Medications and weight Gain

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Medications and weight Gain
22
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 9:20am
Hi, I am Teresa and noew to the board, I am type 2 diabetic, I had 2 stents in in Jan. I am on Lantus 85 units at night, Novalog before meals, about 2 to three time a day, and Advantia 4 mg 2 x daily. I have days that this works well but other days with high stress ( we are aquiring custody of our 2 yr grandson). Among many other stress factors. Real problem is weight gain, Since Jan with the stents and 10 heart meds and all the new insulin I have packed on 45 lbs. I had two disc going out in my back now we are looking at 2 more bad disc, and the weight is becoming an issue for that treatment. I have followed the nutritionist diet but the weight keeps on adding on, and due to back issues the treat mill is now out and gettting a spinal block he said only water exercises are allowed. Is all diabetic meds going to put the weigh on I know I have alot of water retention, medformin is not a drug of choice for me my body can't handle it unless I stay on anti dirreah meds. Any suggestions.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-29-2007
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 10:59am

Hi Teresa,

I am Rita. I can't give you info about drugs as I am managing mine so far with diet and exercise. I can sympathize with the back problems though. I have had a bad back for 20 years and it really does limit your exercise. I have been able to ride a stationary bike most days and sometimes do the pilates machine. I hope someone here has some ideas on the meds. I am not looking forward to when I have to go on them too. Rita

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-17-2001
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 4:06pm

Teresa, I can relate with the weight gain. I'm on 45 units Lantus at night and humulog as needed before meals. Since I started taking all the insulin I have gained a lot, not necessarily weight, but inches around my waist. Which, of course, is the most dangerous.

I haven't figured out how to lose it either, even exercise, walking etc. isn't helping me around my waist.

I hope someone has some good suggestions for both of us!

Misty
DD Hannah 1/14/05

~Misty~


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Tue, 07-24-2007 - 9:11pm
I do understand you, it is like inches more than an overall look to the body just blowing up with weight everwhere, and mostly in the stomach and upper legs. My back Dr. wants me on water exercises as opposed to the tread mill.
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 1:17am

Hi and welcome to the board.


My name is Mary Frances and I am one of the community leaders for this board. I am a type 2 diabetic and a registered nurse. Any advise I may give is not a substitute for seeking medical advise from a health care practitioner of your choice.


I can understand your weight gain and sympathize with you. It is being caused by the Avandia and all the insulin that you are on. I have some words of caution that you need to discuss with your doctor. First off I am absolutely shocked at the amount of long acting insulin that you are on. Normal dosage for a type 2 diabetic is 40 units. (I am on 22 units of Lantus for example.) You obviously have significant insulin resistance. And the weight gain isn't helping this. There are some new drugs on the market for people who can't take metformin or for whom it doesn't work. Ask your doctor about Symlin and Byetta. The easiest way to breakdown insulin resistance is through exercise.


I am also worried about your being on Avandia since the latest heart scare and your already having two stents.


Are you being cared for by an endocrinologist?


My orthopedist kept telling me that he didn't want me exercising and my endo kept telling me that he wanted me to exercise. To which I replied "will you guys get your ideas together?" I also have a very bad back because of a collapsed disc and two bulging discs not counting the one that I had removed from my neck. I knew that I absolutely had to get some exercise and so I stopped listening to the orthopedist. Now I don't recommend this to everyone but it is what I did. I began walking as much as I could with a pedometer and then I joined Curves. I do as much as I am able and I have managed not to gain any weight since being started on Lantus. So I see myself as a success.


I am sure that Auntydoxzz will reply to your message also. She is also exercise challenged. You will need to work out a program that you can do and remember to start slowly and work your way up.


I hope you will pull up a chair and join our conversation. We are here to help as much as we can.


A huge welcoming hug,


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 1:47am

Hi and welcome to the board.

My name is Mary Frances and I am one of the community leaders for this board. I am a type 2 diabetic and a registered nurse. Any advise I may give is not a substitute for seeking medical advise from a health care practitioner of your choice.

I can understand your weight gain and sympathize with you. It is being caused by the Avandia and all the insulin that you are on. I have some words of caution that you need to discuss with your doctor. First off I am absolutely shocked at the amount of long acting insulin that you are on. Normal dosage for a type 2 diabetic is 40 units. (I am on 22 units of Lantus for example.) You obviously have significant insulin resistance. And the weight gain isn't helping this. There are some new drugs on the market for people who can't take metformin or for whom it doesn't work. Ask your doctor about Symlin and Byetta. The easiest way to breakdown insulin resistance is through exercise.

I am also worried about your being on Avandia since the latest heart scare and your already having two stents.

Are you being cared for by an endocrinologist?

My orthopedist kept telling me that he didn't want me exercising and my endo kept telling me that he wanted me to exercise. To which I replied "will you guys get your ideas together?" I also have a very bad back because of a collapsed disc and two bulging discs not counting the one that I had removed from my neck. I knew that I absolutely had to get some exercise and so I stopped listening to the orthopedist. Now I don't recommend this to everyone but it is what I did. I began walking as much as I could with a pedometer and then I joined Curves. I do as much as I am able and I have managed not to gain any weight since being started on Lantus. So I see myself as a success.

