Diabetes Medication Metformin: Why Patients Stop Taking It

Gretchen Becker, author of The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed , has been taking metformin for more than 20 years after receiving a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in 1996.
I never had any problems with metformin until I took a pill that I thought was the extended-release version, but it wasnt, Becker told Healthline.
Beckers doctor had accidentally prescribed the regular form of metformin.
I had very loose bowels for several months until I figured out what the problem was, Becker said.
After getting the proper prescription, it took several months for Beckers digestive system to recover.
Corinna Cornejo, who received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in 2009, told Healthline that her digestive woes didnt start until shed been taking metformin for more than a year.
At first, I thought it was a response to dairy, but my doctor eventually switched my prescription to the extended-release version, Cornejo recalled. That has helped, but the side effect has not gone away completely.
For some people, however, metformins unpleasant side effect of loose stools provides a much-needed balance to the side effects that can result from other diabetes drugs theyre taking.
GLP-1 drugs, like Victoza or Byetta, can cause constipation, explained Robinson. Taking metformin with a GLP-1 drug means they actually complement each other, balancing out those side effects.
And for some, metformin simply isnt the right drug.
No matter what you do, some patients just dont tolerate the side effects well, said Robinson.
Although there are many diabetes drugs Continue reading

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Can a Cocoa Compound Delay Diabetes?

Scientists are motivated to find solutions for diabetes, given that more than 30 million Americans are living with the disease and another 84 million are considered prediabetic
Researchers studying the effects cocoa-based antioxidants have on the pancreas beta cells discovered that rats receiving a high-fat diet including the cocoa compound had lower obesity levels and an increased ability to manage higher blood sugar levels
I continue to recommend diet and lifestyle changes as the best methods to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes; a cyclical ketogenic diet has been shown to help diabetics reduce their dependency on medication
According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 more than 30 million Americans are living with diabetes, the majority of whom are Type 2 diabetics. Another 84 million Americans have prediabetes , meaning they could advance to the full-blown disease in less than five years. By 2035, diabetes is expected to afflict 592 million people globally. 2
As I have often said, a healthy lifestyle not only can prevent Type 2 diabetes, but is also capable of reversing it. With proper attention to diet and lifestyle, Type 2 diabetes is, in most cases, a curable condition. In the majority of situations, it does not require medication.
Based on its influence on blood glucose levels, research has suggested a compound found in cocoa may help delay the onset of diabetes. If you are diabetic or prediabetic, and also a chocolate lover, this might sound like just the news you need to justify your sweet tooth. After all, cocoa is found in chocolate. Before you Continue reading

Genetic factors may link early menopause with diabetes

Genetic factors may link early menopause with diabetes
New research finds a link between early menopause and risk of type 2 diabetes, suggesting that both might have genetic causes.
The early onset of menopause has been shown to correlate with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Researchers have investigated the premise that whatever makes some women predisposed to early menopause may also make them more susceptible to diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 29 million adults in the United States have diabetes . According to their 2014 National Diabetes Statistics report, around 11 percent of these people are women.
Recently, a study conducted by Drs. Taulant Muka and Eralda Asllanaj, both from the Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, investigated the links between the natural onset of menopause and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes .
The study is published in the journal Diabetologia.
The basis for this research hails to a previous study by Dr. Muka and colleagues, which found that women whose menopause naturally sets in early - that is, before the age of 45 - are likelier to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and are at a higher mortality risk.
Reports show that type 2 diabetes is an important risk factor for CVD, yet the links between early menopause and diabetes are still debatable. The new study aims to answer some of the questions surrounding this issue, taking a step forward in tackling diabetes risk in women.
The study analyzed data on 3,969 Continue reading

Is Avocado Good or Bad for Diabetics?

Diabetes, as we know, is a complicated disease and in order to effectively manage the chronic illness, one has to take a lot of measures with respect to the diet and lifestyle. One of the much-loved fruit all across the world is Avocado. Most of the diabetic patients therefore often ask the question Is Avocado Good or Bad for Diabetics? In this article, we shall deep dive and try to analyze the relationship between Avocado and diabetes in detail.
Let us first understand some of the facts related with Avocados.
The fruit is a rich source of antioxidants and minerals such as potassium, vitamin E as well as Vitamin C.
The fruit is known to be rich in a number of vitamin B such as riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin, amongst others.
They contain high amount of fats but the same is in the form of monosaturated fats, something that is considered good for diabetes
An average medium sized Avocado has around 17 grams of carbohydrates
Relationship Between Avocado and the Blood Sugar Level
As per the United States Department of Agriculture, an average size of the fruit contains around 17 grams of carbohydrates. Hence, Avocado is a fruit which you can include in your diet without worrying about the increase in the levels of blood glucose. In fact, studies have shown that when you combine this fruit with other foods as part of your diet, any increase in the level of blood glucose is said to decline and stabilize.
Other Benefits of Eating Avocado for People Suffering From Diabetes
Eating and including Avocado has several health benefits apart from the advantage of stabilizing the l Continue reading

Diabetes Foot Pain: Strategies for Coping With Diabetes Foot Pain

Strategies for Coping With Diabetes Foot Pain
Like you, I have type 2 diabetes. Of all the craziness that goes along with that, the fear factor of foot related issues is what causes me the most stress.
I have a weird kind of neuropathy going on. I dont have loss of feeling I have extreme sensitivity instead. Socks make me crazy, I hate wearing shoes, and dont get me started on trying to sleep!
I put a community question up on our Facebook page and many of you offered advice. I tried several things suggested and am going to share those experiences here. But first, what causes the foot pain and neuropathy in the first place?
Diabetes peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is caused by uncontrolled high blood sugar levels sustained over a long period of time. These high sugars cause breakdowns in the walls of the small blood vessels supplying the nerves with oxygen and nutrients.
High sugars can also prevent the nerves from transmitting signals to our brain. Neuropathy can also be caused by other factors such as alcohol abuse, smoking, high cholesterol, mechanical injuries (like carpal tunnel) and plain old genetics.
In addition, the medicine Metformin may also lower your Vitamin B-12. A deficiency in B-12 can lead to neuropathy so be sure to check with your doctor to be sure that you have enough Vitamin B-12 in your system.
There are several types of neuropathy. With peripheral neuropathy, youll experience the tingling, numbness, burning or shooting pains and can cause you to lose the ability to feel pain or changes in temperature. Typically, this type is in your feet and some Continue reading