anyonehave diabets,high cholstrol,??????

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2006
anyonehave diabets,high cholstrol,??????
6
Mon, 11-24-2008 - 7:46pm
I have a question,,I am a type 2 diabetes,,I am on Januvia,,I had blood work done to check my cholstrol,,It was 205,,the LDL was 130,the Dr. said that it should be at 70????  I went on Zetia,,forget that,,It made me sooo Tired,,nd I kept a Headache,,so she wants me to stop it for two weeks,,then start back up,,I just want to go lay down and do nothing when I was on it for 2 days..Zocor made my musles ache..bad..So she told me I cant take a statin drug..  So,,now I am eating oatmeal,,lean meats,,veggies,,I got light mayo,,olive oil,,etc..   Everytime I go to my Dr.,,it seems I am being put on more pills,,that I cant affored,,the Januvia is 50.00 to fill it,,Hyzaar is 20.00 to fill,, She gave me samples of the Zetia,,glad for that,,but sure didnt like the way i made me feel,,  anyone else going thru this with the cholestrol thing,,let me know,,,I am 49,,and my period has Slowed down,just only 2 days now..   I know I am in the Peri-menopause stage,,  I watch 2 grandkis at times,,I cant see how if I am so Tired,,and cant get out of bed,on Zetia,,I stopped Friday,, feel better now,,just when I got surprised with babysitting both of my grandkids today,,3 years old and 2 months old,,,my nerves are so bad,,I take Xanax at night to sleep,,I dont take it when I have the kids.. Thanks all,Susan
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 11-25-2008 - 1:35am

Susan,


First off 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, married to a type 2 diabetic and a registered nurse. Any advise I may give is not a substitute for medical advise from a health care practitioner of your choice.


I need to give you some basic diabetes information. There is a cluster of diagnoses which go together called metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome consists of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and heart disease. You don't have to have all of these to have metabolic syndrome. Remember also that most type 2 diabetics are over weight.


It is obvious to me that your doctor thinks that you have metabolic syndrome. She is trying to bring your cholesterol and triglycerides into the recommended level. Diabetes is consider the same risk as having had your first heart attack.


I have never heard of zetia causing fatigue but I am sure it is possible. I am on zetia and didn't notice anything except that it finally got my triglyerides where they needed to be. I am also on Lipitor. The thing about Lipitor and similar drugs is that over time they can remove the fatty plaques in your heart vessels and prevent you from having a heart attack. But they can also cause muscle cramps and many people stop taking these drugs for that reason. There is only one dose size of zetia.


You need to know also that peri-menopause wrecks havoc with your hormone levels. Depression often occurs at this time because of the hormone fluctuations. Diabetes and depression go hand in hand and make each other worse.


There are other ways of getting your cholesterol under control than using medications and they deserve a trial before casting them aside. Exercise is the prime one. You need to be exercising at 150 minutes per week. This can be as simple as walking or anything else that you like to do. But it is important that you get your exercise. You also need to be testing your blood sugar and eating in a diabetic fashion. In your other message I gave you a link to help you better understand what and how you need to be eating.


Believe me, this phase will pass. You will enjoy your life as a diabetic and in many ways when you get all this under control, you will feel better than you have in years. So there is hope.


Please pull up a chair and join our conversation. We are here to help in anyway that we can. We celebrate successes and lament failures (we all have them!) and give gentle shoves when necessary.


medsassistance5.gif Medicine Assistance picture by HealthAccount
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 11-25-2008 - 10:00am

You want to get your cholesterol to be above 50 HDL and under 100 LDL. A key thing, hard to do when you're exhausted I know, is exercise. Get moving 20 to 30 minutes per day aerobically - like walking. Taking care of the grandkids is a lot of work but it's not necessarily the kind of exercise that 20 minutes of walking (even at a gentle pace) would do. That would raise the HDL (which is important) as well as help all around cardio health. Plus it would reduce insulin resistance - muscle burns glucose more efficiently than fat so kicking the muscles into gear is important.

Some cholesterol is necessary, is made by your body, and is important for hormone production among other things. All animals produce cholesterol. So, to reduce cholesterol intake, reduce anything animal as much as possible. That at least reduces one of the two sources - the other is how much your body is programmed to make genetically. That's harder to deal with because you have less control of it. But, exercise and eating mostly plant based foods and low/non fat animal based foods can moderate it.