I am sure that Auntydoxzz will reply to your message also. She is also exercise challenged. You will need to work out a program that you can do and remember to start slowly and work your way up.

I hope you will pull up a chair and join our conversation. We are here to help as much as we can.

A huge welcoming hug,

Hi Mary, glad to be here, I was begining to feel alone with this weight issue. As I had worked really hard two years ago and took off 30 lbs at the gym, had my back in excellent shape. Then due to three sudden deaths in the family and the gym being 30 miles out, I fell to the way side with my gym trips. I stated the weight gain before the Advantia but I did speak with my endocrinologist and we went to the medformin and within 3 days I called him back and told him I had to go back to Advandia. I am concerned about the Advandia, I go to visit him Thursday so I will post my Dr. visit with you all. We have a olympic pool at the gym but I now have custody of a 2 yr old grandson, that I have to manage with his daily needs, as well as I have 30 toy and miniature poodles that I raise, and have to keep groomed and cared for. I will bring these new medications up with the Dr. for an alternative. At one point before the Advandia was added I was up to 36 to 46 units of Novalog 4 times a day with the 85 units of Lantus. I am wondering if gastro bypass would be an option for me. As my Chiropractor said every 10 lbs of weight add 100 lbs of pressure to my spine. I purchased a tread mill so after the spinal block Monday maybe I can start a 10 min reg every other day to get started.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 1:58am
I would like to make one more comment, I went last week for blood work for my 6 month check up, and I spoke with the nurse with the weight issue and she ask if I had see the dietician. Now she should know of all people that these medications are doing nothing but putting weight on us....lol. I do eat very heart smart and wanting sugar is a thing of hte past. I am a very heavy water drinker. So I will reserve futher comments for the Dr. As her remark was way off base, as that is a mandatory class with my Dr with the second visit to his office.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2007
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 6:02am
Hi Teraypoodles
I still adhere strictly to the exchange diet at about 1300 calories
and my weight has not varied over 5 pounds for years.
I find the carb counting diets are not flexable and one forgets
to keep track. I print a page tack it to the fridge and mark every amount thoughout the day so I can make a few changes and not lose the correct exchange total. I haven't weighed or measured food for years but have personal serving bowls and plates that I know contain exactly the amount allowed in an exchange. That way you do not have to feel restricted.
My exchange amounts have changed too as I allow 10% fats instead of 25 to 30.
I make use of all the free foods possible.
I find a salad 20 min. to 1/2 hour before dinner with very litle dressing or lemon juice creates a feeling of satisfaction and less desire to overeat.
I have many allergies so milk and fish are not included along with nuts.
I take only Humalin N shots and one small asprin a day. I am too sensative to the fast acting insulins. Timing of insulin and food to operate inside insulin peaks and valleys can help with weight too.
My daughter -in- law is finally paying attention to this and is not only keeping her glucose levels normal for the first time but is loosing weight and has dropped every thing but the Humlin N as encouraged by her doctor. She no longer uses lantos it seemed to make her gain. byetta quit working after several months and is very expensive.
As 40% of all diabetics are deficient in magnesia I watch it close.
My exercise is walking but mostly I run up the stairs at least twice a
day.
Off the subject-- If possible i believe diabetics should avoid all the pills used to wring more insulin from a wearing out pancreas . They are not insulin and my studys indicate they are partly the cause of macro damage such as heart problems.
My complications are all micro or nerve problems.
Last of all find a doctor who believes you must manage your diabetes with him/her to assist and redirect you when necessary. Take control and remember depression is a contol killer but when you realise it lurks you also learn how to overcome the negatives it causes.
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 10:50am

Good Morning,


It takes two weeks for your system to get used to the metformin. Hopefully you were started on a dosage no higher than 250mg and you had to have food in you tummy when you took it. I am telling you this because you weren't on the drug long enough to see if it would work for you. Also there is an XR version and it doesn't seem to have the gastric upset problems that the plain med does. Metformin is a good drug but if it isn't started slowly the person will be absolutely miserable on it.


On another note: we are a bunch of animal lover around here! So watch for our dog and cat comments and stories!






Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 11:00am

Off the subject-- If possible i believe diabetics should avoid all the pills used to wring more insulin from a wearing out pancreas . They are not insulin and my studys indicate they are partly the cause of macro damage such as heart problems.


There is a lot of discussion in diabetes about this. But at the moment all the new medications are so expensive that you couldn't get most doctors to stop prescribing them. It would seem logical that anything which kicked the pancreas to make more insulin without breaking down the insulin resistance would eventually exhaust the pancreas. That is the idea behind the new medications. Because diabetes is such a complicated disease with many hormones other than insulin involved the researchers are trying to design drugs which replace all the hormones that we lose when we become diabetic.


I have been diabetic for 17 years. I started by counting exchanges and I knew the value of an exchange so I was able to flip back and forth as I needed in the 9 years that I have been the CL of this board. When I was started on insulin, the dietitian converted me to carb counting. I was amazed at the difference. It was so liberating. I still have

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2007
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 4:26pm

I was started on 500 mg a day on medformin, and had been on it previous. At 500 mg, and up to 2000 mg and had to come off of it, that was 2 years ago. I would just like to come off of the Advandia.

Oh I love dog discussions, they have been a big part of my life showing and loving for better than 20 years.

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