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irishguy

4K views 29 replies 6 participants last post by  irishbrian 
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#1 ·
hi type 2 last 2 years tried various meds ,and had probs with most doc has me on 1 mg amaryl once a day ,im gaining weight since diagnosis and cant stop it :(, i am at my wits end now ,aslo have thigh muscle pain very severe at times ,im thinking of stoping meds in order to stop weight gain i know its not a good idea but doc says weight gain is part of diabetes ..........:( sad
 
#2 ·
Well Brian, you may need a new doc, one who isn't so fatalistic about things like weight gain! :rolleyes:

Welcome to DF and tell us more about your diabetes management. What specific meds are you on & what kind of diet are you eating? Do you exercise regularly?

The first goal, of course, is to keep your blood glucose low, so don't go off your meds quite yet . . . but these other things can be managed handily too . . . with the right combination of tools.
 
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#3 ·
im on amaryl 1mg a day ,i know nothing about diabetic diets i have cut out bread,potatoes and eat very little fruit ,i eat veg etc ,light breakfast medium lunch and dinner ,my readings are 7 to 8 in mornings ,4.7 to 5.5 before lunch ,approx 7, 2 hours after lunch,and around 5 to 7 around 8 pm ,i eat my meal at 5.30 ,i tend to hve a liight snack at 8.30, my ac1.s was 6.2 inittially now its 6.9 i changed meds then , will hve to wait another month before i hve a reading on amaryl ,i lost 25 kg on diagnosis put it all back on plus extra 5 kg ,its still climbing .....pain in thigh muscles often i duno why , was very bad when i was on glucophage ,i told doc i shouldnt be on amaryl as im overweight now .she disagreed ,...........i duno what to do ...im in danger of loosing my job cause i feel i cant cope any more .if amaryl causes any weight gain thats it ,im stoping it .
 
#12 ·
Hello irishbrian and :welcome: to the forum. Glad to see that you are starting to feel comfortable here. There is a lot of information here, read what interests you and if you can't find something, just do a search. I am sorry that you are feeling bad and putting on weight is causing you to feel that you can't cope. If the amaryl is really causing you weight gain, get off of it and there are other meds that help. I hope that you have time to visit often and take care. :hug:
 
#5 ·
Did your doctor happen to put you on any cholesterol meds? The muscle pain is not a side effect of glucophage (metformin), but it sure is with cholesterol drugs - commonly called statins. And you being a cyclist could account for thigh pain . . . how long have you been in training? Are you doing warmups & stretches?

The 25k you lost to begin with may have been helped by the glucophage - I find it to be an appetite suppressant. Did the subsequent weight gain coincide with getting off glucophage?

Although you've already cut down on some high-carb foods, it seems you need to cut down even more. I can't eat fruit either, or bread/potatoes/pasta/rice/anything made with any grains (wheat/oats/corn/etc.)

Start testing you blood sugar one hour after you've eaten, and restrict any foods that send it over 7.7 mmol/l. Build your meals around protein & fats . . . no, fats are not the enemy - it's carbs that are the enemy. Eating moderate fats & good protein will take care of the high blood sugar and you might discover it takes off the weight too.

Do keep us posted, Brian . . . I can see how discouraged you are and for good reason. There is good help here - many people who have fought these battles & prevailed. We are happy to help you through this rough time.
 
#6 ·
Amaryl is in a class of drugs called sulfyurea. They tend to overstimulate the pancreas to produce way too much insulin. This is why many have hypos on these drugs. Weight gain is also a big side effect. I know you said you have tried all drugs including metformin. But metformin usually helps people lose weight. I had muscle pain due to statins, but I have also had that pain in my thighs before diagnosis. I think it was probably due to high bgs. When your bgs stay high too long, glycation or sugar sticks to nerves and interupts blood flow to certain parts of your body. Since you are an avid cyclist your thighs get a workout. This could be causing the thigh pain. What is your HbA1c? I've only been D for 4 years but my diet has changed a lot. Most of my meals are centered around fat and protein with a few veggies. I try to keep bgs below 100 most of the day. I would say if you cannot tolerate any oral meds you should try Byetta or Victoza or even maybe insulin.
 
