metformin and beta cells

[Guest guest]

---For those who asked am reading on page 192 of diabets solution and I

think I misread what he said sooo sorry.

sharon

[Guest guest]

Actually it is the SULFONYLUREAS that burn out beta cells. Dr.

Bernstein's info can be seen here at this link regarding it.

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/book/chapter15.shtml

Recommended meds to help this not happen are Metformin, Avandia,

Actos, insulin. I was taking Glipizide for a year and it didn't do

much of anything for me except on higher doses made too many ups and

downs. Used insulin and it worked as Dr. Bernstein described, saved

beta cells from completely burning out. Took it for 6 mos and quit.

Gave my body a jump start.

It is not true that everyone who is diabetic will end up on insulin.

ALL of my endo team and diabetic team have said the opposite. So I

really think you have to listen to your own team for something like

that. It is very depressing I feel to hear this all the time when it

leaves people without hope and not wanting to even bother with good

management. There are many people on this group and others who have

gotten off meds and insulin. It all depends on how long you have had

diabetes when diagnosed, how many complications you have, and the type

of treatment or philosophy your medical team has. If you are at the

place where you need meds the rest of your life or insulin, then work

with what you have. I for one am glad there are so many improvements

over the previous years. I would not be concerned if I ever needed

insulin again as it can be a life saver.

[Guest guest]

>

>

>

> It is not true that everyone who is diabetic will end up on insulin.

> ALL of my endo team and diabetic team have said the opposite. So I

> really think you have to listen to your own team for something like

> that. It is very depressing I feel to hear this all the time when it

> leaves people without hope and not wanting to even bother with good

> management. There are many people on this group and others who have

> gotten off meds and insulin. It all depends on how long you have had

> diabetes when diagnosed, how many complications you have, and the type

> of treatment or philosophy your medical team has.

>

This is very true. My uncle, just to give an example, was diagnosed as

diabetic waaaaaaay back in the 1960s, and to this day he is still

controlling quite well with oral medications. (He only started oral meds

within the last 5 years, too; before that it was all diet and exercise.)

Molly

[Guest guest]

-

> My uncle, just to give an example, was diagnosed as

> diabetic waaaaaaay back in the 1960s, and to this day he is still

> controlling quite well with oral medications.

Molly, How old is he? if you don't mind me asking.

[Guest guest]

>

> -

> > My uncle, just to give an example, was diagnosed as

> > diabetic waaaaaaay back in the 1960s, and to this day he is still

> > controlling quite well with oral medications.

>

> Molly, How old is he? if you don't mind me asking.

>

>

Not sure precisely, but somewhere in his late 70s. (He's actually a

great-uncle.)

Molly

[Guest guest]

>

> It is not true that everyone who is diabetic will end up on insulin.

> ALL of my endo team and diabetic team have said the opposite. So I

> really think you have to listen to your own team for something like

> that. It is very depressing I feel to hear this all the time when it

> leaves people without hope and not wanting to even bother with good

> management.

My team said *most* people will end up on insulin *if they live long enough*

(this is much different than saying everyone will end up on insulin).

I believe the reason they say this is two fold. First a significant number

of people end up on insulin. True, not everyone will, but a significint

number will.

What is more depressing is people who get their hopes built up and then feel

that they were a failure because they ended up requiring insulin.

I don't believe it leaves people without hope and not wanting to even bother

with good management. I'd much rather need to give myself insulin than to

go blind or to have a foot amputated. *AND* I refuse to feel sorry for

myself, thinking that somehow I was at fault for needing insulin because

people who don't know my medical history insist that you can do A, B and C

and never have to give yourself a shot or even be able to get off of oral

medication.

Mike

[Guest guest]

>

>

> I don't believe it leaves people without hope and not wanting to even

> bother

> with good management. I'd much rather need to give myself insulin than to

> go blind or to have a foot amputated. *AND* I refuse to feel sorry for

> myself, thinking that somehow I was at fault for needing insulin because

> people who don't know my medical history insist that you can do A, B and C

> and never have to give yourself a shot or even be able to get off of oral

> medication.

