Michael's Glucose/sugar metabolism factors to control blood sugar

[BABSY]

I bought some of this a while back and hadnt used it. It says take nine in the morning with breakfast or take 3 with each meal. I had started out at 1 capsule just to see how I feel. I am weird about taking new things like this. I increased to three at breakfast and I had another 3 at around 3:00. At 7 when I got home from work, before dinner my blood sugar was 113. I didnt even take lantus this morning and this morning I woke up with bs at 180. I actually believe that this stuff might really work. I didnt take the glipizide tonight before I ate. I will see what my bs is at 9 something. Maybe I should have taken some more of the pills but I need to play with it and moniter it more.

[BABSY]

I did take my metformin after I ate so I will see what happens

[BABSY]

I checked my BS 2 hrs after eating and it was 154 so I ate another few bites of some chicken and took 3 more caplets of the supplement. I got up this morning and my blood sugar was 152. THis was without taking my glipizide last night so I think that is pretty good so far. Just as long as I would be able to get off the insulin(lantus) I would be happy.

[BABSY]

took my glipizide and metformin this morning and 3 caplets of the supplement. I will check BS throughout the day. Oh no insulin.

[BrianSCohen]

Originally Posted by BABSY

I bought some of this a while back and hadnt used it. It says take nine in the morning with breakfast or take 3 with each meal. I had started out at 1 capsule just to see how I feel. I am weird about taking new things like this. I increased to three at breakfast and I had another 3 at around 3:00. At 7 when I got home from work, before dinner my blood sugar was 113. I didnt even take lantus this morning and this morning I woke up with bs at 180. I actually believe that this stuff might really work. I didnt take the glipizide tonight before I ate. I will see what my bs is at 9 something. Maybe I should have taken some more of the pills but I need to play with it and moniter it more.

I can't really give you much promose for this Michaels supplement "fixing" things. You are already apparently taking metformin, glipizide and insulin. It can just take some time to get on track. After I was diagnosed, it was months before I was able to get my fasting blood sugar anywhere near target. Just so you know, metformin is not really a timed medication, it builds up the effect, often taking up to 6 weeks to reach effectiveness. Also, taking glipizide with insulin will place you at some risk of lows, so as your blood sugar comes down you may need monitor and adjust things. A good reason to keep up the lantus is that it can really accelerate getting your fasting levels back to normal. As long as your fasting levels remain highly elevated, your poor pancreas is just going to remain maxed out, and you won't have any tolerance at all for carbs. I'd suggest that when your fasting levels are back below 120, you can take a breather and ease of the lantus. I wish I had been offered lantus when first diagnosed.

The blood sugar 101 site is very helpful for new diabetics. The site author also posts here.

My advice would be to take a good multi-vitamin, a good B-complex, and a hearty amount of fish oil. You can spend a lot on supplements, but you are adjusting everything now and even if it helped you, you would not be able to notice. Have confidence, your blood sugar will get on track. Follow a strict low carb diet, get good exercise and keep up with your meds and things will fall into place.

[BABSY]

well I have been on metformin for many years and the glipizide for several and the lantus for about 2. I hate injecting cuz a couple of time when I did it, I apparently hit a vein and within 30 minutes it dropped to 40. My goal is to get off the insulin even if I hate to take 9 of these pills a day as is recommened.

[BABSY]

also I have been doing low carb for at least 10 years. When I work out it tends to raise my blood sugar. It used to lower it years ago now things are different for some reason. Dr. Bernstein talks about it in his book. I try to do some cardio after using the weight equipment, I think that is what Dr. Bernstein recommended.

[BABSY]

well, I just checked my blood sugar and it is 199. I guess it isnt working all that well. It has been 4 hours since I had eaten breakfast. I have been asleep since 8:30 though and not moving around but I think it still should be lower than that. I am going to continue taking it and see what happens. Too soon to give up yet.

[BrianSCohen]

Originally Posted by BABSY

well I have been on metformin for many years and the glipizide for several and the lantus for about 2. I hate injecting cuz a couple of time when I did it, I apparently hit a vein and within 30 minutes it dropped to 40. My goal is to get off the insulin even if I hate to take 9 of these pills a day as is recommened.

Well, I've gotta tell ya, if you have been on met and glipizide for years and are having fasting problems despite a Bernstein level low carb diet, you may just be too far along. Bernstein does not like glipizide himself because it tends to overstimulate the pancreas increasing the chance of burnout.

I hate to be harsh, but you are just going to have to buck up about this. Sure injecting can be a pain and sometimes you can hit a vein or leave a nasty bruise, but this is about your health. You have to do what is necessary to maintain your blood sugar control. Perhaps you should look into something like the iport to help.

You probably continue this discussion in the diabetes are. There are certainly other very knowledgable people that might have their own advice.

[BABSY]

I hear alot of people talk about having higher blood sugars upon rising. I just figured that was part of it since they go by the A1C anyway
I have never had normal fasting blood sugars even when I was just taking metformin and the doctors said my A1C was ok. That was a long time ago before my blood sugars started going up.

