One Year Anniversary
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One Year Anniversary
| Wed, 01-02-2008 - 12:28pm |
It was one year ago today that I received my Type 2 diagnosis. After battling for a year, I feel like I am worse off than I was then. My numbers are higher, my A1C has increased, and I generally feel lousy.
My current protocol includes 4 mg of Glimepiride twice a day along with diet and exercise. My doctor has discussed adding either Lantus or Levemir at night which I am strongly in favor of.
Is there anyone with experience using either of these insulins who would be willing to share their story?
Thank you.

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{{HUGS}} I don't have any experience with either of the meds you mention but I'm also approaching the 1 year anniversary of my type 2 diagnosis.
With lots of work on changing my eating and exercise and the support of my hubby and son, my A1C readings are really good (ranging around 5.6-5.8 over the last year) and my weight is slowly dropping. I'm hoping that the changes I'm making will help DH (who is also overweight but losing and exercising now) and DS (who is still an active healthy 9 yr old) avoid what I've come up against.
--Deb
Hi and welcome to the board.
Is Glimepiride the only diabetic med that you are on? There are any number of other oral meds that can be tried before starting insulin. That being said I have been a diabetic for 17 years and three years ago I started on Lantus. It has done wonders on my blood sugars and my A1C. But I have had a hard time with having bouts of hypoglycemia. I take mine in the morning because I can better manage my blood sugar that way. I am also on Symlin (I think I am the only one on the who is on this med.) which I also take my injection and I also take Januvia which is the oral version of Byetta. I refused to take Actos or Avandia because my liver studies aren't normal and haven't been since before I was diabetic and so I didn't want to challenge my liver. I take two other meds for my diabetes: glucophage or Metformin and Starlix. The Januvia has allowed me to cut my dose insulin and the Starlix. I may eventually be able to come off the Starlix but it is doubtful if I will ever come off the long acting insulin. One of the thing my endo is trying to prevent is
Thanks for sharing your story. Here's the brief
Sue
I am not surprised about your 108 blood sugar and that you felt woozy. Your poor brain thought it was being deprived!! I am not sure about the starting dose for Levemir. The starting dose for Lantus is 10 units. And when I started on Lantus I reacted as you did. I still have to be careful with hypoglycemia a few hours after I take the injection so that is why we switched my shot to the morning. It isn't very nice to wake up in the middle of the night with hypoglycemia.
Are you still taking the Januvia? If you are, the dose of insulin will need to be reduced because it makes the insulin more effective. I was able to take the Lantus from 28 units back down to 22 units and I do have permission to decrease it more if I need to.
Levemir was specifically developed for over weight type 2 diabetics. Glimepiride doesn't work like metformin or avandia. It just kicks your pancreas to make more insulin. It is speculated that drugs such as glimepiride will eventually wear out your pancreas and cause you to need to be on insulin. My endo believes this and it does seem plausible which is why she is trying to get me off that whole class of medications. Metformin and avandia work to break down insulin resistance so that you can better use the insulin that you still make.
The theory behind giving long acting insulin is that if you have a baseline level of insulin in the blood stream then your pancreas will be able to make the spurts of insulin needed to cover your food intake. If this doesn't work then you need to add in a short acting insulin to cover the food spikes.
I look forward to hearing how you are doing. Please make sure you test your blood sugar more frequently so that you know how you are reacting.
I'm coming up to my one year anniversary but have little experience of any diabetic meds. May 3, 2007 I was rushed to hospital with sugar, sodium and other levels all over the place. I was put on an insulin drip for 2 days, then taken off that and was told the hospital would teach me self administer insulin. I refused. Eventually I was given 6 x 500 mg Metformen and 4 x
Hi to "fighting the bigd"!
Hi ethika,
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
Hi Carole,
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 healthcare practitioner of your choice.
We now know that type 1 diabetes can occur at any age as well as type 2 occurring at a very young age because of a sedentary life style and obesity. We also have mixed diabetics who no longer make insulin but are overweight and respond like a type 2 diabetic.
I am also on Lantus and I also take it in the morning. I have a tendency to experience severe hypoglycemia about 3 hours after I take my shot and so it is better to manage this while I am awake and not to try and take care of it when it wakes me up in the middle of the night.
You didn't post where you are from so I don't know if the newer meds for diabetes are available where you are located. When we become diabetic we also mess up some other hormones, namely amylin. It is possible now to replace some of the hormones by injection. Symlin is the injectable version of amylin. There is also Byetta (which is injectable) and Januvia (which is oral) that are being used to help control blood sugar levels. If these don't work then a short acting insulin can be added.
I am just amazed that there are six classes of drugs available to treat and manage diabetes and I am on all but one of them! Talk about poly pharmacy!! But I am doing very well and haven't developed any complications from my diabetes. I have been diabetic 17 years. In this period of time the science behind diabetes has become so complicated. There is hope that a cure for our disease is just around the corner.
I look forward to getting to know you better. I hope you will pull up a chair and join our conversation. Ask your questions and post your comments. You are amongst like folks.
Hi and welcome to the board.
There are many of us here which can say the same things that you said. I am in much better health now that I take good care of myself. I could kick myself that I didn't lose the weight before I became diabetic but that is absolutely useless thinking! I am right now down with a bad cold and it is the first one I have had in several years. Just shows what taking care of yourself will do for you!!
I hope you will pull up a chair and join our cheerleading section! I am so glad that other members in your family made the lifestyle changes. All of you will be better off for doing that. Congratulations.
A huge welcoming cheer!
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