Anyone able to get off insulin?
 

I was just wondering what different experiences were as far as being able to come off your diabetic meds (oral) or injection. I currently take Humulin 70/30 and Lantus at night. Of course, taking these does not help with weight loss but I plan to continue on the low carb course but would like to hear some encouraging stories from diabetics who came off meds.

Many of us think this is the wrong question. Whether or not we take meds is not near so important as the BG lowering results we get. Regarding weight loss, those of us who take insulin need to really keep carbs down, or weight goes up. And of course less carbs also means less insulin. Some have found different insulins more likely to help with weight loss.

I know a fellow who had T2D for ages who was able to cut his insulin dramatically by making dietary changes. His doctor was in charge of the menu, and one day at breakfast I heard him tell the guy to cut his insulin in half on his night time dose. I talked to the patient the next morning, and his blood sugar was low, so the next day the doctor cut the dose again. So in the end he adjusted to about 1/4 or 1/3 of his original amount.

I was able to get off of oral medications, but as Rob said; the point is to control blood glucose first.... so, we do what we must do....

But, in eliminating oral medication (glipizide), I did replace it by taking herbal medicines, so, I still must take something. I control my blood glucose better now and my diet is not as restricted as it was on oral medications.

But, if the truth be known..... For me, weight loss and exercise have done more than any medication or supplement.

Also, the things we do don't guarantee any specific result and diabetes is a progressive disease and we're probably at best only able to slow the progress down through our own efforts.

I dont have to tell you how different we are all with this diabetes2.It is also depend in what stage you are.
For me :
As Cajun said the key is "weight loss and exercises!!!!!!!!!! "...no magic in this department !!! (wish it was)......and I choose to go LC and with my Dr. advice Im checking my BS every time before meals.
So for now (and let it be that way for ever...please, please):-))))))))))...
Im free from:
30 units Lantus "Solo Star"
500mg Metformin and 100mg Januvia.
(I hate meds)!!!!!!!!!!

getting off insulin
 

I have managed to drastically cut my insulin use down with diet, exercise and treating my depression - until I did this, no matter what I did, my values remained high. I had no idea how drastically stress affected glucose levels.

I was on 30 units of basal night and morning and up to 8 units of rapid with meals at my worst; I started out with less, but had to add more and more because I rapidly gained weight (I stated on NPH and then switched to weight-neutral levemir with bolus).

Before diagnosis, I had been at weight watchers and was losing about a pound a week. I lost 30 pounds on my own over four months. I was also walking every day. When I added insulin to the mix, I stopped losing almost immediately - then started gaining slowly. I was terribly discouraged and quit going. Slowly, I became very depressed and myglucose values soared - and so did my insulin requirements. I was also on prednisone which also raised my BG (actually, it contributed to the cause of the diabetes if not actually causing it on its own). Not only was I gaining weight and needing more insulin, I was not controlled and my fasting values were high. Frantic, I demanded metformin to add to the mix and was grudgingly prescribed it. It helped enormously, but by that time I was more depressed and no matter how much insulin I took, my values remained high.

Because I was depressed, I started eating carbs - and then eventually damaging junk carbs - chocolate and too much pasta. I quit posting on this board - which was the worst thing I could have done since I am sure others have had glucose values affected by depression and could have helped me - but I did not know this was the problem so didn't know what to ask.

I became uncontrollably angry in early November and began flying into rages. I had stopped taking the prednisone but it did not have the positive result I had hoped for. I felt trapped on the insulin treadmill - needing more all the time and it not working, and reported my depression to my endo - who just looked at me and said nothing. My husband called my family doc in November because he was worried (I had already told the doc - who also had said nothing), and asked the doc to listen to me. He prescribed wellbutrin. I hated the side effects which made everything worse at first, especially anxiety, but the ragee was banished from the very first pill.

To make a long story short, a month to the day later, my blood values plummeted. The next day I went out and re-joined weight watcher (CORE) abnd curves, doing a lower carb version of their diet.

When I added exercise to the mix, my BG plummeted further. I had been unable to control my glucose for two years. I got a fairly good A1c the last few times because although I had high fasting values and pre and post meal values, I was dipping very low during the night.

The other day the doc called me worried that my fasting level was a bit low at 4.7 (Canadian). My a1C was 5.2 I am now taking 13 units of basal night and morning and NO rapid with meals. I don't need it at all.

