For those who are touched by more than diabetes ( Asthma, Migraines, High Blood Pressure, etc.)...How do you fit it all in?
Linda- Elevated creatinine levels have some thing to do with kidney disease. My husband (not Diabetic) had an elevated level and our PCP sent him to a nephrologist ( kidney doc) for an evaluation. He did additional testing and also ordered some kind of an ultra sound test. I do not know about metformin's effect on this.
Thanks Cat....I'll him ask the doc to be referred to a nephrologist.
Always something isn't it!!!
http://www.medicalfaq.net/what_causes_high_creatinine_levels_/ta-72872/p3
and
http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-questions/metformin/can-metformin-elevate-creatinine-levels
Is he on blood pressure lowering meds? Why not use magnesium to lower blood pressure? Doctors aren't taught about supplements my doctor tells me. He had to learn on his own.
It is sad to me that drugs are so hard on the body and the nutrients in supplements is a whole area the doctors have no training in, except if you pay out of pocket and go to a naturopath who is trained in that. So what I do is read a lot because I can't afford a naturopath. I went to one around 1998. But I have a lot of books by even MDs who have taken supplements more seriously, like Dr Akins did.
Thank you Janina....this was VERY helpful :)
Welcome vickytron....so nice to have you in the fold! Do you mind telling us a bit about yourself?
Welcome to the rabble Tim....tell us a bit about yourself when you get the chance :)
Has anyone heard of "Raw for 30 Days"?
A colleague at school is into this and "has seen the video" which claims that it can...you guessed it....cure diabetes (type one and type 2). I said there's no such thing as curing diabetes!! We all know of someone (a non diabetic, of course) who claims this to be true. I want to SEE this video, and make note to point out the flaws. If you've seen it/heard of it....tell me about it please!
Welcome to our little sub group Granni Annie :)
Asthma is a little "add on" of mine as well ( one of them anyway). I have a little beef (again).....every year I get a flu shot, and I also get a pneumonia shot as often as I'm suppose to. This year, I recently came down with a bug that evolved into pneumonia....what the heck was THAT about....a two for one deal? I thought I had my tail covered! Well....on top of that, the pneumonia triggered asthma attacks!
Hi Ash24....welcome to the rabble :)
Can you tell us a bit about yourself??
Hey Ash....feel free to slip in your 2 cent's worth whenever you feel the urge ;)
Hi all: How is everyone doing?
I have a quick question for you all. I have type I diabetes (since 1970), no real complications. Retinopathy, that's pretty much it. I also have fibro and (treated) graves disease. Been struggling with high medical insurance costs, and the stress is taking a huge toll. My local fibro group says I should maybe seek help (medicaid, disability, some kind of something) so the stress is not so severe. I guess I didnt look too well today and they felt bad for me.
I have no clue about any assistance or if I would qualify. Been self employed since 86, but business is awful these days. Hubby wants me to go out and get a full time job, which I do not at all feel I could do. Currently trying to find some decent work from home jobs, which are steady paying. Anyway, if you have any ideas, could you let me know? And welcome to the newbies!
Hi Laura, I'm not American....so our insurance etc differs from yours, but I would suggest contacting your branch of the ADA, as well check the blue pages of your phone book for government offices.
Hi Erica....delighted to have you as another patch to our quilt!
We know that diabetes affects our emotions as well, and that many people with diabetes suffer from depression in varying degrees.....I wonder if those of you who generally have a more difficult time with depression during the Winter months, have had it a bit easier this year due to our milder than normal Winter???
No; probably because I have to stay inside most of the time, because I'm on Oxygen. I haven't been on a 'vacation' since I left the hospital on Oxygen, I can only go for about 6 hours with my "Companion" tank, so I can't go very far, or for very long. Plus our finances have been difficult for the last couple of years. Having been a chaplain, doesn't negate the fact that we as a group can't have our own problems, to include depression. No, the lack of winter per se hasn't done a thing for my mood.
So nice to have you in the rabble Aneville. Could you tell us a bit about yourself??
Statins may raise blood glucose: Should we be concerned?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
by Ronald M. Goldenberg, MD, FRCPC, FACE
On February 28, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new safety label changes for the statin class of cholesterol-lowering drugs.1 These changes included a statement regarding the effect of statins on blood glucose. The FDA stated that “increases in blood sugar levels have been reported with statin use.” However, they also indicated that “the cardiovascular benefits of statins outweigh these small increased risks.”
Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) reported a 27% increase in investigator-reported diabetes mellitus in rosuvastatin-treated patients compared to placebo-treated patients, but the absolute risk increase was small, with new onset diabetes reported in 2.4% of those on placebo and in 3.0% of those treated with rosuvastatin.2 There was a small but statistically significant difference in median A1C levels in JUPITER after 24 months of therapy: 5.9% in the statin-treated group and 5.8% in the placebo group.2 The small rise in A1C suggests a mild progression of dysglycemia with statin therapy.
The benefit of statin therapy outweighing the risk of diabetes would be expected to be even greater when accounting for the effect of statins on strokes and the need for revascularisation, in addition to the reduction in coronary events.
A further meta-analysis examined the effect of intensive-dose versus moderate-dose statin therapy on the risk of diabetes.4 In 5 statin trials with 32,752 participants, intensive-dose statin therapy was associated with a 12% increased risk for incident diabetes (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.04-1.22) and a 16% decreased risk for cardiovascular events (OR 0.84; CI, 0.75-0.94). As compared with moderate-dose statin therapy, the number needed to harm per year for intensive-dose statin therapy was 498 for new-onset diabetes while the number needed to treat per year for intensive-dose statin therapy was 155 for cardiovascular events.
What does all these mean for our diabetes patients or those at risk of diabetes being treated with statins? There are inherent risks and benefits with any pharmacotherapy. While there is evidence that statins can increase the risk of diabetes or raise glucose levels, the absolute risk is quite small. The benefits of statin therapy in reducing cardiovascular events far outweigh the small risk of worsening glycemic control. The Canadian Diabetes Association suggests that people with diabetes who are currently taking a statin continue their medication unless instructed otherwise by their healthcare provider. Stopping statin therapy is not recommended based on the recent FDA warnings especially because the risk of ongoing statin therapy is small and discontinuation of statin therapy may increase the risk of vascular events.
References
Available at: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm293101.htm
This belongs to the comment below...forgot to attach it!
♥ HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all mommies ♥