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"Jenny" <lottadataca…@hotmail.com> wrote in message <news:41239612$0$21744$61fed72c@news.rcn.com>…
> Glucovance contains glyburide, a drug in the sulfonylurea family, and it
> most certainly CAN cause hypos. The sulfonylurea drugs force your pancreas
> to produce insulin even in the absence of dietary carbohydrate intake. Worst
> case, the drug can cause a fatal hypo. If your doctor doesn’t know this,
> run, do not walk, to find a NEW doctor who knows something about managing
> diabetes.  Your doctor is dangerous.

> If you are lowering your blood sugar by cutting down your carb intake, you
> should be able to move to pure Metformin and avoid the hypo problem
> completely. There’s some controversy about glyburide, with some diabetes
> experts concerned that it promotes heart attack and others that by forcing
> the exhausted pancreas cells to produce more insulin than they were already
> making it may burn them out faster.

> — Jenny  - Low Carbing for 4 years. Below goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
> hba1c 5.7 .
> Cut the carbs to respond to my  email address!

> Jenny’s new site: What they Don’t Tell You About Diabetes
> http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/

> Jenny’s Low Carb Diet Facts & Figures
> http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

> Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
> Visit  http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

> "wizof103" <wizof…@bellatlantic.net> wrote in message
> news:6600d085.0408180603.7c16e91b@posting.google.com…
> > I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
> > out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
> > have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
> > 81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s. I am talking to my doctor
> > about cutting my Glocovance in half and see if this helps. My question
> > is, I am still a long way from where I would like to be weight wise,
> > the past two days because I was not prepared for this because it only
> > happened to me once before I ran to the vending machine and purchased
> > a Payday candy bar. I guess I should really start having something
> > around that is helpful and better for me. I do not have a frig in the
> > area so I can’t have apple juice, unless I have it warm. I don’t think
> > that would be too much of a problem. Can I get suggestions to what I
> > can keep at my desk to help in the event of going hypoglycemic again?
> > Thanks in advance.
> > Also my PA told me that he thought Glocovance was not supposed to
> > cause hypoglycemia. Anyone hear this. Again Thanks

I thank everyone for all the advice. These types of groups are the
best thing that could have happened to anyone with a disorder. Anyway
talking to my Dr. I was going to asking him if I could cut back, he
aggreed, and yesterday took only a half pill and this morning my BC
was 85. I have controlled this with diet befor and if I keep this up I
will be diubg it again. Of course I will still be testing everyday.
Again thanks…

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>Hairy Antelope <47oc0h…@sneakGnuemail.com> wrote in message …
>>On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:58:36 -0400, oldal4865 wrote:

>>>      Smarties   (dextrose aka glucose)          $  2/lb

>>> I use Smarties.    The recommended dose for a bad hypo is 15 gram of
>glucose
>>> (3 rolls of Smarties).

>>I’m curious – this is obviously not what we (South Africa) know as Smarties
>>- (I guess a good comparison would be M & M’s – ie: a small drop of
>>chocolate, with a crunchy sugary shell, in various colours)….  so what
>>are these things?

>    They are small pills,  about 4 mm thick by 12 mm in diameter,  sold in
>individually wrapped rolls containing about 6.5 gram glucose per roll,  some
>citric acid for tartness,  food coloring,  and a bit of fruity flavoring.

>http://www.smarties.com/

>They are easier to chew than Sweet Tarts which are tablets with similar
>ingredients,  are a bit bigger,  sold only in bags of loose tablets,  and
>substantially more expensive.

>Regards
>  Old Al

Hi Old Al, Hairy et al

The nearest US equivalent to what we call Smarties appear to be M&Ms.
For more than you ever wanted to know about Smarties internationally,
this guy appears to have done all the research (I suppose everyone
should have a hobby:-):

http://www.classaxe.com/smarties/

His site includes this comment:

"If you live in the USA you know Smarties as a different product
entirely to the rest of us.   This is because the UK company Rowntree’s
sold the Smarties name to an American company a long time ago. This is
WHY you can’t get what the rest of the world call "Smarties" in the USA
– unless you buy from on of the firms with links later on this page.
To see what Smarties means to someone from the USA, visit their web
site: http://www.smarties.com.&quot;

Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia.
Remove weight and carbs to email.
—
Everything in Moderation – Except Laughter.

David

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wizof103 wrote:
> I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
> out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
> have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
> 81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s. I am talking to my doctor
> about cutting my Glocovance in half and see if this helps. My question
> is, I am still a long way from where I would like to be weight wise,
> the past two days because I was not prepared for this because it only
> happened to me once before I ran to the vending machine and purchased
> a Payday candy bar. I guess I should really start having something
> around that is helpful and better for me. I do not have a frig in the
> area so I can’t have apple juice, unless I have it warm. I don’t think
> that would be too much of a problem. Can I get suggestions to what I
> can keep at my desk to help in the event of going hypoglycemic again?
> Thanks in advance.
> Also my PA told me that he thought Glocovance was not supposed to
> cause hypoglycemia. Anyone hear this. Again Thanks

Hairy Antelope <47oc0h…@sneakGnuemail.com> wrote in message …
>On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:58:36 -0400, oldal4865 wrote:

>>      Smarties   (dextrose aka glucose)          $  2/lb

>> I use Smarties.    The recommended dose for a bad hypo is 15 gram of
glucose
>> (3 rolls of Smarties).