>

>

Good point, and it illustrates that there are two ends of the spectrum:

while not 100% true and possibly discouraging to hear that everybody will

need insulin eventually, it is also not correct that everyone can control

with just meds/diet/exercise.

I think the important thing to remember is that everyone's body handles this

disease differently. Some people are able to control with diet and exercise

alone - great. Some use meds to achieve good control - great. Some use

insulin, and some use a combination of all of the above - also great. My

feeling is that the most important goal is gaining good BG control and it

really doesn't matter how you get there. Using insulin doesn't mean your

diabetes is worse than someone else's diabetes or that you are a failure.

Using diet/exercise only doesn't mean you're a " better " diabetic; it just

means that your body is able to adequately process glucose without

additional medications.

This is a topic near to my heart because a lot of pregnant women with

gestational diabetes freak out if they have to use insulin, and think their

diabetes is " really bad " and that there will be all sorts of dire

consequences. As I told one friend to said something like that to me, no,

the dire consequences are if you DON'T take the insulin. :-)

Molly

[Guest guest]

True excercise doesnt help my diabetes just carb counting.

sharon

Re: Re: metformin and beta cells

>

>

> I don't believe it leaves people without hope and not wanting to even

> bother

> with good management. I'd much rather need to give myself insulin than to

> go blind or to have a foot amputated. *AND* I refuse to feel sorry for

> myself, thinking that somehow I was at fault for needing insulin because

> people who don't know my medical history insist that you can do A, B and C

> and never have to give yourself a shot or even be able to get off of oral

> medication.

>

>

Good point, and it illustrates that there are two ends of the spectrum:

while not 100% true and possibly discouraging to hear that everybody will

need insulin eventually, it is also not correct that everyone can control

with just meds/diet/exercise.

I think the important thing to remember is that everyone's body handles this

disease differently. Some people are able to control with diet and exercise

alone - great. Some use meds to achieve good control - great. Some use

insulin, and some use a combination of all of the above - also great. My

feeling is that the most important goal is gaining good BG control and it

really doesn't matter how you get there. Using insulin doesn't mean your

diabetes is worse than someone else's diabetes or that you are a failure.

Using diet/exercise only doesn't mean you're a " better " diabetic; it just

means that your body is able to adequately process glucose without

additional medications.

This is a topic near to my heart because a lot of pregnant women with

gestational diabetes freak out if they have to use insulin, and think their

diabetes is " really bad " and that there will be all sorts of dire

consequences. As I told one friend to said something like that to me, no,

the dire consequences are if you DON'T take the insulin. :-)

Molly

[Guest guest]

Beautifully said, Molly. The bottom line truly is how well one

regulates one's blood sugar. Each of us needs to do whatever is

necessary to achieve that. There is nothing that difficult about

popping a few pills a day or even injecting one's self with

insulin. No one should consider themselves a failure for not being

able to achieve what appears around here to be the " holy grail " of

controlling their disease with just diet and exercise. And no one

should consider themsleves a failure if they can't achieve perfect

control with their best effort. All you can do is your best. We

all just need to do what we need to do.

Ron

> while not 100% true and possibly discouraging to hear that

everybody will

> need insulin eventually, it is also not correct that everyone can

control

> with just meds/diet/exercise.

>

> I think the important thing to remember is that everyone's body

handles this

> disease differently. Some people are able to control with diet

and exercise

> alone - great. Some use meds to achieve good control - great.

Some use

> insulin, and some use a combination of all of the above - also

great. My

> feeling is that the most important goal is gaining good BG control

and it

> really doesn't matter how you get there. Using insulin doesn't

mean your

> diabetes is worse than someone else's diabetes or that you are a

failure.

> Using diet/exercise only doesn't mean you're a " better " diabetic;

it just

> means that your body is able to adequately process glucose without

> additional medications.

>

> This is a topic near to my heart because a lot of pregnant women

with

> gestational diabetes freak out if they have to use insulin, and

think their

> diabetes is " really bad " and that there will be all sorts of dire

> consequences. As I told one friend to said something like that to

me, no,

> the dire consequences are if you DON'T take the insulin. :-)

>

> Molly