--Deb

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2006
Wed, 11-26-2008 - 11:14am
Thanks for helping me,,I am having a time with the Insurrance co.,,So I just called my Dr. to get her to write a prescirtion of Metformin,,the brand name is Glucophage,,I tried it before and didnt like the way it made me feel..But at Walmat I can get 180 pills for 10.00,,Januvia is 218.00 for 30 pills,,with no isnurrance,,we don know when the Insurrance will kick in???? I have one Januvia pill left..
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Wed, 11-26-2008 - 11:36am

I've been on metformin for 2 years ince I was diagnosed. You should be starting at a low dosage (500 mg) then increasing to whatever the dr. thinks necessary. Usually it goes up to 500 mg morning and 500 mg evening - split doses to minimize side effects. Also, many people find it works best taken with food. As usual, I'm odd and do better taking it right before bed. No noticeable side effects with it at all. I'm still on the single 500 mg dosage and mostly control things with diet and exercise - lots of whole grains for fiber, almost no animal products (just cheese and yogurt mostly, occasional fish like salmon which has heart healthy fats)

With cholesterol, the LDL should be under 100 and the HDL over 50 (for women). You need some cholesterol so it shouldn't go too low but 130 LDL is definitely TOO high and you don't mention what your HDL is (I'm guessing that it's probably around 30 which is very low - not good) Part of metabolic syndrome is not only high cholesterol overall but also upside down readings - that is the HDL is low and the LDL is high instead of having an HDL over 50 and an LDL under 100.

Basically, right now you feel awful and your metabolic syndrome is out of control (glucose, cholesterol, etc). Taking medications makes you feel bad but you are getting control of the metabolic stuff. And, with most medications, the initial side effects go away within a month. Try to hold on for that long UNLESS you get the kinds of side effects that say See your doctor IMMEDIATELY (like allergic reaction, jaundice, etc)

Also, Januvia and Metformin are NOT the same in the way they act as far as I know so they may not be interchangeable in treating the situation.

With your plain Cheerios - that's a good start. Make sure you're watching the number of carbs in what you're having. Generally, the full 1 cup serving is too many carbs for most diabetics by itself (and most people don't measure it anyhow and just have a "bowl" of cereal which is often 2 or three times the serving size). You'll need to have the serving then test 2 hours afterward and see if your glucose reading is under 140. If it is, great. If not, you'll need to (a) reduce the portion size (b) add protein and fiber. For instance, 1 cup of Cheerios is too much for me. Instead, I have 1/2 cup of Cheerios and about 1/4 cup of pecans - it adds bulk, fiber, protein. The combination gives me a satisfying breakfast without sending my blood sugar sky high. FWIW I've found that using a kitchen scale rather than measuring cups is working better - I get a more consistent measurement since a measuring cup 'scoop' can vary by as much as 2 or 3 ounces. 14 grams of Cheerios and 30 grams of pecans (plus 8 grams of semi sweet chocolate chips) is exactly one breakfast and my after breakfast numbers have been better than ever.

--Deb

Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 11-27-2008 - 12:54am

Susan,


Please start the metformin slowly. Even 250 mgm for a few days until you get used to it. And do take it with food in your tummy. The inital symptoms will go away in about 2 weeks. I have been on Metformin for about 10 years and I do remember how I first felt. But believe me, it does get better.


Januvia is so new there isn't a generic made yet. It is also one of the more expensive of the diabetic drugs. I took it for a year but my new doctor took me off it. I miss its appetite suppression. Metformin, in most people also suppresses appetite and my appetite has never returned to its initial level. It certainly has helped me be able to lose weight.


I do not believe that metformin caused your MIL to have a heart attack. There are known complications and that isn't one of them. Her diabetes was probably the culprit.


I am so glad that you ahve started walking. That will help with lots of things.


Hang in there, you will feel better when all these things get back into synch.


medsassistance5.gif Medicine Assistance picture by HealthAccount
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2006
Fri, 11-28-2008 - 10:50pm
Thanks so Much!!!!