[BABSY]

I think it may be raising my blood pressure. I looked on the internet about some of the ingredients. One of them is the Gymnema Sylvestre leaf that may raise blood pressure according to something I read. I even took my ARB this morning which most of the times causes a low pressure.

[Deannak12]

You should not crash from a lantus injection no matter how fast it gets into your blood stream. Lantus is a base insulin its used to keep you BG steady a bolus insulin if you use one is meant to cover your meals.
Many diabetics do deal with a rise of BS in the mornings there are two common reasons for this the dawn phonemon where the body releases hormones during the early morning causing more insulin resistance and an increase of glocuse in the blood. Proper basal rates through pumps eatting or not eatting after dinner metaforim and eatting breakfast all work to combat DP
the other is the Somogyi Effect. this is basically a rebound effect it happens when the BG falls too much at night then the liver dumps and excess amount of glucose causing morning highs. THis is more common with insulin dependent diabetics.
Honestly I too would reconsider my anti injection stance you can truly get better controll with injections.

Deanna

[BABSY]

I hear alot of talk about how you have high sugars in the morning cuz it drops at night. I have never tested all night but it would be interesting to do something like that like every couple of hours. I dont believe that theory.

[BABSY]

even when I was pregnant, and I was on regular insulin, whatever I went to bed with I usually woke up with

[Deannak12]

Originally Posted by BABSY

I hear alot of talk about how you have high sugars in the morning cuz it drops at night. I have never tested all night but it would be interesting to do something like that like every couple of hours. I dont believe that theory.

Mine will do this if my lantus is too high I actually recenty had to lower my lantus dosage from 17 units to 13 units because of this. I'd bottom out around 3amish then wake up high. SO i'd be say 110 at bedtime around 3 am I'd hypo but by the time by body responded to it I'd be at 205 from a bad rebound. Now I'm back at waking up with what I went to bed with.

Deanna

[BrianSCohen]

Originally Posted by BABSY

even when I was pregnant, and I was on regular insulin, whatever I went to bed with I usually woke up with

I have to tell you, this is just not the way it works with me. I don't have the Somogyi effect, which is a rebound from a low. I have woken up and tested, I am fine through the night. I suffer from Dawn Phenomenon (DP). About 4-5 in the morning, my blood sugar starts to rise. When I get out of bed at 5:30am, it is on average 115 mg/dl, but will vary up to over 130 at times. If I do nothing, it will continue to rise.

The first thing I do, within a half hour of waking is to eat my first meal. I have a quick protein shake made with milk, contain about 10g of carbs. This seems to reset things and arrest the continued DP rise. Various people have suggestions on things you can do to improve your DP, various snacks at night, some red wine the night before. In the end, DP may just be one of the things you have to manage.

I have come to believe that the DP is caused by a malfunction in the regulation of your bodies glucose levels. If your insulin drops too low, then the presence of glucagon will tell your liver to dump glucose. This is normally how your body finely tunes your blood sugar levels making sure you don't go low. But the thing is, both you and I and others here on this board haev a dysfunctional control system. We may not make insulin or glucagon properly (they are both made in the pancreas), or we may signal things improperly. Thus we suffer from the unpredictable wrath of aliens that we affectionately call DP.

I actually would encourage you to think about the Lantus as one of the most effective tools you have to deal with DP. Insulin will suppress the production of glucose in your liver and can really help.

[BABSY]

I do believe you are right about the lantus. To be honest, my problem is that I enjoy drinking alcohol. Alot of people on this board will attack me with this when I admit it. If I take lantus, and drink, I am afraid I will have my blood sugar go too low while I am sleeping without me knowing. I am trying keep it to just weekends but am having a hard time with it. I dont like the lantus for all the other reasons I have said before but this is just another one.

[BrianSCohen]

Originally Posted by BABSY

I do believe you are right about the lantus. To be honest, my problem is that I enjoy drinking alcohol. Alot of people on this board will attack me with this when I admit it. If I take lantus, and drink, I am afraid I will have my blood sugar go too low while I am sleeping without me knowing. I am trying keep it to just weekends but am having a hard time with it. I dont like the lantus for all the other reasons I have said before but this is just another one.

I certainly enjoy my red wine as well. Let me suggest this, have a drink or two at dinner, but make a rule, no more than two and nothing after eight. Then within four hours (by midnight) you will have metabolized the alcohol and can sleep without worry. Your liver can only metabolize at a certain rate, drink more and it takes longer. The chart below shows you this effect. Follow these guidelines and you should be fine.




Oh, another thing you can do is if you do drink more than two, you can just skip your lantus. Alcohol will probably suppress your DP. I won't say anything about drinking more than two every night. You know.

[BABSY]

Brian, you are wonderful and thanks for being so understanding and thanks for that info. I talked to my doctor about taking lantus at night since I take it in the morning. I said I have heard of others taking it at night. He said no. Take it in the morning. Thats all. Its hard to stop at 2. To be honest, I can drink a half of a bottle of rum a night. Or 1 and a half bottles of wine. I took my lantus this morning.

[6-R-bust-2009]

I have substituted Glucobance for my Met recently. So far so good! However my bg's were already stable from lc and exercise before I tried it. I must have been missing something that is in the Glucobalance as I really feel good. No more muscle pain.