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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Diabetes / August 2007

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Woo-hoo!  Reduced Metformin!

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None - 31 Jul 2007 23:59 GMT
Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
numbers I've been getting, the weight loss I've achived, and my
average blood pressure.  So, now I'll have a two-week test period and
see how it goes.  I know it may not work out, but the fact that he
suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
encouraging.
Cheri - 01 Aug 2007 00:26 GMT
None wrote in message ...
>Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
>in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
>encouraging.

Congratulations on the reduction in meds and the weight loss.

Cheri
sallyvel - 01 Aug 2007 01:14 GMT
> Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
> in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).

Way to go! You must have been working hard to achieve those results. I
hope that you can stay at the reduced med level. Is two weeks long
enough to see how you are doing at the new level? I had heard that it
takes about a month to get fully into you system.
Sally
None - 02 Aug 2007 00:33 GMT
I was wondering if two weeks is long enough too... I figured I'll do
two weeks like the doc suggested, and then another two weeks as a
trial period.  If I'm still good after that month, I'll call it a
success.  Like the doctor said, I know my numbers pretty well now, so
if I start seeing them creep back up I know to up my dosage to what it
was, I don't even need to call him.

For those asking about recent numbers, I'll give the history first...
I was diagnosed in January, had FBG over 200 (I actually don't
remember exactly, but it was in the 200-250 range as I recall)... A1c
I think was in the 7's.  I was hovering around 235-240 (weight) at
that point.

Last blood work was April... FBG was 118, A1c was 5.9 (doc said I'll
get A1c again in November, and I have to go get stuck next week for
cholesterol and microalbumin, which was high last time too).

Up until about two weeks ago, my own BG tests at home were amazingly
consistent... I seemed to always come up with a 2-week average of 104,
did that for like 3-4 months in a row.  That's an overall average,
various times of day, before/after meals (1-3 hours varied),
before/after exercise, morning, before bed, I mixed it up a lot to try
and get some good trend analysis going.  Average range was about
90-140 overall (90-110 in the morning, 100-140 2hrs after meals).
*Very* rarely went higher than 140 or lower than 90.

Now, the last two weeks for some reason I can't explain completely,
I've rarely gotten anything above 100 at any time of day.  I think I
may have kind of subconsciously cut back on carbs a little bit, but I
don't think a huge amount (5g maybe per meal, something like that).
Other than that, I can't think of anything that's really changed.  The
doc said the weight loss alone could explain it, and he said
(confirming what some folks here said) that it's not uncommon to hit a
point where you numbers do generally increase for no apparent reason
and (usually) stay that way.

My weight is down to 215 as I sit here now by the eay... another 20-25
pounds and I'm a very happy man!

I don't want to make anyone feel bad, but I have to say that, by and
large, it hasn't been that hard for me.  Now, I know the medication is
helping with weight loss a little, but the changes in my diet haven't
been too hard... the biggest change is that I haven't had a non-diet
soda since I was diagnosed, and I was drinking A LOT of soda (think
along the lines of a 2-liter per day).  I've also cut back a ton on my
other drink of choice: 4C Iced Tea (you know, the instant mix stuff).
Again, I was probably downing 48+ ounces of that a day, ON TOP of the
soda.  I wasn't really eating terribly even back then, but now I just
monitor carbs, and I don't get too regimented about it.  I also try
and minimize red meat and eat a few more fruits and vegetable than
before (I've always been a big veggie guy fortunately though).  I
firmly believe cutting out the soda, and to a lesser extent the iced
tea, really made most of the difference.  I also exercise most days of
the week now, but not too strenuous... usual 10-20 minutes on the
treadmill at 3mph-5mph, and then 5-10 minutes of weights and/or
calesthenics.

I should also mention I had the triple wammy: high blood pressure
(145/95 on average, roughly) and high cholesterol too.  Now, my BP
rarely goes above about 110/65, and my cholesterol (total) was 140 in
April (HDL: 36, LDL: 79).  Still a touch high there, but considering I
started with something like 240 in January, I'll take it :)

Thanks everyone, I'll post back in two weeks and let you all know how
it's going.  I don't want to get my hopes up, but... TOO LATE! LOL

>> Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
>> in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>takes about a month to get fully into you system.
>Sally
Alan S - 01 Aug 2007 01:34 GMT
>Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
>in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
>encouraging.

Congratulations!

What were the numbers?


Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
--
http://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/
latest: Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/
latest: Self-Testing and Type 2 Management
ray - 01 Aug 2007 01:34 GMT
> Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
> in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
> encouraging.

Good work - I hope it works out for you. Do you have recent numbers to
share?
William Childress - 01 Aug 2007 02:09 GMT
Diagnosed as having glucose intolerance.  Lab test was 105.

Doctor has me monitoring twice a day.  Readings vary to some degree -
but many are above the lab's 105.

What is the accuracy of finger sticks in comparison to lab test?
Julie Bove - 01 Aug 2007 02:35 GMT
> Diagnosed as having glucose intolerance.  Lab test was 105.
>
> Doctor has me monitoring twice a day.  Readings vary to some degree -
> but many are above the lab's 105.
>
> What is the accuracy of finger sticks in comparison to lab test?

