Finally got to see my doc after having the last batch of tests which for
some reason was missing my hb1ac - so in three months managed to get it
down from 11.9% to 7.4%!

still some way to go but doc was well impressed with the hb1ac
reduction. he says wrt high trigs if its still high in 2 months of good
bg control/exercise we need to start looking at fenofibrate.

anyone have experiences of using this?
--
John38 - T2 : D&E : glimepiride 6mg : metaformin 1000mg : bp 110/70

John38 wrote in message ...
High triglycerides is a marker for high Insulin Resistance. Glimepride
lets you eat more carb than many folks but that amplifies the triglycerides
problem.

Metformin is an anti-Insulin Resistance med but the U.S. Physicians Desk
Reference asserts that 1500 mg/day is a common "minimum effective dose".

Metformin dosages are a YMMV topic; I have a friend who did well on 500
mg/day for years, but just last year had to bump up to 1000 mg/day. You do
what "you have to do" in this area.

The docs usually start low, then walk up the dose to minimize problems
with gas and diarrhea.

You want to keep your ratio of triglycerides to HDL below 3.0 in the U.S.
mg/dL system,
You want to keep your ratio of triglycerides to HDL below 1.3 in the ROW
mmol/L system.
In any case, lower is better.

On the advice of my doc, I use time-release Niacin, 500 mg in the AM, 500
mg in the PM for triglycerides. Works well for me.

Congrats on your ability to pester your doc for those numbers. Too many
diabetics walk around in a daze and miss those things; or worse, they don't
get done. (alas, that's speaking from personal experience )

Regards
Old Al

On Fri, 5 Mar 2004 11:07:59 -0500, oldal4865 <oldal4865@yahoo.com>
wrote:

[snip]

[fenofibrate]

I think fenofibrate is Trichor in the USA and has more impact on trigs
than tot. chol. I see the doc for another fasting blood test in 2 months
to allow the metformin effect to be fully expressed. Last total chol:hdl
ratio was 5.something, now it is 3.4 which is way better, but still have
some way to go. It was explained to me that some t2 maintain high trigs
despite good bg control and exercise and if this is the case with me
then I'll need to go on it.

With regards to diet, I avoid all starch, apart from the occasional
potato (this is mainly how I've been able to get Hb1Ac from 11.9% to
7.4%). The problem was before DX, I was eating like a horse and losing
weight at the same time. Now with the sulphs, I'm not pissing the sugars
out and the weight has piled on. 10kg in 3 months. Now I have to learn
portion control, and not eat as much total fat.

thanks

I'm one of these engineering types, and it helps in matters like this
where stuff has to be measured and tabulated, and it helps the doc if
you have prepared a graph summarising current trends and desired goals,
because he can understand at once whats happening instead of being
presented with a wall of numbers. It also shows you're taking an
interest. I guess theres nothing more dispiriting to a doc than to be
presented with a patient who either cant or wont listen and who will not
take the initiative esp in a disease such as this. I find I don't have
to pester my doc, he happily explains the numbers and their
significance.

--
John38 - T2 : D&E : glimepiride 6mg : metaformin 1000mg : bp 110/70
Hb1Ac down from 11.9% to 7.4% in 3 months!