Anyone using insulin for diabetes?

[Clay45]

Still on metformin.

 

[Mysfyt]

IS Any one taking the insulin in any form still taking the pills. My doctor kept me on the 1000 mg of Metformin twice a day and just added the insulin on top. She did take me off the Glipizide tab at night though for some reason. I read on MD website that Glipizide can be used with Insulin so I was wondering why she took that away but kept the Metformin.

I'm just guessing here Gary, but she is playing it conservative so you don't have a low BG during the night while sleeping. Metformin, which I've been on for 15 years, helps us use the insulin we produce vs the Glipizide, which will stimulate the pancreas to excrete insulin.

I remember reading some stories that dogs could sense that their master was experiencing an extreme low and would attempt to wake them up. I don't get the magazine anymore, (Diabetes Interview was what it originally was called) but they were following reports of people who made this claim. A guy I talk to occasionally claimed it happened to him when he first started taking insulin. Thought it was pretty cool. Unfortunatley, we have a cat and it could care less.

 

[arkydog]

I'm no expert but have been type one for 36 years. that right 36 years. i was on 1 shot a day, then 2 shots a day, then the pens, then mixing the insulins, then 3 times a day, 4 times a day, now on the insulin pump. i volunteer at the hospital diabetic learning center. the ultimate goal is not to see how few or how many shot you take a day, but for better glucose control.

when i started taking insulin a lot of people were using pork insulin, both regular and long acting. some insulins are very short acting, some longer acting, and some 24hrs acting. since everyone is different, stick with what your health care professional tell you but also make sure they are up to date on their knowledge. ask them when their recent training was beside a pharmacitucal salesman. makes a difference.

diabetes has come a long ways in a short period of time. if you have to have your doctor refer you to a nurse educator cause they are pretty up to date. if you can't take the time off, TAKE THE TIME OFF. THIS IS YOUR LIFE, not your bosses or you doctors. most of these classes are covered by insurance. even if you have to go to a big city and stay in a hotel. it will be the best dicision of your life.

the main thing is don't be afraid to ask or question what you are told. another good sours is the AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOC. they help write the books.

good luck and just be glad yo weren't told instead of diabetes you had cancer. diabetes is treatable and controllable!!!

 

[mddorange]

Still on metformin.

I was on Metformin for years until I lost 24 pounds in 3 months since I couldn't get off the toilet. But then how can I complain since diabetes, cancer, AS and a few other surprises were a gift I received from my vacation from 1969-1970.

 

[ArlyA]

Gary, I was on some type of pills but taken off them around 1978. No idea what that was back then. Its not been recommended to take something in the class since.

IS Any one taking the insulin in any form still taking the pills. My doctor kept me on the 1000 mg of Metformin twice a day and just added the insulin on top. She did take me off the Glipizide tab at night though for some reason. I read on MD website that Glipizide can be used with Insulin so I was wondering why she took that away but kept the Metformin.

 

[arkydog]

i forgot to add that anyone that is diabetic should carry some form of something to raise your blood sugar in the form of orange juce, glucose tablets, cake decorating icing. i personally carry glucose tablets for when my sugars drop too low, usually below 70. has saved me many times from going into insulin shock. keep it on the night table for at night also.

you can buy these at most grocery stores that have pharmacies. i hate wally world but where i live they have a much better flavor selection. the cake decorating icing works good if you pass out and can't swallow, have your spouse put the icing between your cheek and gums. it gets absorbed into your system that way.

 

[coltbean]

I'm a type 1 diabetic and have been since 5 years old. I was on Lantus but now have a pump with cgm, these are wonderful by the way. Lantus is a slow acting insulin. It seems that it is not making it the full 24 hours and that a larger dose is causing lows. I would take 2 doses 12 hours apart. Probably around 20 - 25 units each to start.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Update: I went to the doctor yesterday and asked about the glipizide and just as Mysfyt stated, she didn't want my glucose level to fall at night which the Glipizide might do. I have been doing pretty well with the Lantus pen but still a bit high each morning (145 avg) so my doctor said to increase to 65 units and see how that works then come back in 6 weeks for follow up. My fasting sugar depends mostly on how much I exercise during the day. If I am busy for the full 5 hours between breakfast and lunch, it will be down below 100, but if it is a rainy day and I just play on the computer, it will be much higher. So I suppose I just need to get a weight bench and work out, nah, too lazy to work my muscles without something constructive to show for it.

 

[Mysfyt]

Thanks for the update!

 

[AMP762]

But then how can I complain since diabetes, cancer, AS and a few other surprises were a gift I received from my vacation from 1969-1970.

That wasn't a gift,that was issued to a lot of use.

 

[N2DFire]

That wasn't a gift,that was issued to a lot of use.

My Father got that same "care package" when he was in country.

God bless you both, thank you for your service, and welcome home.

