Avandia or Actos?
Hello MarshaI am now on Actos , was on Avandia and seen it was bad if you had
any Macular Degeneration. So i told the Dr. to give me Actos again. I have been
hearing that it is bad for weight gain or swollen feet. Well my ankles are very
badly swollen. So any ideas what meds. i can ask the DR. for instead?
Thanks so much & Great success on the BYETTA.
November 4th, 2003 at 9:32 pm
Hi Sandra,
Although my BG is still too high, my only real answer is exercise and carb
control that is stringent. I would rather eat almost nothing and have better
control than be on four or five medications, all with side effects of one kind
or another and eat 200+ carbs a day. I’d rather take no medication and do it
all through exercise and diet, but I have not been that that stage for a couple
of years. This time, however, I am determined that I will do whatever is
necessary to lose the weight and keep it off. Sort of reminds me when I quit
smoking - same sort of determination.
I hope to get it under better control with byetta and am taking it alone because
I can’t take metformin, Avandia is out of the question at this point and
apparently Actos is little different regarding weight gain game so that’s out of
contention. I have insulin - which I had an anaphylactic reaction to (at least
the Novalog 70/30) so I am not on insulin at this point - which leaves me Byetta
alone. Glucotrol just stopped working for me so there is no point in taking it.
Unfortunately, I am told that diruetics and Avandia/Actos are a no-no. Don’t
have any idea why this is the case, only that his doctor said he could not take
the diuretics. Since I quit taking them I have stopped my research on them -
limited tim to do the looking. My DH has stopped everything but the metformin
and now takes chinese herbs and ALA and has fairly good control. The herbs and
ALA just don’t seem to work as well for me, more is the pity. He also controls
with low carb, although not as low carb as mine.
So far my lowest BG today is 136. Of course, I have only had a "smoothie"
(which blew my BG up over 200 and will not be repeated), a salad, some water,
and 1/2 of a protein bar. I just got home and will be fixing a light dinner
soon, then studying for a mid-term tomorrow, which means that the walk will be
right before bed.
Hope all goes well for you. Good luck getting rid of that nasty swelling. Be
careful as I understand that for people who get swelling it could be a precurser
to congestive heart disease - at least that is what my doctor and some research
I read has told me.
Cheers!
Marsha
November 5th, 2003 at 7:35 pm
Hi… please be careful with the Actos. I was on it and it put me in to
Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Edema. I read where Avandia has done the
same thing in some people. The Dr. took me off of it and put me on Glimeride
(sp). Ended up then having to be put on Insulin and just recently Byetta. This
was 2 years ago and now I have to take Lasix for the swelling of my ankles.
Also, I was just hospitalized with an allergic reaction to Lisinopril and was in
ICU for 5 days. It seems some diabetics do this because of Ace Inhibitors not
working well with other meds. My BS went to 758! They had to put me on an
Insulin drip. Dr. called it Angio Edema and said it was rare. However, when I
picked my new meds up from the Pharmacy, the Pharmacist told me I was the 3rd
person that week to have that reaction to the Lisinopril. You are right to keep
a constant check on the meds you take… some of them, it seems, can be lethal!
Edwina
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November 6th, 2003 at 1:19 am
I do not tolerate ACE inhibitors either. i ended up in
the hospital with a heart rate of 200. My brother
ended up with angioedema and severe congestive heart
failure from ACE inhibitors. he was so swollen his
eyes looked like those goldfish with the fluid filled
sacs around their eyes.
November 6th, 2003 at 3:37 am
I have to take Cozaar and only cozaar for my BP. Ace inhibitors give me a
really bad cough and can cause pulmonary problems. Neither my DH nor I can
tolerate them, but do okay on Cozaar which was recommended by a top-flight
Boston cardiac specialist.
Marsha
November 6th, 2003 at 6:31 pm
i read some literature that said ALL diabetics should
be on cozaar whether they have high blood pressure or
not because that particular drug helps protect the
kidney from the damage of diabets. i took it for a
long time. and tolerated it very well
November 7th, 2003 at 10:33 am
ok WHAT is an ACE inhibitor????
