Posted on 07/18/2017 11:54:39 AM PDT by Allen In Texas Hill Country
Been Type 2 since '06. Eventually wound up on the full dose of Metformin. A couple of years ago I was prescribed Victoza. Got a couple of free months and then had to pay for it. While Victoza really did a good job of lowering my A1C the grand a month was a bit too much. Have no prescription insurance and no plans to get any and so I dropped it. Been just using Metformin with my weekly mg average in the 130s and 140s. Then a couple of months a go it started going up. The doctor saw it in an annual and started seeing me every three months to watch it. It continued to climb.
Last week she prescribed Glipizide. It cost maybe $20 a month, I think and the results are incredible. From a weekly recent average of 160s and 170s daily testing has dropped into the 120s and lower. I researched it on the web and found no significant issues and am looking forward to a more relaxed Type 2 future.
So here's the question............. why wasn't/isn't Glipizide prescribed a long time ago? Do doctors make money off prescribing the Victoza type of drugs. I had a list and there must be 10 or so. Tried to see if one was cheaper than the other with no success because you can't get drug costs in their website promos.
Oh, and a couple of months ago I asked here about Xarelto. Several responded with no problems. No responses of having used it with negative results. It put me into the emergency room. I was fainting/passing out for maybe 3 to 5 seconds. I ignored it until it happened while driving. Went to the emergency room. They said my pulse rate was in the low 30s. Stopped Xarelto and problems went away. Oh well.
Take a look at over the counter Berberine
I got a 5mg dose of Glipizide once a day and found it made my blood sugar plunge too low if I did not eat right before or right after taking it. I cut my pills in half and take 2.5mg twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening and I think things are much more stable now.
As to no side effects I would say any chemical you put in your body there is going to be a side effect but the question is whether the side effect is less than the disease.
My daily levels were too erratic, was on metformin/glipizide. My doc never liked glpizide, replaced it with invokana. Works great, but I suspect it would be expensive without my insurance.
When you had the apparent loss of control had your weight gone up?
That really makes a difference with me. There is a theshold that I know of that I must avoid.
If I’m not mistaken, glipize is the generic name for glucatrol. It’s been around for a long time, my husband was on it for years..and it was expensive then. I used it too for a short time but my blood sugar bottomed out daily and I had to stop it. About a year later, blood sugar was up again and nothing would bring it down except for insulin. One doc put me on actos which did nothing for me. She accused me of not following a diabetic diet bit the fact of the matter was that my blood sugar increase made.me so sick I had a hard time eating at all! I fired her because her assumption was so wrong, and she kept lowering the dose to force me to eat differently. She wouldn’t listen to me.
My new doc realized I wasn’t a type two, but a type one! He put me on insulin and I’ve been right as rain ever since unless *I * mess up.
Then it came to be known that actos causes bladder cancer!
Different meds work differently on different people. Oneans medicine is another man’s poison.
I’m glad you found one that agrees with you.
If I’m not mistaken, glipize is the generic name for glucatrol. It’s been around for a long time, my husband was on it for years..and it was expensive then. I used it too for a short time but my blood sugar bottomed out daily and I had to stop it. About a year later, blood sugar was up again and nothing would bring it down except for insulin. One doc put me on actos which did nothing for me. She accused me of not following a diabetic diet bit the fact of the matter was that my blood sugar increase made.me so sick I had a hard time eating at all! I fired her because her assumption was so wrong, and she kept lowering the dose to force me to eat differently. She wouldn’t listen to me.
My new doc realized I wasn’t a type two, but a type one! He put me on insulin and I’ve been right as rain ever since unless *I * mess up.
Then it came to be known that actos causes bladder cancer!
Different meds work differently on different people. Oneans medicine is another man’s poison.
I’m glad you found one that agrees with you.
Lots of info about psyllium studies available online.
http://www.healthline.com/health/glipizide-oral-tablet#other-warnings6
The more common side effects that can occur with glipizide tablets include low blood sugar and digestive problems such as nausea, diarrhea, or constipation. Allergic reaction like red, itchy, or dry skin and skin rashes.
Its also been tied into Liver problems that can include yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice), stomach pain and swelling, swelling in your legs and ankles (edema), nausea and vomiting.
Examples of drug catagories that can cause interactions with glipizide are listed below:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Antifungal medications, Drugs that contain salicylate, Drugs that contain sulfonamide Blood thinner medication, Heart and blood pressure medications (beta blockers), Diuretics, Corticosteroids, Anti-psychotic, anti-nausea, and anti-vomiting medications, Heart and blood pressure medications (calcium channel blockers). Each one of these catagories had at least two medications that were a problem. This list didnt display those that caused higher readings, but they exist. You notice that a few of the medication catagories covered some basic areas like over the counter pain relief like aspirin or ibuprofen. I didnt find tylonol.
There are severe warnings of use by people with liver or kidney problems, while consuming alcohol, people with enzyme deficiency, pregnant or breastfeeding women, senior whose body will not process it quickly enough, or for children under 18.
I also noticed during my research that the people who are getting relief from their high numbers were type twos under 200. The illness progresses no matter what you use and if the drug is not for higher relief, then it will go by the wayside in time So as you can see, it may seem to be a short term assistance, but its got a lot of baggage and could be death threatening. Be careful.
rwood
She says to stick with the Glipizide if it is working for you.
We recently had to get a new family physician after our previous one died of cancer. The new doctor tried to put her on the newer insulin products and she read him the riot act. He backed down fast. She knows this stuff cold.
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Thanks for the info. I will be monitoring it carefully.
No change in weight. I’m thinking stress related issues. Got to control that a bit better.
I saw this in my research too. Will be monitoring the sugar level very closely.
Diagnosed Type 2 in 2000. Did everything the doctors told me to do until 2014... then I told them all to go to hell. I was being severely over-medicated... Daily Victoza shot, daily insulin shot, metformin, glipizide, statins, etc... on and on. My siblings thought I was dying when they saw me. Returned to medical care 3 months ago due to cognitive issues... At that time my A1C was 15.1 and blood sugars around 500. Today my A1C came in at 7.7 and I’m happy with it. Cognitive issues are slowly abating. Daily, I’m taking 30u insulin, 1500mg Metformin, 9mg glimepiride, 600mg Red Yeast Rice w/CQ10 and 54mg fenofibrate. I’m sold on the glimepiride... very effective drug. Victoza has been linked to pancreatic cancer. The lawyers love it.
I was prescribed Glucotrol (Glipzide) in the 1980s and it worked okay as far as the A1C is concerned. However I had a very low blood sugar where I blacked out but was running down the hallway. I had no indication it was coming on, no change in diet, etc. Scared me and I eventually I got my regime controlled with Lantus insulin.
I think everyone has a chance of different reactions and I wish you well. Do check your blood sugar frequently (four times daily which may be excessive) I’m lucky in that I get a “vague thought/dizzy” feeling most of the time. I’m falling apart with kidney, exhaustion and arthritis in my old age.
For some old age can be ,,,,,,,,,,,,, hell :<((.
But got a bit more traveling to do so I’ll make the best of it.:<)))
My brother and a very good friend were both on glipizide and both had the same side effects. Retaining water/swelling of the feet and ankles. Both pursued different methods to address their diabetes.
Your mileage may differ.
pfl
It didn’t work well for me either but with different symptoms. It seemed to mask a low blood sugar and that was not for me.
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