 

[Herness]

My wife is on victoza at the moment , just diagnosed with the type 2.
Anyone else takes this med?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I feel very fortunate after reading what you guys go through. I was diagnosed diabetic 3 years ago, and my PCP told me to lose weight and put me on metformin. I peeled off 50 lbs. and quit eating anything sweet. For bread I use the Sara Lee 45 calorie/slice bread. Mostly I eat a lot of meat, nuts, beans, and vegetables. The last blood test my A1C was back down to 5.6. I'm still physically active and in pretty good shape for 75, but now they tell me I need a new aortic valve. Time for a trip to the parts store.

 

[scootr]

Sounds like you are doing real good on the blood sugar which means the rest of you should be healthy enough the surgery.
Prayers and GL

 

[check]

Gee, guys, what stories! And I can only imagine the cost. Here in Canada we keep hearing how much more drugs are in the US than in Canada, so how much does it cost you?

By the way, you may or may not know that insulin was discovered at the University of Toronto by Canadians Banting and Best, way back in 1921, and they received US patents for it in 1923. (60 years later, they still call it the Banting and best institute, and in fact my wife worked at it when she was a student!) And guess what those guys did with the patents back in 1923? They sold the patents to the University of Toronto for ONE dollar. And Banting said at the time, “Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.” His explanation for the cheap price was that he wanted everyone who needed medication to be able to afford it.

Well, that didn’t happen, although as you know we in Canada get our medications for pretty cheap.

 

[Spike56]

I got the 70 number from internet info and it may or may not be right. I can say that when my number hit 87 one day, I started shaking and was extremely weak which is why I tested before eating. A while after eating 2 ham sandwiches, I returned to normal. That night it was 120. My morning readings don't seem to correspond to any activity or eating event. I can eat a salad only at night and next morning have a 170 reading or a couple of times I ate 2 hamburgers and had a morning reading of 120. Vigorous activity does have an effect for sure AND small amounts of sugar like a couple scoops of ice cream seems to make the reading lower also which is contrary to most medical advice.

Gary,
I am type (2) at the moment but will be on insulin soon. I can say, at least my experience and discussing with my Endocrinologist. If your sugar level has been "high" for a long time, there is an adjustment period. Your body thinks High is normal, so when it comes down it starts to feel like a "low" sugar level. Although 87 is getting down there, but 70 is the "do something level". Also, as you probably know, you can drop "real fast" if your pancreas decides to add some insulin. So, the 87 could have been much higher just prior.
I take (5) oral meds and that isnt enough. Soon, the injections start. Was hoping they'd develop a pill... dont like the needles.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Gee, guys, what stories! And I can only imagine the cost. Here in Canada we keep hearing how much more drugs are in the US than in Canada, so how much does it cost you?

By the way, you may or may not know that insulin was discovered at the University of Toronto by Canadians Banting and Best, way back in 1921, and they received US patents for it in 1923. (60 years later, they still call it the Banting and best institute, and in fact my wife worked at it when she was a student!) And guess what those guys did with the patents back in 1923? They sold the patents to the University of Toronto for ONE dollar. And Banting said at the time, “Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.” His explanation for the cheap price was that he wanted everyone who needed medication to be able to afford it.

Well, that didn’t happen, although as you know we encounter to get her medication’s for pretty cheap.

Congress just passed an insulin price cap for medicare/medicaid patients at $35/mo. The original bill extended that to everyone, but Republicans blocked it. Some people pay as much as $700/month for their insulin. Insulin GoFundMe is not uncommon. Sometimes they die because they can't afford it.

The development of GMO human insulin was also funded by the government. That doesn't keep big pharma from gouging people. Survival in the US depends on navigating your own health care funding.

 

[plowhog]

Only thing effective is the surgery for weight loss that removes 10 inches of intestine. When you come out of hospital your sugar is normal. Drastic but wish I had done it 10 years ago.

An interesting study was recently done to analyze A1C levels in patients who receive lap band surgery.

A surprising result was blood sugar levels dropped almost immediately after surgery. Even though the patients were still carrying almost 100% of the excess weight they had developed. (It takes time after surgery for that weight to slowly come off.)

So why an immediate reduction instead of a slow reduction over time? The theory is that the reduction in calories processed is/was responsible for the decline.

If true, the result is that cutting down on how many calories you consume is the reason why blood sugars go down. And a secondary result is weight loss. Not the other way around.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I just went on a diabetic diet, and stopped eating four hours before bedtime. No more bedtime snacks. I'm actually down 60 lbs. from my heaviest, and am still losing weight slowly. I'm good at self-preservation. I came down with viral pneumonia in 1991 and had such severe lung damage that I couldn't walk 100 yards. It was either quit smoking or quit breathing, so I quit smoking. It was the same way with diabetes. I have seen friends get body parts amputated, lose their sight, and die because of it. When my doc said, "lose weight," I figured it out. I refuse to die blind and crippled because I couldn't pass up a maple bar.

 

[ArlyA]

California was going to build there own plant to produce humulin insulin. Ya, the pharmaceutical industry does make some $$$ off it.