It is very hard to lose weight while on insulin whioch is one reason I am weaning off of it. Only treating the underlying depression and eating a lower carb diet and exercising 30 minutes a day or more helped me. I had read a book on how an engineer actually 'cured' himself of diabetes and no longer takes insulin or oral drugs and has been normal for years. I want this for myself.

I am losing very, very slowly at weight watchers, but at least it in the right direction. As I decrease the insulin, perhaps the added weight loss will decrease my insulin need further.

Other diabetics seem to do well on Byetta, which I cannot take due to liver issues, but if you can, and are T2, it might be worth investigating.


This is my story, of course, and yours may be very different. I just thought I would share it with you in case it might help.

One more thing: I found exercise, in my case, to be a very powerful agent to clear glucose, and even better than metformin.

I didn't want to do it of course, since I was depressed - but once I did, the results have been phenomenal (I do both aerobic and resistance). I may not have developed diabetes in the first place had I not led a very sedentary life foe the last twenty years.

If this is true then is there any point in eating lowcarb if we are going to get it anyway? I guess like you said we can avoid some of the nasty side affects of diabetes for as long as we can by eating lowcarb but if diet and exercise isn't going to control it forever then I can see why a lot of people give up.

Benefits of low carb/low insulin levels/approaching truly normal BGs

You won't gain weight
You will keep your toesies and feet
You will keep your eyesight
You will keep your own kidneys
You likely will feel a whole heck of a lot better

You likely, but not necessarily, will become more dependent upon insulin as the years go by.

It is not impossible that a medical cure/treatment could negate that last sentence.

In any event, Merry Christmas

Hi Codergal,

I've taken my A1c from 10 to 5.7 without ever taking medication or exercising. It did take 2 years to get it into the 5's but my biggest drop was the first 3 months where it dropped by 3.6 %.

Now my husband was dx'ed recently with an A1c of 6.1 and has taken his fasting readings from the hundred teens to 83 to 97 with his average being 90. He'll be won't be getting his A1c recheck until Jan. 13 but I feel sure that he will be in the low 5's

Everyone IS different but I want you to know that low carb alone does work for some of us. How long I don't know as I've only been at it for 2 1/2 years.

Best of luck to you,
Glennette

In just one week on low carbing I have gone off my Humalog completely. I have lowered my 70/30 2U in the am and 2U in the pm. I am on my orals still, but hopefully I can reduce more as I loose more. I lost 5 pounds my first week. At one time, quite a few years back I lost 40 pounds and was able to go off my insulin. But, I stopped watching what I ate, and the weight went right back on and so did the insulin. I'll see what happens this time.

Some Type 2's can go off insulin in favor of low carb and
herbal/prescription pills.Low carb by itself works for some 2's.
I doubt if any true type 1's can do that.
Even for the type 1,carb restriction will probably lessen the
amount of insulin required.
Eddie

Wow a great thread.

As many of you know I am T2 diabetic.

I started insulin along with low carb about a year ago.

Well, some weight has crept back on.

It is NOT the insulin that did it. It is behavorial. I knew I could now have more carbs since I use a fast bolus Novolog.

I am also using 40 units day and night of basil levemir.

I also know that staying low carb and exercising also helps control BG .

The real good news for me is my last A1C was 5.2.

The bad news is I have to get the weight off.

I just recently gone for a cardiac catscan. This discovered a few things.

I have gallstones. I also have 20-40% blockage in two of my arteries and 40-60% blockage in one of them; all near the heart of course.

I am taking a Advanced Artery Solution that has been reported to reduce these blockages. I have been taking it now for about 6 months. Now, that I have a baseline cardiac we will see how good this Artery Solution works. I plan to have another cardiac catscan in about a year.

In the meantime, I have some of the best Doctors around now watching my heart, eyes, etc all doing OK so far.

I have decided to go for a Lap Band and I expect this tool to help me greatly in altering my intake habits and then get back to lower carbs and more exercise.

So, I also expect that doing so will reduce my need for insulin. The weight comes off, the exercise increases, I feel better and then I live.

Ralph

Ralph, you might want to check into the Heart Scan Doctor's blog.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com

There's a for fee support group at http://trackyourplaque.com
I think the fees just cover their costs.

I'm thinking it would probably depend on what type of diabetic you are. My b/f is T1 and although lc will probably allow him to inject less insulin and keep his BS readings more stable, he will never be able to come off of it because his body doesn't produce/or produces too litte of it for him not to take it.