Switching from insulin to tablets (type 1.5)

I’ve never had diabetes-related antibodies measured, but when I’ve had had other types of antibodies measured for other conditions, and the “range” for those has been expressed as “<##” where my result is flagged as high only if it’s above that number.

Given that the OP is posting blood sugar in mmol/L, it’s very likely that the antibody units being used are also different than what’s used in the US.

Thank you everyone for your time and responses.
My BG has been ~12mmol/ml today (~230mg/ml).
My doc says the med may take time to act.
He is constantly asking me to cut on carbs, and this is so frustrating, when i literally had zero carbs for b’fast and lunch.
I am hoping the med works. It would be auch a relief from 4 shots a day.
I am waiting for my islet test results. That will co firm T2 or LADA.
For now, I feel miserable. Having high BG, and just waiting for this med to act :confused:

Why not take an adequate insulin dose to correct your BG while you wait for the Metformin to “kick in”?

Did your endo actually tell you that you will be able to go off insulin? I’m doubtful this will be the case. (Many folks with Type 2 require insulin. And I’ve always been under the impression that a GAD level, if not negative, indicates Type 1/LADA.)

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I’d take a correction. The size of the needles these days is so small, most of the time I use a syringe (not often, as I am on an insulin pump) I don’t even feel a thing.

I’d also be interested in what you actually ate for breakfast and lunch. You may be eating carbs and not realize it.

We’d like to help you ---- welcome to our community!

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Is there a particular reason why you aren’t correcting a sustained high in the 200s? I’d never knowingly do this, unless I wanted a crappy A1c and wanted to play Russian roulette with complications…

Again, My sincere thanks to all the members who are trying to contribute in this thread.
The reason why I am not taking a correction as yet is because I want to give the medicine a fair chance to kick in. Because, I know for a fact that coming from 3 doses humalog + 1 dose lantus, to a single lantus dose is big news for me. I cannot express enough what I am feeling! So, I wouldn’t mind my BG in 200s, if thats the cost I pay to wait for the numbers to come down, when the pills start working.
Also, I am keeping a check on the carbs, meaning, I am consuming equivalent (or lesser) amount of carbs as when I was on humalog.
I plan to visit my doctor again, in case the numbers dont come down in the next 2-3 days.

i’ve had quite a significant BG rise consuming meals that are absolutely carb free - try adding a tiny amount of carb to those meals to prevent that rise - something around 6 grams of carb like a little salsa with your eggs and sausage. I’m not clear on the chemical process behind the BG rise with carb free meals - maybe Brian can better explain that process?

I have to say, I was diagnosed as T2 more than a decade ago. Medications really didn’t help me much at all. Six years ago I started insulin. Insulin works. Since that time I’ve been very happy with my diabetes control. I have been tested for all the antibodies, all negative. I was even tested for MODY. Negative. I’ve had doctors suggest I could use some new medication and stop using insulin. I am fine trying a new medication. But demonstration that a medication works will be that it reduces my insulin doses. This is the way I have tried medications (like the SGLT2 which did reduce my insulin dose but certainly didn’t stop my need for insulin). I definitely would not stop insulin thinking I would be “saved.” My endo has for all intensive purposes diagnosed me for insurance as a T1 since that is the treatment that works and I need coverage for insulin and other things.

And I have to be honest. If your fasting blood sugar 13 mmol/L (230 mg/dl) that corresponds to an A1c > 9%. According to the AACE (an association of endocrinologists, see slide 7), with a blood sugar like you have, as a new patient insulin is indicated. Nobody following the AACE guidelines would expect any single medication or probably any combination to not be able to control your diabetes.

My advice to you is that if you have insulin you should be using it to keep you blood sugar normalized. If you need to correct after a meal, then correct. If your blood sugar at 2 hours comes down to within 140 mg/dl then lower your mealtime dose. And keep doing so. If the medication truly does work (and let there be a miracle), then your mealtime does will be reduced to zero. But I am highly doubt that this will happen from what you describe.

You are no a lab animal. In my opinion, you can determine whether a medication works without endangering your health. You need to either get your doctor to adopt a safe way of trying out these medications or you need to see a new doctor.

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If this diet doesn’t get you in range of an afternoon in a month, or even off all insulin I’d say you may need to stay on your insulin.

last 15 minutes

diet

the other way is an 800 cal diet for a week or 2

If I were you, I wouldn’t wait around another hour for the numbers to come down while you’re waiting for Metformin to “kick in” (which I don’t believe will make a huge impact on your high BG to be honest), much less a few days. Just saying…

Glucophage doesn’t work that way @kabirkaushal1. It takes weeks or even a month to build up in your system and start having an effect, and it doesn’t lower your blood glucose the way insulin does (so it won’t ever “correct” a high). It makes your cells a bit more sensitive to insulin, and it helps suppress the liver’s release of glucose (so dampening Dawn Phenomenon and workout highs), and it can help in losing weight for some people. But you shouldn’t expect it to just lower your postprandial highs the way insulin or some other orals might.

Hey. So the news is… Glucophage is working. Much lower BG levels over the last 3 days. Going strong-going good. Celebrated with a pizza last night. BG back to 280 fasting. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
Damn this diabetes

I know that you don’t want to hear this, but you have diabetes. And pizza and diabetes are a volatile mix. I had to face the sad fact that I would never be able to eat traditional pizza without serious blood sugar consequences. That being said I have developed my own low carb pizza recipes. I use a low carb burrito wrap like this, brush it with olive oil. I then toast it in a hot oven on both sides and then put all the traditional toppings on it and it goes back in the oven. With only 10g net carbs for a 12 inch wide personal pizza, this is heaven.

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“Back to 280 fasting.”

You say this like it’s a good thing… Just curious, what are your fasting and post-prandial BG targets?

Hi Brian, I will definitely be trying your version of pizza. Thanks :pizza:

we also have this recipe, which has gotten some rave reviews

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I second @MarieB’s suggestion! Fathead Pizza (or variation thereof) has been a once-a-week go-to for me since about a month after diagnosis. I just really, really miss the occasional pizza, and I find Fathead to be equal or superior to any of the “real” pizzas I can get out here in Idaho anyways! Plus it doesn’t blow my macros :slight_smile: It is, however, quite calorie dense, so have to be careful on that front…

I just had 1/4 of the one I made last-night for breakfast, and it was… GLORIOUS.

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I love this recipe!! You just made me hungry!

It completely satisfies my pizza cravings! Well most often anyway…:wink:

My biggest problem with Fathead Pizza is that often I want to have the whole damn thing instead of 1/4 (my normal “serving”) :slight_smile: Too much of a good thing is still too much, sadly…

Somehow, I never manage to line up making Fathead on my “cheat” days when I overshoot my caloric target by as much as I feel like. Instead, I usually end up eating far too many peanuts and smoked almonds before bed on Friday nights!

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