Rebecca
November 7th, 2003 at 4:01 pm
it is a class of medications used to treat high blood
pressure
November 8th, 2003 at 3:45 am
was going to ASK you what you’d put in that smoothie when you’d
mentioned it earlier lol. so what IS IT that gave you the big rise?
November 8th, 2003 at 10:32 am
Rebecca, it’s something to protect your kidneys.
Jeanna
ok WHAT is an ACE inhibitor????
Rebecca
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November 8th, 2003 at 11:26 pm
Wow Edwina, that’s a pretty serious a bs that high. Now had you just
started taking the Lisopril or is it that you had been on it and just
started the Byetta?
Jeanna
Hi… please be careful with the Actos. I was on it and it put me in to
Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Edema. I read where Avandia has
done the same thing in some people. The Dr. took me off of it and put
me on Glimeride (sp). Ended up then having to be put on Insulin and
just recently Byetta. This was 2 years ago and now I have to take Lasix
for the swelling of my ankles. Also, I was just hospitalized with an
allergic reaction to Lisinopril and was in ICU for 5 days. It seems
some diabetics do this because of Ace Inhibitors not working well with
other meds. My BS went to 758! They had to put me on an Insulin drip.
Dr. called it Angio Edema and said it was rare. However, when I picked
my new meds up from the Pharmacy, the Pharmacist told me I was the 3rd
person that week to have that reaction to the Lisinopril. You are right
to keep a constant check on the meds you take… some of them , it
seems, can be lethal!
Edwina
Anything posted in this group is the opinion of the person who posted
it.
Visit your group "Diabetes_And_Byetta" on the web.
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November 9th, 2003 at 1:18 pm
Hi Rebecca
The fruit gave me the big rise. I had a choice of frozen cranberries (they are
my husbands) and frozen mango. I used a very small amount of the frozen mango -
maybe an ounce or two, including the frost. Boom. Sugary fruit hates me in
terms of BG.
I can make smoothies sans the fruit and will do so. The chocolate smoothie does
not do that to me.
Good news - post prandial after dinner - 122. Now 129 (3.5 hours after) and I
hope that it holds overnight. So, perhaps the spit will work for me after all.
The mild discomfort that set in after dinner has passed and I’m learning how
much I can tolerate in my stomach at any one time.
Sadly, I have so much studying to do for my test tomorrow that I slacked off my
exercise tape and fidgeted around the house instead. Maybe being a gofer for my
supervising attorneys today and running up and down stairs to feed the meters
for their cars helped a little - hope so. (smile)
Off to bed now.
Cheers!
Marsha
November 15th, 2003 at 3:06 am
I was on a hyrocholorothorazide med for a short time, and it shot my
readings so high I told my former doctor I was going back to Quinapril.
Hyrocholorothorazide may be dirt cheap, but it has the added non-benefit
of raising blood sugar readings in some people… me! <s>
November 15th, 2003 at 8:52 am
my theory on this… (i am a nurse so it is kinda
based on medical theory,) blood sugar is based on
milligrams per deciliter of blood. sooooo if you take
a diuretic, you are decreasing the volume of the blood
thus concentrating the amount of sugar per deciliter.
but then doctors don’t particularly think like i do
and prescribe stuff because of what it is supposed to
do and don’t think about what the adverse effects
could be in diabetics
November 15th, 2003 at 8:18 pm
Annie, you’re absolutely correct! But I asked my doctor about the
possibility of a diuretic raising my blood sugar and he said we could
deal with that. He also rationalized the change to a diuretic by saying
that we could deal with kidney problems associated with the
hydrochlorothiazide better than the affects of a possible stroke
associated, with some people, with Ace inhibitors. Since the Quinapril
worked for me and the diuretic was moving me in the wrong direction, I
decided it wasn’t worth it. At least not for me, as I could see myself 6
months down the hydrochlorothiazide road having to take multiple meds
and tons more insulin to treat my higher blood sugars. No thanks! <s>
Janie
November 16th, 2003 at 12:04 am
Annie,
I think one of the reasons diabetics need to push liquids is to help keep BG
low. On days when I have to limit intake because I’m at court and can’t drink a
lot I notice a corresponding BG bumb that subsides after I can start guzzling
liquids again. Besides, lots of water helps stop kidney stones.
Marsha
November 16th, 2003 at 8:39 am
Quinapril worked great for lowering BP for me, but it made me bark like a seal.