>I’m curious – this is obviously not what we (South Africa) know as Smarties
>- (I guess a good comparison would be M & M’s – ie: a small drop of
>chocolate, with a crunchy sugary shell, in various colours)….  so what
>are these things?

    They are small pills,  about 4 mm thick by 12 mm in diameter,  sold in
individually wrapped rolls containing about 6.5 gram glucose per roll,  some
citric acid for tartness,  food coloring,  and a bit of fruity flavoring.

http://www.smarties.com/

They are easier to chew than Sweet Tarts which are tablets with similar
ingredients,  are a bit bigger,  sold only in bags of loose tablets,  and
substantially more expensive.

Regards
  Old Al

If you are lowering your blood sugar by cutting down your carb intake, you
should be able to move to pure Metformin and avoid the hypo problem
completely. There’s some controversy about glyburide, with some diabetes
experts concerned that it promotes heart attack and others that by forcing
the exhausted pancreas cells to produce more insulin than they were already
making it may burn them out faster.

– Jenny  - Low Carbing for 4 years. Below goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.7 .
Cut the carbs to respond to my  email address!

Jenny’s new site: What they Don’t Tell You About Diabetes
http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/

Jenny’s Low Carb Diet Facts & Figures
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit  http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

"wizof103" <wizof…@bellatlantic.net> wrote in message

news:6600d085.0408180603.7c16e91b@posting.google.com…

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> I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
> out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
> have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
> 81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s. I am talking to my doctor
> about cutting my Glocovance in half and see if this helps. My question
> is, I am still a long way from where I would like to be weight wise,
> the past two days because I was not prepared for this because it only
> happened to me once before I ran to the vending machine and purchased
> a Payday candy bar. I guess I should really start having something
> around that is helpful and better for me. I do not have a frig in the
> area so I can’t have apple juice, unless I have it warm. I don’t think
> that would be too much of a problem. Can I get suggestions to what I
> can keep at my desk to help in the event of going hypoglycemic again?
> Thanks in advance.
> Also my PA told me that he thought Glocovance was not supposed to
> cause hypoglycemia. Anyone hear this. Again Thanks

>The good news is that you can stop worrying!  You’re not hypoglycemic!  Normal
>bloood glucose is from 70-109 (see http://www.labtestsonline.org).  So your 81 or 95
>indicate that you’re achieving excellent control.

I’d second that. I don’t see a problem. Are you having any symptoms of
hypo?

Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia.
Remove weight and carbs to email.
—
Everything in Moderation – Except Laughter.

I’ve been working lately on trying to control my post-meal blood
glucose.  One effect it’s had:  I’ve been able to go lower without
"feeling" hypo.

On another note, I wonder why you’re on Glucovance rather than glyburide
metformin and glyburide separately.  My preferene would be to cut the
glyburide first and the metformin last.  (Just my U.S.$.02 worth.  I am
not a doctor, I don’t play one on TV, and there are many people on this
list who know a whole lot more than I do.)

 From some comments on this list, including by our resident MD, it
appears that a lot of doctors have a lot of trouble getting their
patients to follow treatment, so the doctors can get into a pattern  of
prescribing what’s convenient for the patient (and therefore more likely
to be followed) rather than what’s optimal (which is useless if the
patient doesn’t follow it).  _If_ that’s why you’re on Glucovance (and
there may be some medical reason I’m entirely unaware of), you may want
to talk to your doctor about switching to medicine that can be adjusted
more finely.

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wizof103 wrote:
> I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
> out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
> have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
> 81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s. I am talking to my doctor
> about cutting my Glocovance in half and see if this helps. My question
> is, I am still a long way from where I would like to be weight wise,
> the past two days because I was not prepared for this because it only
> happened to me once before I ran to the vending machine and purchased
> a Payday candy bar. I guess I should really start having something
> around that is helpful and better for me. I do not have a frig in the
> area so I can’t have apple juice, unless I have it warm. I don’t think
> that would be too much of a problem. Can I get suggestions to what I
> can keep at my desk to help in the event of going hypoglycemic again?
> Thanks in advance.
> Also my PA told me that he thought Glocovance was not supposed to
> cause hypoglycemia. Anyone hear this. Again Thanks

news:6600d085.0408180603.7c16e91b@posting.google.com…

> I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
> out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
> have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
> 81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s. I am talking to my doctor

http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/twogramcure.htm

<6600d085.0408180603.7c16e…@posting.google.com>…

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>I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
>out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
>have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
>81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s. I am talking to my doctor
>about cutting my Glocovance in half and see if this helps. My question
>is, I am still a long way from where I would like to be weight wise,
>the past two days because I was not prepared for this because it only
>happened to me once before I ran to the vending machine and purchased
>a Payday candy bar. I guess I should really start having something
>around that is helpful and better for me. I do not have a frig in the
>area so I can’t have apple juice, unless I have it warm. I don’t think
>that would be too much of a problem. Can I get suggestions to what I
>can keep at my desk to help in the event of going hypoglycemic again?
>Thanks in advance.
>Also my PA told me that he thought Glocovance was not supposed to
>cause hypoglycemia. Anyone hear this. Again Thanks

    The recommended anti-Hypo medication is pure-glucose tabs.      You can
buy them at most pharmacies.    They are the fastest way to kill a hypo,
and usually one of the best since they don’t drag unnecessary calories into
your body.

