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How many drugs is too many drugs?
Friend has had pretty serious type2 diabetes treated by PCPs for many years. He's never learned much about diet and was running an A1C over 10 for many years even medicated. He got a new PCP about a year ago and that's brought his A1C down to a little over 6. That's good news! So in honor of this he says his doctor wants to discontinue one of his drugs.
He's currently on Ozempic, Jardiance, metformin, and pioglitazone. Doctor suggests discontinuing the last one.
Are other people on that many drugs at the same time?
FWIW he's about 60yo, about 5-6 and maybe 140 pounds. Running around with A1C of 10 for years didn't slow him down, and he seems to be tolerating all the drugs pretty well. He gets a modest amount of exercise, not a lot but certainly more than zero. I've never seen him eat a lot but so far I've been unable to get him to pay much attention to selectivity.
Also I keep suggesting he switch off his PCP to an endocrinologist, but his various providers and health plans don't seem to suggest it.
Thanks.
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@celia16 that's interesting, I've never really looked into guidelines for those with these newfangled (!) insulin pumps.
Advice for everyone is always to link carbs and diet to physical activity not to mention body size. My endocrinologist when I was starting out recommended 60-75 carbs per meal, and I'm not a big guy, not even a young guy, so many people thought that was a pretty high target. I mostly tend to lower numbers now, or at least I count anything much above 60 per meal (plus snacks) as "cheating". And I have many meals down around 20 or lower, like the ever lovin' chicken salad, lol, I may have one for lunch today.
You can eat very well with these low carb targets, you just have to be a little more careful.
Oh yes, and once you have the carbs under control the next issue is: fats! Omega-3, -6, -9, saturated, mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated, trans (bad), ALA, DHA, EPA - all omega-3 but ALA builds DHA builds EPA, short chain and long chain, ... It's very complicated and there is little guidance. But I've noticed that red meat and also milk and cream products seem to affect my blood glucose much more than other meats and other fats and oils in the same family. Do you get any chatter about watching the fats in your diet, regarding type1?
@carbcounter , I focus on a avocados, olive oil, nuts, fish, etc. for my fats. And, as many other type ones, I usually count fats when calculating my insulin boluses. Not just carbs will spike my BG.
But, from what I read many super carb counters and Keto fans consume a lot of fat on purpose….like butter, whole cream, etc. They explain why it’s important, but I don’t care for those foods.
I am T-2 diabetic and have been since 1991. I now take 9 different pills plus two insulins and Ozempic (O is once a week). Some are with Breakfast and Dinner and some are only 1 a day. With B, 7 pills and fast I. With D, 7 pills and Fast and slow I. My nerve damage has been PN and I believe also caused the RBBB and Atrial Fib. I have meds for D, Heart, and Kidney. About 20 years ago, my Endro suggested a book, "Dr. Bonner's Program to Reduce, Reverse, and Possibly Cure Diabetes" and I finally bought it. IF my E hadn't recommended it, I would have returned the book. The bulk was people who followed his program and the success they had. What is the Program, you ask? "Adopt a Vegan diet!" My wife had been diagnosed as Pre-Diebetic and my Insulin doses were getting close to 50 units per meal. After we read the book, I suggested we go cold turkey and convert to being Vegan--No animal fat, or protein. The results were amazing. My wife's A1c and BS became normal and my I requirements dropped below 20 per day!
It is hard to eat meat when you don't buy any. My biggest missed food was cheese! I am a cheese lover from my high school days. If I took a late bus from HS, the closest it got was about a mile from home and the stop was next to a grocery store. I would get a 5-6 oz piece of Longhorn cheese and eat it on the way home.
I am now 84 and I have discovered the Herbivorous Butcher Shop in Minneapolis, MN. The shop makes a variety of cheese using soy, almond, and coconut milk. They also make plant based "meats" such as New York Steak and three kinds of ribs--Smoke House, Korean, and Hawaiian. Another point of Info I learned is how a serving size is determined. The USDA surveys people and measures their meals. They determine the average size which to me is really dumb. We are an overweight nation because we promised ourselves we would never go hungry again (Grandparents and parents). We go to a restaurant and eat a 12 oz steak usually fat and meat, when what we should have is 3 oz of lean meat. Try eating vegetables without butter and salt and pepper. You will find that the veges actually have a taste all their own! I drink Almond Milk and yogurts (Silk( made with AM)). I did break this last week and ate a lamp chop!