Question
As many know I am a type 2 diabetic who has been having problems with sugar control and am currently grounded. 10 weeks ago my doctor placed me on Advantia, 4 mg 1x/day, and a very strict 1800 cal diet, which I have been following 99% of the time, and I have been excercising for at least 30 min per day 5 or more days a week.
10 weeks ago my glycated hemoglobin test was 10.8. My fasting level was 240. After being on the 4 mg Advantia I started getting fasting levels ranging from 190-220. My 4-6 hour post meal range was 160-180. After being on the Advantia for 8 weeks my glycated test results was an 8.3. This was 2 weeks ago.
Since I had dropped, but not nearly enough yet the Doc upped the Advantia to 8mg 1x/day. Since then my fasting levels are now 240 again, and moy 4-6 hour post meal levels are 190-240.
Now if anyone can tell me what is going on here I would love to hear it. I had the same problem when I was on Glucophage, Glucotrol, both of these at the same time. My sugar levels would come down in the first 8 weeks or so that I was on the meds and then start shooting back up to the levels that they were when I did not take any meds, watch my diet, excercise or anything.
I talked to my doctor yesterday about all this and he just basically scratched his head and added Amyril to the Advantia.
I have a name not a number. I am not cheap but I am resonable.
Answer
Well uturn, I'm gonna have to check out which class of drugs this amyril falls under before I can really talk about it.
I'm not a doc in any way, shape, or form.....just another person with the same problem as you have. But I have learned quite alot in the last year about these different drugs and how they work.
I guess that I'm really curious as to why your doc didn't try you on the 1000 mg. of glucophage along with the Avandia. This is a combination that is frequently successful.
What was the highest dosage of glucophage that you were previously on?
I have had the same problem with Actos that you are having with Avandia. Alone......it's not enough and increasing it was pointless. So, I'm trying it now with the 1000 mg. of glucophage.
I'll be back with more information for ya, that hopefully will make sense. I want to check out this drug amyril and see what it is first.
Miss Mary
Answer
I had been on the 1000mg glucophage but ended up having a reaction to it after 4 days and was taken off of it. It was att his point I was placed on 4mg of Advantia.
Amyril is in the same drug class as Glucotrol. I believe they are sulfymides or something like that and are suppose to help the body make more insulin.
I know all about my meds and what they are supposed to do. What has me so puzzled is why they work for the first few weeks I am on them and then I go right back to where I was before I started the regimine. I have had this problem regardless of which drug or combo of drugs I have been on.
To date and in order the drug therapies I have been on:
Glucophage 500 mg 1x daily
glugophage 500mg 1x daily and glucotrol 10mg 1x
glugophage 500 mg 1x, glucotrol 5mg 2x day
glugophage 500 mg 1x, glucotrol 10mg 2x day
glucophage XL 500 mg 1x, glucotrol 10 mg 2x day
glucophage 500 mg 2x day
Advantia 4mg 1x day
Advantia 8mg 1x day
Advantia 8mg 1x, Amyril 4 mg 1x (just started this one this past Weds)
NOTE: All of these therapies have been used in conjunction with a diet and excercise program.
Like I said before. They all would work to a point and start to bring my sugar down and then after a few weeks to two months my sugar levels would start to climb again until they ended back at where they were when I was not on any meds at all and not on any special kind of diet and excercise program.
I have a name not a number. I am not cheap but I am resonable.
Answer
Just researching this. So far coming up empty handed (or empty headed).
Keeping you safe, healthy and on the road.
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Answer
Type II Diabetes is a combo of lack of insulin and resistance to the effects of insulin. Meaning the cells of the body will not allow the insulin to be used properly.
Because your Hgb A1C IS coming down, there is some improvment. It should be below 6 however.
Advantia is a medication that encourages the body to USE the insulin, however, if the body is not producing any, you can't force what isn't there. Adding other medications works like this.
During different cycles of the glucose metabolism, different types of medications, which have different actions, may improve the picture.
Some increase insulin production, some increase the use of the insulin by the body. All work at different times during the cycle.
This is going to be a trial and error procedure, much like tuning a carburetor to get the best mix for the engine to run at top efficiency.
Keep at it!! You ARE making progress, just keep working at it, ok?? And keep doing what the Dr. tells you.
Please check back and update us as things happen.
Keeping you safe, healthy and on the road.
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Answer
I have renal hypertension but in this dr's office a variety of patients are there... I overheard a nursetelling a diabetic patient that Advantia is prone to cause Liver problems. she told him that he needed to have a liver test every so often to make sure it wasnt damaging his liver.
Maybe I misunderstood them and maybe it was another kind of medicine..but I'm pretty sure it was this medicine, he was also on glucophage. but just wanted to pass along the info I came across today
Hope everything works out okay for you Uturn You are too nice a person to have anything bad happen to you
Good things come to those who wait...impatience only prolongs the glory.
Answer
many medications that are taken for a long period of time. Many blood pressure meds affect kidneys, liver etc.
It is always a good idea to keep all follow up appointments with your Dr. Many fail to do this because they think they should just be able to keep getting refills and go about their business. So when your Dr. says "No more Refills" until you come in to visit. This is often why. You may need routine blood work to make sure the mediucine is truly doing it's job and nothing else is being affected.
Keeping you safe, healthy and on the road.
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Answer
First of all, the medication uturn in on is A-V-A-N-D-I-A. Sorry, but it's important to spell the names of medications correctly.
One thing that you need to understand though is that medications such as Glucotrol and Amyril make the pancreas pump 24 hours a day.....continuously. That's why these medications are usually used as a last resort before having to resort to insulin.
That's why I questioned your doctor having had you on Glucotrol previously........then taking you off of it. All other medications should be tried before having to resort to this class of drugs, because once you are on these.....you probably won't be coming off of them.
BUT......if that's what it takes to bring it down, then you just have no choice but to make the best of it and should still keep fighting that battle with the diet and exercise in order to keep your dosage as low as possible.
Believe me, I understand all of your frustration cause I'm there myself. I'm fighting to NOT get on those meds, but so far I'm not winning. I can't seem to get my levels down to where they should be either.
So I'll root you on and you can root me on and maybe one of these days........we'll succeed!
Ms. Mary
aka "Grammy" to Katelyn Elizabeth Lepard as of 2/21/02
Answer
Doc was doing the research, I was doing the typing as he dictated.
Leave it to you, Mary.....
Keeping you safe, healthy and on the road.
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