Um...  You do know your BG will vary from minute to minute.  Right?

And meters are not 100% accurate.  My lab uses a meter like we use at home.

What sorts of numbers are you getting?  It's possible you have full blown
diabetes.
William Childress - 01 Aug 2007 03:14 GMT
>Um...  You do know your BG will vary from minute to minute.  Right?

Yes - know this.

>And meters are not 100% accurate.  My lab uses a meter like we use at home.

Know they are not 100%.  Not sure what the doctor's lab uses.

>What sorts of numbers are you getting?  It's possible you have full blown
>diabetes.

Range from mid-80's to 105 to 114.
Jim Chinnis - 01 Aug 2007 04:52 GMT
William Childress <auggie66@gatewayconnections.com> wrote in part:

>>Um...  You do know your BG will vary from minute to minute.  Right?
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
>Range from mid-80's to 105 to 114.

What are you talking about? Fasting blood glucose? Temperature?
Post-prandial at 1 hour after a carby meal?
--
Jim Chinnis   Warrenton, Virginia, USA
ray - 01 Aug 2007 04:05 GMT
> Diagnosed as having glucose intolerance.  Lab test was 105.
>
> Doctor has me monitoring twice a day.  Readings vary to some degree -
> but many are above the lab's 105.
>
> What is the accuracy of finger sticks in comparison to lab test?

Home test meters are roughly +-15%. FDA requires +-20%.
Tecknomage - 01 Aug 2007 12:29 GMT
> Diagnosed as having glucose intolerance.  Lab test was 105.
>
> Doctor has me monitoring twice a day.  Readings vary to some degree -
> but many are above the lab's 105.
>
> What is the accuracy of finger sticks in comparison to lab test?

First, _if_ these are just BG lab test, this is not the most telling
test they can give you.

The more telling test to see if you are "glucose intolerant" (aka
pre-diabetic) is to have them run a A1C blood test.  The results give
you a appx 3mth average of your condition.

See:  http://diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/a1c-test.jsp

I have to wonder why whomever tested you did not run the A1C to get
the big-picture?  It was the 2nd test my doctors ran when I was first
diagnosed as Type-2.  Now I get the A1C test yearly.

Also see:  http://diabetes.org/pre-diabetes.jsp

======= Tecknomage =======
     San Diego, CA
   The Mage Soapbox
http://magesoapbox.blogspot.com/
Nicky - 01 Aug 2007 19:00 GMT
>Diagnosed as having glucose intolerance.  Lab test was 105.
>
>Doctor has me monitoring twice a day.

That's a waste of time, then...

This might be more useful:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

Nicky.
T2 dx 05/04 + underactive thyroid
D&E, 100ug thyroxine
Last A1c 5.6%  BMI 25
Frank t2 - 01 Aug 2007 04:15 GMT
Great news !
We all like to hear news like that, but you stuck to your guns,
made the sacrifices and lost some weight, toned up your body
and are now reaping the rewards !
Now all we need are details, to be absolutely jealous ! LOL
Congrats,

Frank

"None" <none@none.com> a écrit ...
> Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
> in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
> encouraging.
Loretta Eisenberg - 01 Aug 2007 04:33 GMT
None that is great.  Try and be positive. You might have to lower carbs
to keep up those good numbers, but it is certainly worth the effort. imo

Loretta
krom - 01 Aug 2007 10:39 GMT
Good job!

KROM

> Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
> in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
> encouraging.
Nicky - 01 Aug 2007 18:43 GMT
>Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
>in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
>encouraging.

Nice one!

Nicky.
T2 dx 05/04 + underactive thyroid
D&E, 100ug thyroxine
Last A1c 5.6%  BMI 25
None - 15 Aug 2007 04:09 GMT
Well, it's now been two weeks and my results are good... for the past
3-4 months, give or take, I seemed to always get a 104 average over a
two-week period... that was 3 tests a day, all at various times (mixed
it up real good: mornings, 1-2 hr after meals, before meals, before
bed, before and after exercise, etc).  It was pretty spooky, without
fail it always came out to 104, every time.

Well, two weeks on half the original Metformin dosage and guess what?
103 average!  Still three tests a day, but 1-2 hr after meals for all
of them.  Highest number I saw at any time was 138 (low was 75).  I
even improved a point! LOL

I figure give it another two weeks as a "trial period", because I know
there's a period of time where the reduction of meds doesn't take
effect immediately, but so far, so good... I'll be happy calling the
doc tomorrow like he requested :)

>Well, I just got back from the doctor's, and he OK'd a 50% reduction
>in my Metformin (down to 500mg twice day).  He was very happy with the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>suggested it (he's been extremely conservative in the past) is
>encouraging.
Nicky - 15 Aug 2007 18:49 GMT
>Well, two weeks on half the original Metformin dosage and guess what?
>103 average!  Still three tests a day, but 1-2 hr after meals for all
>of them.  Highest number I saw at any time was 138 (low was 75).  I
>even improved a point! LOL

Nice one, None :D  

Nicky.
T2 dx 05/04 + underactive thyroid
D&E, 100ug thyroxine
Last A1c 5.6%  BMI 25
 
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