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#7 ·
apparently my cholestral is ok according to doc ,im not on med for it ,i gained all the weight when i started glucophage and its still ongoing ,the thigh pains started before i took up cycling ,i usally get them when im inactive .ie sitting or driving althogh sometimes get them walking ,the more cycling i do the less pain i have ,i only startred cycling lately, i know amaryl causes weight gain too ,im amazed doc insisted on it ,my hab1c is 6.8
 
#8 · (Edited)
Odd about the thigh pain. My husband has used calcium supplements for years to prevent leg cramps/muscle pain.

Do get hold of a good carb counting guide & start trimming more carbs from your diet. I'll bet you begin to see improvement in your blood sugars & weight as well. Just focus on eating protein & moderate fat - meat/poultry/fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, etc.
 
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#9 ·
ok thank you ,i feel i have cut my food intake to minimum really , s slices of toast and a coffee for breakfast,lunch a salad ,dinner fish or meat and veg and a sandwich in the evening .....yes i do get hypos with amaryl even on half a tablet sometimes......
 
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#10 ·
its the constant weight gain thats the major problem ,i cant gain any more as far as im concerned ,i will give it 2 more weeks and i have to see it stop ,its goin on 2 years now i have to call a halt to it one way or another .......restricting food doesnt seem to be doig it ,i wonder is it heart disease ?
 
#11 · (Edited)
Restricting certain foods is what works. You should not be going hungry. Ditch the rice/pasta/potatoes/bread/sweets. Build your meal of protein and fats - you won't go hungry and the weight will begin to come off. If it's taken two years to put it back on, you'll need a few months to get it off again. I've been through this personally and it works. Glucophage helps me lose, but low-carb eating will work. Stick to it.

As regards heart disease . . . are you retaining fluids? Do you have swelling in your feet/legs?
 
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#13 ·
welcome Irishguy :) I'm sorry you have been having a hard time. It's never easy dealing with chronic illness at times. You have good support and information here. I'm going to give you something else to consider concerning your thigh cramps.... magnesium. Metformin is known to deplete your body of magnesium. In fact diabetics are generally more prone to magnesium, chronium, and vitamin D deficiencies. You should look at taking bio-magnesium supplement daily (which includes your D and B vitamins) and this may help with those cramps. If you already have this covered... then you need to see your doc. If you haven't thought of it... give it a try and see if there is any improvement. Keep us posted on how you're doing.
 
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#14 ·
ok thank you ,im only on amaryl at the moment i came off the glucophage completley , i will try and eliminate all carbs and see how it goes ,i need to find a good recipe book as i dont know what contains carbs and doesnt as i used to associate carbs with sugar......
 
#15 ·
as i dont know what contains carbs and doesnt as i used to associate carbs with sugar......
I know what you mean. I was gobsmacked when I learned milk was a carb - and most everyone else seemed to know that. To me, it was a protein as I visualized the picture of it on the food pyramid when I was a kid. I lived my life being concerned about calories and fat. Carbs? Who cared? Well, my body seems to have :)
 
#17 ·
Hi and :welcome: from me, also.

I'll reiterate what Shanny mentioned: the carbs to eliminate are: sugars, breads, cereals, rice, beans, wheat products, potato, corn, parsnips and fruit.

You can get healthy carbs from things like sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach (and other greens), cucumbers, avacado, green beans, onion, squash and tomato (in moderation) as well as other things I've probably forgotten. There's also a few carbs in heart-healthy nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts etc. Just watch your nut intake as they are loaded with calories. (Just 1/3c of most nuts is 300+ calories!)

Did your Dr. take you off glucophage because of the A1c increase? If so, you may want to see if they will put you back ON the glucophage, and work on tighter diet controls.

I've found that following advice here that linked me to Blood Sugar 101 has helped me the best with getting my BG's under control. Really restricting my carbs was what helped the most.