I’m glad you can take it Janie! - Marsha
November 17th, 2003 at 2:23 am
I have two take it in two separate doses, or I start coughing. No fun!
November 19th, 2003 at 5:06 pm
Is it Lisinopril that makes you cough or the quinapril? I am very confused… I
have been over being sick for over 2 weeks, yet still coughing. We had been
thinking that it was caused by the abnormal amount of dust in the house during
our remodel, but the majority of that has subsided in the past week or so AND I
have been coughing at work, which would not correspond with dust at home. Can
somebody give me a bit of insight????
Trish
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November 20th, 2003 at 7:14 am
All the "pril’s" can cause coughing. In general, if you cough with one, you
cough with them all - hence I can’t have any of them again.
Marsha
Trish
November 21st, 2003 at 8:41 pm
Grrr….. I will have to call the doc then. I didn’t realize that was a side
effect. I can’t even remember if I read the little paper that came with it.
Trish
Marsha
Trish
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November 22nd, 2003 at 7:04 am
Trish, it is the Quinapril that makes me cough, but it’s not problem if
I split the dose it into two 20-mg doses. If I take one 40 mg dose, I
cough a lot.
November 23rd, 2003 at 11:13 pm
Any of the ACE inhibitors can make you cough. If you
are coughing and not really sick it is probably the
blood pressure med
November 24th, 2003 at 12:16 am
I am on 10mg of lisinopril, and the coughing is also a side-effect of that. I
will no longer take it. I left a message on my docs refill voicemail telling
them about it and talling them where to call in a replacement scrip. Hopefully
this will be over in a couple days… I’m sick of carrying a bottle of water
with me EVERYWHERE! And, with my job involving almost entirely public speaking,
it’s not going over very well. =)
Trish
Janie
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November 27th, 2003 at 6:54 am
Janie,
Here we go…
6 T butter - melted
3 Lg eggs
6 T whipping cream
beat these together
then add…
1 T liquid swetner (Sweet n’ low) or 1/2 c splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond (or maple, if you prefer)
set aside
mix the following:
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 rounded teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 rounded teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of flaxseed meal (I grind my own in a small coffee mill)
1/4 cup soy four
4 oz black walnuts (finely chopped) - optional
mix wet/dry ingredients together
Heat oven to 375 F
Either use muffin liners or get non-stick tins and use some PAM- either works
fill cups about 3/4 full - bake 15-20 minutes - makes about 12
About 4 carbs per muffin but over 3 grams fiber so the muffin is about 1 carb
if you use the liquid, carb free, sweetener. If you use the walnuts, add a
little more carb - figure two per muffin.
OR use a gem pan (spray well with PAM) and bake about 10 minutes. I turn them
out onto the counter, let them cool well and then put them in sealed plastic
bags and freeze them. These are good to pop into lunches as they will be
defrosted by the time you eat them. They are goodf or breakfast.
If you want to dress them up, make a cream cheese frosting with splenda (like a
carrot cake frosting) and spread just a bit of sweetened cream cheese on them
for a nice dessert type treat. Add another carb or two depending on how much
frosting you use.
And just in case you like popovers, here is one recipe I can use because I don’t
react to wheat gluten (go figure) the way I do to wheat flour.
Popovers
13 T gluten flour
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c water
2 T melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (I use extra large)
Heat over to 450 F
Combine all ingredients blending very well (I use a kitchen aid and practically
frappe the stuff)
Put a little bit of oil in the bottom of muffin cups (maybe a scant teaspoon or
less)
Pour the mixture in about 2/3 full.
Bake 15 minutes at 450 F
Turn oven down to 350 F and bake for 15-20 more minutes.
Remove and immediately pierce with fork so they don’t get soggy.
Makes 12 at 2 grams CHO each
If you like, fry bacon up and put the bacon grease in the bottom of the pan
instead of oil and it will be very tasty. You can serve with roast beef
(assuming you eat beef) and it makes a very nice bread-like object.
Enjoy! - Marsha
November 28th, 2003 at 10:41 am
marsha,
I just whipped up a batch of these. YUM!!! i ate it
hot slathered in butter. i used caramel extract
instead of almond and it was quite tasty