Computer back up and running

[Jayme Dautrich]

Finally, my computer is back up and running...seems like forever! How has everyone been? My hubby was at his Endo check up on Friday and he had good news, no meds for now..so that is a blessing. We will see in 6 months if he can stay that way. I just wondered is any one on here taking an Amaryl type pill? I guess they are called sulfurides or something like that? This is what they will put him on if they decide he needs something and I have heard mixed reviews?? Any input?

[sofaraway]

I was on gliclazide, it's in the same class of drug but not avaliable in the US. I started on a very small dose 20mg, which was 1/4 of a tablet. It has to be a much smaller dose than would be given to a type2, because people with MODY are very sensitive to sulphanureas.

I found that initially it worked well and kept my blood sugars under control, had very few hypos on it which is a risk. but it was generally when I'd taken it and not eaten, did experience hypos under normal circumstances.

I was on it for about 2 years and then had fast progression of my diabetes and started using insulin.

[MODY-RN]

It seems like that is true for all oral medications... they work for a while and then the dose that used to work, no longer works, so you increase the dose but then it doesn't matter how much you take it doesn't deliver...
Seems like the oral agents are like trying to control the blood sugars with a sledge hammer instead of the scalpel they really need!

[MODY-RN]

I take Amaryl in the evenings, as does my daughter. My Mom tried it but had severe hypoglycemic episodes. I have Hypo episodes sometimes but usually due to too much Starlix and not enough Carb...

[Mody sculptor]

I was on Prandin for a while, it helped with numbers while eating carbs but as I stayed on Byetta longer I did not need it any longer. The Byetta is the best, their is weight loss rather than weight gain and the longer your on it the more energy and no crashing worries. I do not take Metformin. Only Byetta.

[tealas]

There is evidence that higher than normal blood sugars start causing the beta cells to become dysfunctional, and then to die-off. The rough numbers that Jenny Ruhl ("Blood Sugar 101") has compiled from a review of the research is that FBG's over 100mg/dl and post-meal's over 140mg/dl eventually lead to beta cell damage/die-off. If you work to lower your blood sugars quickly, (i.e. within weeks or months, rather than years), you can reverse this process, but after a certain period of time the damage becomes more permanent. There is a thread on diabetes forum where folks are citing various references about this type of phenomenon: http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/type-1-5-diabetes/42944-wierd-f...

I think part of the battle is to use our medications, diet changes, exercise, herbs, stress-reduction techniques etc. to keep ourselves out of the downward spiral where average blood sugars creep up, causing damage to beta cells and other counter-regulatory problems.

My own experience is that post-meal spikes are the hardest thing to control. If I eat high-glycemic index carbs (rice, potatoes etc) and take insulin, it is too hard to time it just right. I usually go well over 140 mg/dl. I think if you are using oral meds it is even harder to prevent post-meal spikes. The only way I personally have found to control it is with diet changes along with the medication (i.e. low carbing, raw foods, green smoothies/juices etc). But those diet changes help prevent post-meal spikes, and then my pancreas can recover to some extent. Byetta worked for me in terms of preventing post-meal spikes in blood sugars, but had significant GI side-effects so I couldn't continue using it.