# Struggling Newbie



## Sooze123 (Aug 30, 2015)

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum but I have been diagnosed for 5 years. I am struggling on the medication and feel extremely sick all the time which is now interfering with my work. I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience.
Many thanks
Sooze 123


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## Northerner (Aug 30, 2015)

Hi Sooze123, welcome to the forum  Very sorry to hear that you are struggling. What medication are you on? Have you been on it long? Do you test your levels on a home blood glucose meter? How long has it been that you've been feeling particularly bad? It may be that your medication is no longer working very well for you.

Sorry for all the questions, but it would help us to know in order to make suggestions


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## HOBIE (Aug 30, 2015)

Welcome


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## Mark T (Aug 30, 2015)

Welcome to the forum Sooze123


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## Sooze123 (Aug 31, 2015)

Hi Northerner, 
I am in metformin 2000mg slow release, I don't test my levels as they advised me not to:
I have felt like this from going up to 2000mg. Strangely I feel better/ more healthy when I DONT take it than when I do? I have asked to be referred to the Diabetes clinic at the hospital rather then be dealt with my my GP surgery. I have been diagnosed about 5 years. I cannot function properly on these pills...  Unfortunately I have tried other pills but they have all made me feel the same / like I have severe food poisoning and I have to take to my bed. I would say an extreme reaction. I am at my wits end. Oh by the way I have Type 2.


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## Northerner (Aug 31, 2015)

Sooze123 said:


> Hi Northerner,
> I am in metformin 2000mg slow release, I don't test my levels as they advised me not to:
> I have felt like this from going up to 2000mg. Strangely I feel better/ more healthy when I DONT take it than when I do? I have asked to be referred to the Diabetes clinic at the hospital rather then be dealt with my my GP surgery. I have been diagnosed about 5 years. I cannot function properly on these pills...  Unfortunately I have tried other pills but they have all made me feel the same / like I have severe food poisoning and I have to take to my bed. I would say an extreme reaction. I am at my wits end. Oh by the way I have Type 2.



Hi Sooze, sorry to hear this  It might be that upping the dose has meant you have reached a point where your body doesn't cope very well with it.

It does annoy me when I hear that people have been advised not to test  It is the only reliable way of being able to link your blood glucose levels to the food you are eating, and also how you are feeling - you may be feeling so bad because your blood glucose levels are high, but how would you know? Unfortunately, many healthcare professionals tell their Type 2 patients they don't need to test and the chief reason behind it is to save money on prescribing test strips. Not all think this way, some are actually willing to prescribe and educate their patients in how to use the readings to understand their diabetes and improve their control. It's no coincidence that, in the US where diabetes is funded via insurance, the companies insist on prescribing strips because they know that this will potentially save them considerably more money down the line by helping people to avoid costly (and life-changing) complications.

Have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter - these might help to give you a different perspective on Type 2 and how to control it. Getting a handle on what food works well fr you and what your body doesn't tolerate very well is the first step towards living healthily with diabetes - a six-monthly HbA1c might tell you that your levels need improving, but it won't tell you where.

It may be that, knowing more about how to control your blood glucose levels better, you can actually reduce the amount of medication you need. If your GP won't prescribe then it would be worth funding them yourself for a while - many people find that if they can show their GP how testing is helping they are then (sometimes grudgingly!) prescribed strips! If you do decide to test and find yourself then the cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £8 for 50.


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## Amigo (Aug 31, 2015)

Absolutely agree with northerner that you need to test Sooze. You need to tell them that you just can't properly measure or know your control without testing. 

I was diagnosed Type 2 in Feb and my GP seems committed to testing (for now) which I've found really helps. To be honest I think I'd be tempted to cheat otherwise. I see you're already on the slow release Metformin but they're still making you feel ill. I couldn't tolerate them at all so I'm doing it diet only for as long as I can. 

Hope you can get a referral to a specialist because it's tough to be feeling poorly all the time and must impact on your life


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## everydayupsanddowns (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi Sooze

Welcome to the forum.

Completely agree with Northerner about test strips - they are the window on your diabetes world.

Hope you can manage to find which foods are increasing your BG levels and by reducing your intake of them, reduce your dose to a level where your sickness subsides.


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## Sooze123 (Sep 7, 2015)

Thanks Northener, that is super advice and the links you gave are extremely helpful. I will be insisting on a testing kit from my GP Asaph. Hopefully things will improve with this info


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## Sooze123 (Sep 7, 2015)

Amigo said:


> Absolutely agree with northerner that you need to test Sooze. You need to tell them that you just can't properly measure or know your control without testing.
> 
> I was diagnosed Type 2 in Feb and my GP seems committed to testing (for now) which I've found really helps. To be honest I think I'd be tempted to cheat otherwise. I see you're already on the slow release Metformin but they're still making you feel ill. I couldn't tolerate them at all so I'm doing it diet only for as long as I can.
> 
> Hope you can get a referral to a specialist because it's tough to be feeling poorly all the time and must impact on your life


Many thanks Amigo: I glad I am not the only one that cannot tolerate these pills


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## TheClockworkDodo (Sep 7, 2015)

I have a friend with type 2 who couldn't get on with Metformin either, Sooze - it made her feel sick all the time and really upset her stomach.  Eventually she persuaded her doctor to put her on an alternative, which I think was better for her, but she's found a low-carb diet better still.

And I have another friend with type 2 who couldn't tolerate any of the meds for it and now just uses slow-acting insulin instead.


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