I was just told I have prediabetes because my fasting insulin is slightly elevated. I really don’t understand how this can be for starters I’m only 19, I have a normal weight, I eat well, I exercise everyday, I have a tiny waste size. What the heck? I am on a oral contraceptive and I did read that they can increase blood sugar. Maybe this is a crazy question but it it possible that my high blood sugar is purely caused by the contraceptive? Say if I were to go off would my blood sugar be normal again? Thank you to everyone who offers advice and answers I’m very scared and very worried because I don’t know what I’m doing wrong to have caused this.
You may have early stage of type 1 diabetes, where normal or underweight are common. You may have LADA where it develops very slowly. But if this is based on one test only, it could mean nothing.
I suggest you get a blood glucose monitor and log before and after BGs, logging what you ate especially when you see higher numbers.
I don’t think in your case, after one fasting bg is evidence of pre-diabetes, could be lab error.
Thanks for the advice. Type 2 diabetes does run quite strongly on both sides of my family and I don’t know anyone with Type 1. I thought that as well with being just one blood test but my GP did seem a bit concerned and suggested putting me on metformin.
I want you to get over the notion that you did anything to cause this. There is no blame in diabetes.
I agree with @MM1"s suggestion to get a blood glucose monitor. One test doesn’t necessarily make you pre-diabetic, I would want more evidence.
Whatever your doctor said he is concerned about high glucose levels, not high insulin, High insulin would have the opposite effect, it would cause low glucose levels, if so he would not be suggesting pre-diabetes and he certainly would not be suggesting you take metformin
Thats possible given your family history of type2s. High fasting insulin is a symptom of insulin resistance, which can be treated with metformin.
Did your A1C get tested? Did they do glucose tolerance test?
Are you already doing home BG testing?
The results combined with fasting insulin would provide better picture.
Many T2s are overweight, but not all. My Mom was diagnosed T2 when she was 50, and never overweight. So it occurs, but not as common. Most of her siblings were also T2 and normal weight around the same age.
Unfortunately diabetes can happen at any age. And type 2 is very much a genetic disease. So if you have a family history, that is all it might take. I work with two people that are type 2 and not heavy, exercise and eat well but have a family history.
I do agree that more tests are in order. If your current doctor isn’t willing to run other tests, you should probably find someone who is. A doctor who turns to medication first is not willing to put the work in. Good luck and please remember this is not something you caused. You can’t control your family history.
We are commonly tested for “fasting glucose” or “C-Peptide”
Fasting Glucose is your blood sugar when you haven’t eaten normally first thing in the morning before a meal
C-Peptide is a measure of how much insulin your body is making. If you are fasting the number would normally be lower since there is little need to create insulin if you’re not eating recently.
Metformin is normally a type 2 medication and would be given for elevated blood sugars not elevated insulin.
Doctors can’t measure insulin directly, they only use the C-Peptide level to infer insulin production.
Fasting insulin really makes no sense. He must have meant fasting glucose. But I was diagnosed with type 1 at 21
However the ER doctor told me to go home and cut down on carbs because he thought I was too old for type 1.
I was underweight at the time. I had all the obvious signs of type 1 including rapid onset and low blood sugars leading up to it.
A few days went by and I was admitted to the hospital for DKA. It can happen fast.
Sometimes type 1 can have a gradual onset.
There are blood tests that can figure it out fast if you don’t or will just run them.
Different medications raise my husband’s glucose levels. For him statins, and prednisone are the culprits. They make him prediabetic, but when he is off those meds, his levels go back down to the normal range.
Birth control pills are known to change glucose levels, so they could be why your glucose levels are rising. Maybe you could choose another form of birth control assuming that is the reason you are taking oral contraceptives.
Welcome to the group. Ask for a copy of your lab work or do you have a patient portal? With any disease knowledge is power. Take a deep breath, go slow as it can be overwhelming. Nancy50
I needed a little more insulin when using the NuvaRing. I’m not sure how the hormones in those differ from your oral contraceptives.
As others have suggested, getting a blood glucose monitor and testing regularly can give you an idea of whether you’re in range most of the time. Once you know your baseline, you could try going off birth control for awhile to see if that puts your numbers in a better range (assuming you discover that your numbers are higher after testing regularly).
There is a non hormonal IUD that could be a better fit. Everything has side effects of course. Best to discuss with your doctor. That being said, my doctors didn’t think birth control had any effect on insulin needs, and yet it definitely did for me.
Note I am Type 1, so my comments are limited by that experience.
