Re: Dangerous sulfonylureas (was: New to the List)

[Guest guest]

> Ask for the Aussie equivalent of glucophage (Metformin). And have your

liver

> function checked to make sure you're okay on it. There are several other

> good diabetes out there too, but glucophage is an old-timer ... been

tested

> on a *lot* of diabetics. We'll be happy to suggest other meds to your

doctor

> if for some reason you can't take that one. One beauty of glucophage is it

> tends to cause gradual weight loss - which helps the insulin resistance.

Susie,

I am already on metformin (known as Diabex here). This was the first

medication I was given. I take 500mg three times a day. It gives me

terrible side effects, headache, nausea, fatigue, very offensive flatulence

etc, etc. When Diabex didn't appear to be 'doing the job' on it's own the

doctor added Diamicron (gliclazides) to the drug regimen instead of

adjusting the Diabex dose. I still suffer the side effects 6 weeks later

and the doctor refuses to 'fiddle' with the medication.

My liver function results have been " abnormal " for the last 3 years and my

doctor has been reluctant (to say the least) in investigating why. The

results are as follows:

12/1998

AST 71 (Normal Range <41)

ALT 107 (Normal Range <51)

GGT 62 (Normal Range <33)

1/1999

AST 198

ALT 242

GGT 95

2/1999

AST 99

ALT 193

GGT 63

9/2000

AST 160

ALT 231

GGT 63

Chol. 6.4 mmol/L

Trigs. 1.90 mmol/L

Later same day:

OK just got off the phone from the Diabetes Educator in the next town

(bigger pop. 30k), she swears black and blue that the info I was given, hi

carbs/low fat is the latest information *snort* and that " any specialist you

see won't take you off the Diamicron because it's the best medication for

controlling blood glucose levels. " Now what? Oh, and I can't see this

specialist Endocrinologist until February 2001! Nothing available sooner

unless I want to travel 400 miles to Sydney!

anne

(who doesn't want Diabetes anymore!)

[Guest guest]

> Ask for the Aussie equivalent of glucophage (Metformin). And have your

liver

> function checked to make sure you're okay on it. There are several other

> good diabetes out there too, but glucophage is an old-timer ... been

tested

> on a *lot* of diabetics. We'll be happy to suggest other meds to your

doctor

> if for some reason you can't take that one. One beauty of glucophage is it

> tends to cause gradual weight loss - which helps the insulin resistance.

Susie,

I am already on metformin (known as Diabex here). This was the first

medication I was given. I take 500mg three times a day. It gives me

terrible side effects, headache, nausea, fatigue, very offensive flatulence

etc, etc. When Diabex didn't appear to be 'doing the job' on it's own the

doctor added Diamicron (gliclazides) to the drug regimen instead of

adjusting the Diabex dose. I still suffer the side effects 6 weeks later

and the doctor refuses to 'fiddle' with the medication.

My liver function results have been " abnormal " for the last 3 years and my

doctor has been reluctant (to say the least) in investigating why. The

results are as follows:

12/1998

AST 71 (Normal Range <41)

ALT 107 (Normal Range <51)

GGT 62 (Normal Range <33)

1/1999

AST 198

ALT 242

GGT 95

2/1999

AST 99

ALT 193

GGT 63

9/2000

AST 160

ALT 231

GGT 63

Chol. 6.4 mmol/L

Trigs. 1.90 mmol/L

Later same day:

OK just got off the phone from the Diabetes Educator in the next town

(bigger pop. 30k), she swears black and blue that the info I was given, hi

carbs/low fat is the latest information *snort* and that " any specialist you

see won't take you off the Diamicron because it's the best medication for

controlling blood glucose levels. " Now what? Oh, and I can't see this

specialist Endocrinologist until February 2001! Nothing available sooner

unless I want to travel 400 miles to Sydney!

anne

(who doesn't want Diabetes anymore!)

[Guest guest]

Sam,

Is it your opinion that this Glyburide*could* replace both the meds I'm on

at the moment??

anne

[Guest guest]

anne, there is little point in using diabex when it doesn't do it

for you. I had good sugars on glyburide, 2.5mg once in the am. It can

cause lows, and thats the time to consider lowering it, as I did, and

soon came off to diet.

We know what raises sugars, it's starches, breakfast type cereals, rice

potato corn, wheat products like pasta, bread and pizza crust.

You are pretty much on your own there in NSW. If you need to lose

weight, do that. I found good results lowering my fat intake, lost

weight. Sam

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 00-10-18 23:13:07 EDT, you write:

<<

Sam,

Is it your opinion that this Glyburide*could* replace both the meds I'm on

at the moment??

anne >>

anne, Glyburide is a sulfonurea, you don't want to take that. It'll poop

out your pancreas within five years then you'lll have to go on insulin for

certain. If you haven't read the book " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions "

by K. Bernstein, M..D. I'd suggest you get a copy (available on

Amazon via computer if they don't have it in your local library). It's the

best single book on diabetes, both type 1 and 2, and he also explains in

great detail why sulfs aren' good for you. He also has a website which is

given on our own website as a link (see bottom of this post for our URL)

Vicki

[Guest guest]

anne, no gut distress, one pill a day, worth trying? Sam

[Guest guest]

OK. Vicki, I give up, why would someone want to be on meds for 5 years?

I might have been on it 16 months overall. The old sulfonureas were

taken in amounts like 2.5 grams, I'm talking one thousandth of that

amount. Can you really apply data from one drug to another? Sam

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 00-10-19 01:45:09 EDT, you write:

<<

OK. Vicki, I give up, why would someone want to be on meds for 5 years?

I might have been on it 16 months overall. The old sulfonureas were

taken in amounts like 2.5 grams, I'm talking one thousandth of that

amount. Can you really apply data from one drug to another? Sam

>>

Well, Sam, I don't know why anyone would WANT to be on meds but there are

plenty of diabetics who can't control with diet alone or diet and exercise

or don't want to be bothered with diet and exercise (as you've stated before)

so take what seems like the easiest path. As for the last question I don't

understand what you're asking. Sulfonureas as a class all act the same way

on the body. Other class drugs work the same as a class. So I wasn't

extrapolating one on another. V.