After all the key lifestyle changes -- esp diet and exercise -- my blood tests are consistently 4s 5s and rarely over 6 mmol (approx 72 mg/dl, 90 mg/dl, and 108 mg/dl).
Currently I take Metformin 500mg at night but I suffer bad from diarrhoea.
Even if I culinarily indulge my bood readings don't spike.
So I'm wondering...
Can you live with Type II and not be medicated so long as you keep monitoring your blood sugar and work to keep it down?
I am not a T2 so I have no personal experience with it, but my goal would always be to take zero meds. As long as you are very diligent with checking your blood and act immediately upon an upward trend, I cannot imagine it would hurt you. However, I would totally speak to my prescribing physician before stopping any medication.
PS ... Good for you!!!
It can be done. My great uncle did. He has type 2 but its so well controlled that he doesn't need to take any meds anymore or anything. He keeps a great diet and lost a bunch of weight. I don't know how often he checks his own BG or how often he gets his a1c checked but I know for sure that he has total control now and tells people he is no longer diabetic.
Of course you can, especially with your incredibly-good numbers.
You should probably talk to your dr. first but my belief is that as long as you are really monitoring your BG you should be ok. Most T2s aren't going to have long term problems if they are high for a few days and if you are high for a few days then obviously you need to be on your meds so you can start taking them again.
I say go for it. It can and has been done. Before you do talk with you doctor and tell him/her of your plans. I'm sure you will get some push back from your doctor so be adamant in your decision.
It is possible that the you may not be able to maintain your good BG without the metformin so be prepared just in case.
I think my first question would be if these readings are fasting, before meals, after meals, or random. If they're fasting, you might want to check at 2 hours after a meal and see where that leads.
If these numbers include after meals, I'd ask my doctor about stopping the meds.
Good questions....I just went to Dr and my A1C has dropped for 1st time in 2 years below 6.9..... I've been eating Almonds lately, and it seems to be helping drop my BS. I have to watch though as when I use Almonds, plus my oral meds(Metformin & diamicron), I'm now getting some lows... I would like to get to the stage where I only need to take the Metformin....then eventually no meds. Is there anyone out there that has done this and could help me accomplish this goal. Thanks...Gail
The diamicron is much more likely to be responsible for lows. In terms of going off meds it is more likely the doctor would suggest discontinuing the diamicron prior to the metformin. Since metformin is 1st line therapy for type 2.
Well, after 3 weeks of ceasing medication --and very frequent tests -- I'm still in the same ballpark.
I test on waking, before & after meals as well as other times each day so I get to fiddle with my cuisine choices and monitor my condition.If my readings were to enter sevens I'd relent,.. but they haven't.
And now no diarrhoea.
Mind you I'm pursuing supplementary approaches esp High Intensity Interval Training -- something I've followed for a few years now.
I do however know my onions when it comes to running a low carbohydrate pantry... I suspect that if I fell ill --say with influenza -- I'd need to go back on diabetic meds. But then my blood picture would tell me.
The other parameters are reducing my blood pressure further and considering peripheral circulation. Elevated blood pressure is my primary health issue at the moment.I take meds for that, or course, but the chimera of the 130/80 mmH aint gonna happen. (Even the Europeans have moved the fence boundary formally to 140 mmH systolic recently -- not just for diabetics, but everyone..)
I also should point out that from the gecko I've run my own treatment approaches...usually with phyician deference. Because I follow a radical approach -- and low carb is radical -- I'm out of the loop. My dad had Diabetes II and while he never looked after himself and was finally put on insulin -- I learnt from this prescriptions not to unconditionally respect official treatments. I mean the old official dietary guidelines were absurd! And the way my doctor managed my 'pre-diabetes' condition -- with superb disdain -- served only to make me self motivated.
Excellent, Dave!
Thanks NH Nikki, I realize the diamicron can create lows, but I never had them until I started eating Almonds, and I'd rather lower my BS with food than meds,I chatted with my Diabetes educator and she suggested I may want to think about switching from the time release diamicron, so I can better judge what is causing the lows. I may try that next.