Managing diabetic unfriendly meds

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Bastian - 06 Mar 2006 09:30 GMT

Is anyone here taking meds which cause Hyperglycemia?

It looks as though in the short to long term I will be taking
Mirtazapine, which is known to cause hyperglycemia in non-diabetic
individuals, and I'm wondering if anyone here has any strategies for
handling diabetes unfriendly meds. The only major change is that I am
back on the Drain-O against my docs wishes.

Switching from Mirtazapine to something a little friendlier is not an
option and that is a personal choice.

Bastian - T2, UK, 1g Drain-O, Cinnamon (A1c 5.5%)

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oldal4865 - 06 Mar 2006 11:32 GMT

Bastian wrote in message ...

>Is anyone here taking meds which cause Hyperglycemia?
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>Bastian - T2, UK, 1g Drain-O, Cinnamon (A1c 5.5%)
>--

Insulin works. It may be a royal pain in the ankle, but it works.

What I read on the web suggests that you really watch your weight though.
Mirtazapine seems to encourage appetite and insulin will give you the
freedom to eat more than you should.

Regards
Old Al

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Bastian - 06 Mar 2006 12:06 GMT

> Bastian wrote in message ...
>> It looks as though in the short to long term I will be taking
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Mirtazapine seems to encourage appetite and insulin will give you the
> freedom to eat more than you should.

I'm not looking to eat more, far from it, my goal is to consume less
calories than I expend. Before I started on the Mirtazapine my IR had
shot through the roof to the extent that a restricted carb diet spiked
me. Any increased appetite due to Mirtazapine is nothing compared to the
increased appetite caused by uncontrolled hyperglycemia, and it has
significantly reduced my IR.

But you're right, supplementary insulin is an option that I may need to
investigate and it is certainly a better option than meds that will
speed up the beta cell burnout.

Bastian - T2, UK, 1g Drain-O, Cinnamon (A1c 5.5%)

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Jenny - 06 Mar 2006 14:43 GMT

> Switching from Mirtazapine to something a little friendlier is not an
> option and that is a personal choice.
>
> Bastian - T2, UK, 1g Drain-O, Cinnamon (A1c 5.5%)

Bastian,

It looks like this is a drug that is used for anorexia and is associated
with weight gain, so it looks like part of what it might do is create
hunger. I know from personal experience that anything that causes
relentless hunger can be tough to deal with and that it can get me
eating things that further push up the blood sugar. Cortisone will do
that for me as will progesterone. Changing eating patterns and even
strict low carbing to keep blood sugars flat didn't help.

If it is raising your blood sugar, or causing it to yo-yo up and down,
and if that is what is causing the hunger, perhaps adding a basal
insulin to your daily regimen would help? Or you might talk to your
doctor about using a fast acting insulin after meals. Your goal would be
to avoid the swings in blood sugar that trigger the hunger response, as
well as avoiding blood sugars high enough to damage your beta cells
permanently.

If the blood sugars are flat, then all you can do is resist the urge to
eat everything in sight because your brain thinks your starving. That's
very hard to do. I just went through a bout of that kind of hunger
recently when I was a bit ill. My blood sugar only went up maybe 10-15
mg/dl but I was starving all the time and nothing I ate would satisfy
that hunger.

Whatever you do, watch the weight. A friend's slim teenaged daughter
was put on olanzapine and gained something like 50 lbs very quickly
which only made her self-esteem problems much worse. Talk to your doctor
if things get out of control and make sure that the drug is the best for
you if the side effects are uncontrollable.

Here's hoping your case works out without the problems!
--Jenny

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes Diabetes Info

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood
Sugar Under Control

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