November 18, 2006
Pills for Diabetes, Type 2
Question from Sunnyside, Washington, USA:
At what point do most doctors put type 2 diabetics on medication? I was diagnosed five and a half years ago with an OGTT and am still experiencing normal fasting levels. But, sometimes after eating, my blood sugar goes over 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. For the past three months, my fastings have been around 103 mg/dl [5.7 mmol/L]. Sometimes, I will test when I feel “funny” (i.e., usually, if my blood sugar is 150 mg/dl [8.3 mmol/L] or above, my heart may beat faster and I may feel a little hyper) one hour after eating and be over 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. I usually come back down under 140 mg/dl [7.8 mmol/L] at the two hour mark. My last A1c was 5.94%, the highest I’ve had so far, and I am due to have another one done soon. I’d appreciate your opinion before my next doctor’s appointment.
Answer:
Your A1c level is way below the target of 6.5%, which indicates that your blood sugar is in good control. You might want to talk to your doctor about whether or not you would benefit from taking metformin which could help you lose weight, if that is an issue for you, and could delay or prevent you from going on to develop type 2 diabetes. Read about the Diabetes Prevention Program and the use of metformin to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 31%
JS
