I’m interested in suggesting to my endo that Precose (Acarbose) be added to my treatment plan. I’m currently taking Metformin 1,000 2X day along with Welcohl (colesevelam HCI) suspension for cholestrol AND diabetes. I’m supposed to be taking Glipizide 5MD 1/2 tab before big carb meals but I don’t (fear I’ll burn out what’s left of my beta cells as I have 1/2 a pancreas) and instead try to eat low carb. The few times I took Glipizide it certainly worked lowing bs. Now when I spike, I try to exercise bs down on treadmill but that doesn’t always work and can’t always control what I eat.
Please share any good or bad experiences with precose. Just don’t feel glipizide is right for me. Endo expects lower A1C from me. Most recent was 6.6 on Metformin alone plus diet & exercise. Help!
If you really eat low carb, acarbose is ineffective.
Brian (bsc): Thanks for your reply. You wrote: "If you really eat low carb, acarbose is ineffective."
But but but...I read this at Blood Sugar 101 How Acarbose Works http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/25311639.php: "Adding Precose to Metformin only achieved an additional 31 mg/dl drop from a 283 mg/dl baseline post-meal blood sugar. However, unlike the case with Metformin, Precose appears to be equally effective for people who maintain healtly low blood sugar levels. Years ago when I was using it along with a low carb diet, I found that taking Precose allowed me to add an additional 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrate to my meal without seeing a dangerous spike."
Get my point? Sometimes I binge and could use some help with after meal spikes.
Gosh, no TuDiabetes members currently taking--or have had a bad experience taking--Precose (Acarbose) as part of their treatment plan? Thanks in advance. I don't like taking Welchol as it seems to raise my fasting bs on the days after I take it.
I took precose once for about two weeks. I took it for reactive hypoglycemia, because I was hanging out in the 50's and 60's for days on end due to stress. I took it before every time I ate. It worked well for what I needed it for, and I had no adverse reactions.
I don't know if it'll be helpful for you, but my experience with it was fine.
Thanks guitarnut. Your experience might explain why when I'm on acarbose my fasting bs is elevated the next day although it brings down my post meal bs. Diabetes and diabetes drugs are so unpredictable.