreme tiredness. I also had terrible heartburn and vile acid burping. The effect on my blood sugar was pretty instant though, particularly my fasting blood sugar. I barely ate or drank for the first week, my appetite is slowly coming back but I find I feel full very quickly and I have lost 3.5kgs in 2 weeks, in total 15kgs since diagnosis. I had my 3rd injection yesterday and feel well so far, in fact I am constipated now but I think I need to drink more water. It is worth sticking with it for a few weeks as in my experience the side effects have gotten less. It is a very easy injection to take and convenient in that you can vary your day a little to fit in with life. I am hoping that with more sustained weight loss I might be able to come off it as my insulin sensitivity improves but we'll see what my next Hba1c shows. I hope this is of some help.

 

[ladyengineer]

Sounds like a similar experience to me in that the first couple of weeks were hell with nausea, heartburn, generally feeling awful but the instant results on the reduced BG readings. The affect on weight has been difficult to judge as not wanting to eat and the constipation feel like they have been playing havoc with me.
That said, five weeks in the symptoms have mostly died down. Appetite still surpressed (no bad thing I guess) and I found that smaller meals were the way to go. Having to do a serious crash course on listening to what my body is telling me.

 

[kkma0706]

Well, after posting yesterday that the side effects were lessening, I spent most of the night with abdominal pain and vomiting and feel just as rough this morning. I'm going to give it 6 weeks and if things don't improve I will be looking for alternatives.

 

[Sarahw]

Hello

I am hoping someone can help me. I had been on Dapagliflozin with gliclazide for my type 2 Diabetes for over 2 years with my levels being originally high 20’s down to average of 7.9. Over that period I lost about a stone in weight but my weight had stabilised. Then in February my diabetic nurse changed my medicine to Trulicity stating the reason this would help with further weight loss and bring my sugars down further. Sounded good to me. However over the last 12 weeks I have nausea, stomach pains and the runs for 3 days then I feel ok until my next jab. I also get frequent bought of heartburn and now depression. My nurse keeps saying it will get better. Personally I think not and wonder if they took me off dapagliflozin due to the cost.

Any idea how to approach this as my nurse doesn’t seem to want to help or listen and I am at the end of tether.

 

[ladyengineer]

Hi

Your symptoms sound very familiar. I was like this for the first few weeks and felt like it would never end. It felt like the only reason for possible weight loss was the symptoms making me not want to eat.
After the nausea started to subside i had some issues with acid reflux particularly at night.
The changes i have made....
Smaller meals - learning to listen to when my stomach felt full and not eating within a few hours of going to sleep.
Changes to drinks .. yeah more water. I dont drink hot drinks but do drink diet coke, i reduced diet coke and cut it out in the evenings.
I have been losing weight and the symptoms have subsided considerably. My pre meal BG has dropped from between 7 to 9 down to between 5 to 6. I dont have a HbA1c result to compare yet but i expect it to be greatly improved.
You are not alone and the symptoms are miserable for the first while and it has forced changes. I hope this reply is helpful. Please feel free to ask me any other questions on the forum or direct message.
L