Good luck IrishBrian! Next time I visit my relatives in Kildare I'll wave your general direction, whichever that is :)
 
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#20 ·
is there a link between blood sugars maybe not been controled enough and weight gain ,i think i need to find an alternative to amaryl ,how much weight gain would one expect on it ?, would byetta be recommended ,is there many side effects ?
 
#21 · (Edited)
is there a link between blood sugars maybe not been controled enough and weight gain ,i think i need to find an alternative to amaryl ,how much weight gain would one expect on it ?, would byetta be recommended ,is there many side effects ?
Brian,

I'm a Scotsman living in France and was diagnosed Type 2 in August last year with an HbA1c of 8.2%. The wife changed my diet to reduce the amount of carbohydrate to around half of what it typically was.

I'm off medication completely now (since November) and my blood sugar averages 92 mg/dL (or 5.1 mm/L if you prefer that format). In August I was around 13 stone. Since then I've dropped nearly 2 stone on a diet of around 2,200 calories per day. My HbA1c is now 5.1%. By the way, I've heard of something called "HUNGER" but I don't know the meaning of the word :D.

So I think, yes, High Carbs produce High Blood Sugar and Weight gain.

Since I came home I've ditched bread, rice, sugar and pasta completely. Beefy's description of healthy carbs is spot on. Lose the starches and you're more than half way home.

On the subject of meds., sorry - no idea and this condition is so individual that whilst general comments from others on the forum will be helpful and can give you an idea, no-one but you will know what final impact a given medication will have on YOU.

John
 
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#23 ·
just to encourage you... once you know your diet it right... it's not just diet and exercise that impacts on our BGLs. I know we all seem to concentrate on that... but there are so many other factors. Eg... you mentioned pain... well for me that definitely raises my BGLs. Some other things to look out for.... amount of sleep, amount of stress in your life, any emotional/psychological issues you may be dealing with, illness, vitamin deficiencies, etc. When it comes to carbs... if you eat them, stick to the wholegrain stuff. The more natural it is the longer it takes to break down into sugar in your blood (known as low GI)... giving you sustained energy. You want to avoid sudden spikes and drops in your BGLs. Dairy foods also is low GI and a good carb to choose if you can have it. eg. I find these days that greek yoghurt and fruit tubs they sell here with no sugar added are good on my BGLs when I have it (it's no where near as sweet as those mixed yoghurts either)... plus I need all the probiotics I can get for my stomach. Also when it comes to food... look up what GI ratio is for the food... the lower the better. So much food has carb in it... even nuts.
 
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#25 ·
yep sounds like you have a good boss there :)
ass for previuos reply ,yep stress is a major factor in my life at the moment for various reasons beyond my control,but all i can do for now is see how thing s go...a fry up ? !!!!! you serious ? i would love one but i thought they were bad for me :)
 
#26 ·
On the last point, I missed bacon off the list because the salt in pork does seem to have an impact on BP. As for the rest.... Let me put it this way, these are my figures since August:

Tryglycerides Total Cholesterol HDL LDL
Norms ( 0.50 - 2.00 ) (< 2.00) (> 0.55) (<1.60)

August 0.96 1.36 0.39 0.82
October 0.55 2.11 0.82 1.20
February 0.50 2.25 1.02 1.13

The purple line shows what the French consider normal. The top line are my figures in August, the second those from October and the last line are my figures in February. Sorry the format is a bit screwed, but the figures read from left to right!

Do have a read of Jenny's site BloodSugar 101 for her comments on the values. As long as the ratio between total Cholesterol and HDL is less than 3 - the ceiling for the total is worthless. There is also a book by Gary Taubes called the "Diet Delusion" which is a bit heavy going but has some very interesting things to say on this topic.
High Fat/Reduced Carb does run counter to the "official" line and you must make your own decision but just let me say, I ain't changing my diet! :boom:

John
 
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#27 ·
sounds good to me ,mind me asking what would yuor typical meals consist of for breakfast ,lunch and dinner ?just an idea to give me something to start with ,yes i will get those books and have a read ,thanks
 
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