Pure-glucose candy is available in most supermarkets.   You have to read
labels and know that glucose is the same as dextrose.   Smarties and Sweet
Tarts are two U.S. brands.

What you don’t want is high fructose corn syrup or fat  (e.g.  fat as in
Payday bars or nuts or peanut butter) .

A sugared-soda pop is very fast and preferred over fatty foods such as
chocolate, etc.    However,  the pop drags in wasted calories  (the fructose
in the high fructose corn syrup U.S. type sweetener).

The fructose doesn’t do anything to help with the hypo,  then it zaps you
with extra calories later on    (and the worst kind since fructose tends to
encourage triglycerides which diabetics have to fight all the time)

Some prices:

     Brand name medical glucose:                 $18/lb
     Generic name medical glucose:              $  9/lb
     Smarties   (dextrose aka glucose)          $  2/lb

I use Smarties.    The recommended dose for a bad hypo is 15 gram of glucose
(3 rolls of Smarties).     However at  ~6 grams/roll,  you can easily fine
tune,   one roll at a time.   Hint:   for a 150 lb person,    6 gram of
glucose ~18 – 24 mg/dL spike.

However,  a diabetic at your stage in the Standard Type 2 Diabetic
Progression really shouldn’t have to deal with hypos.

Glucovance is a mixture of Glyburide and metformin,   mostly invented to
extend an old patent and cater to some folks who have difficulty remembering
to take pills.   The beta stimulator (Glyburide)  forces your weakened beta
cells to pour out insulin and that is what is causing the hypos.

The problem with Glucovance is your inability to fine tune the dose of each
ingredient.   The standard clinically recommended dose of metformin is 1500
mg/day – 2500 mg/day.   Try to get that much metformin ingredient out of a
series of Glucovance pills and you can end up taking enough Glyburide
ingredient to send you hypo all day.

Actually,  the hypos are a good sign**.   They mean that you have fought
back against the disease and made advances.    You may be able to drop the
Glyburide and stay with metformin for a while.     Many docs prescribe
Glyburide to new folks for just that reason;  you use the extra power of
Glyburide to normalize your sugars while you get a handle on the situation,
then they drop the Glyburide when you get to this stage.

Many docs use maximum metformin as the first and only med of choice and
don’t even consider permanent Glyburide until  you can no longer control
using metformin-only.   Some docs totally avoid using beta stimulators such
as Glyburide for a variety of other medical reasons.

Misc stuff:

1.  **  first hypo:   I was very happy about my first hypo,  it meant that
finally I was winning the fight

2.   An example of a doc who pours on the meds until the patient gets a
handle on the situation,  then cuts back drastically

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

"—–Original Message—–
From: Gary Pewitt <gpew…@execpc.com>

Newsgroups: alt.support.diabetes
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 11:46 PM
Subject: Evesdropping at the clinic

. . . > My first test was 270. He had me on insulin, glyburide,
> and Avandia  until my readings came  down. After I gained
> control he discontinued the insulin and reduced my glyburide
>by half four times, discontinued  the Avandia (due to swollen
>legs) and started me on Glucophage (metformin). . . ."

3.  Why you want to use as much metformin as you can

a. Metformin reduces blood sugars
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_treatments/metformin.php

b. Metformin improves cholesterol and triglycerides
http://tinyurl.com/5errv

c. Metformin cuts heart attack risk in T2
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/issue132/item2.shtml

(BTW, so do the TZDs, Actos and Avandia)

d. Actually,  Metformin reduces overall mortality rates among T2 diabetics
http://tinyurl.com/69yjd

e. Metformin probably protects dying beta cells which are the proximate
cause of T2
  (A reasonable  interpretation of the metformin results in the DPT-2
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/welcome/releases/8_8_01.htm

f. Metformin protects against the formation of Advanced Glycosylation End
Products (A.G.E.)

(A very good thing for a diabetic)
http://tinyurl.com/5tonv

g. Finally, Metformin helps folks lose weight (though usually only in
the first year)
http://www.smart-drugs.net/ias-metformin-weightloss.htm

Regards
Old Al

>I have been dieting for the past 2 months, eating right and working
>out and I am starting to see some good results. The past two days I
>have gone hypoglycemic. When I left the house yesterday my was BC was
>81 today 95. I usually am in the low 110′s.

The good news is that you can stop worrying!  You’re not hypoglycemic!  Normal
bloood glucose is from 70-109 (see http://www.labtestsonline.org).  So your 81 or 95
indicate that you’re achieving excellent control.

–
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…
where there is hatred, let me sow love.

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