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Permalink Reply by joanne cypher on May 16, 2008 at 9:36am

im looking to get a bracelete im type 2 & on metformin ive never had a hypo on it either
but id still feel happier if people where aware of my conditon if i were to pass out any time

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Permalink Reply by Hana Rous on May 17, 2008 at 1:27am

You are not going to have hypos on Metformin. it doesn't cause them. However, I wear my bracelet in case I'm involved in a n accident and someone tries to put me on a glucose drip (IV)

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Permalink Reply by tmana on May 17, 2008 at 1:41am

Umm... it is possible to have hypos on Metformin, since it inhibits the liver from releasing glycogen. I know I have gone as low as low 50's on metformin on a fast, and my doctor had warned me that if I got down as low as 50 I'd pass out. Needless to say, I had to break fast early that year...

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Permalink Reply by Hana Rous on May 17, 2008 at 3:06am

Surely fasting can cause low blood glucose without metformin. Inhibiting glycogen isn't the cause. It's preventing correction. If you fast long enough, you die. (unless you are following the Ramadan fast, which allows you to eat at certain times in the 24 hour cycle and then isn't a FULL fast.) Insulin and insulin promoting medications actually cause hypos, by transporting glucose out of the bloodstream, often into a metabolic pathway, which converts it to fat. That's why it's so difficult to lose weight on those therapies.
Also it's quite possible to remain conscious below 50. My husband has type 1 and can go down to 35 and remain upright and rational. Much below that and he does silly things. His most recent night time episode resulted in the destruction of a vanity shelf in the bedroom and my rushing to prevent him from tumbling downstairs at 3:00am. He never actually lost consciousness and was at 27, by the time I got his BG. AFTER giving him the glucose drink, which I'd reminded him to bring upstairs earlier that day and which was still in the kitchen.

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Permalink Reply by tmana on May 17, 2008 at 8:44am

The fast was done without metformin for that day. Metformin is not an insulin secretagogue; it does nothing for you if you are not producing enough insulin on your own. It works by prohibiting glycogen conversion to glucose and tends to cause a weight loss. Secretagogues such as glipazide (Glucotrol) tend to promote weight gain. There are, IIRC, two other classes of oral antidiabetic agent -- one of which alters the insulin to make it more appealing to the insulin receptor sites, and one of which alters the insulin receptor sites to make them more accepting of insulin. (I believe Avandia belongs to that last class.)

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Permalink Reply by DiabeticizME on May 17, 2008 at 9:38am

Mandy-

I was told it is best if all Diabetic's wear a Med Bracelet. The reason being is...if you were to pass out and the paramedic's came, they would treat you w/ their sugar saline...I just had a new diabetic made from custommedicalbracelets.com. There is also another website called laurenshope.com, they have pretty nice bracelets.
To me and ID card is Great but what if you didn't have your wallet????

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Permalink Reply by christina on May 26, 2008 at 6:33am

Hi there,

Im type 2 and I have ID medi alert tags that I wear..I have it for the same reason Mandy states. :-)

Cheers

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Permalink Reply by Hana Rous on May 26, 2008 at 8:49am

I swim regularly and always remove most of my jewellery and leave it at home. I keep my wedding band, waterproof wrristwatch and ID bracelet. I'm managing to lose weight at the moment and the ring and bracelet are getting loose Still I shouldn't complain about it. It has taken me long enough. I'll just get a silver "keeper" for the wedding band.

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Permalink Reply by david on June 4, 2008 at 1:38pm

You need a in bracelet. Medicalert is cheap or free if you can't afford it. Here's the reasons:
1 - they don't think about treating you as a diabetic, some of the meds or things they will use will be bad for you.
2 - When your out someone might take your wallet. Sometimes thieves pick on weak people and when you your passed out your a perfect target.
3 - You can pass out form something happening around you having nothing to do with diabetes.

With me I have passed out 3 time 2 times while I was leaving work, hitting the outside hot air in the desert. Having the bracelet is the smartest thing in the world, it's engraved with your condition and a control number so not everyone knows everything about you. But any medical professional can call a free number and get all your details meds, docs and stuff. They will even call your doc, and family. So they see the condition they know right off the back some things about you then once they call they know everything.

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Permalink Reply by Hana Rous on June 4, 2008 at 2:58pm

My bracelet gives the following info. My name, my condition and my husband's mobile phone number with international code. I'm watching out for buses and hoping that if something happens, healthcare professionals or first aiders, know what to do. I have a few friends with First Aid training, who all say they'd spot my bracelet. there's a prominent red alert symbol on it.t.g

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Permalink Reply by Eggie on June 5, 2008 at 12:58am

I've worn an ID for several years even before I started insulin. My favorite is the Road ID www.roadid.com I have both a wrist band one and a dog tag one. One or the other is always on me.

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Permalink Reply by terryok123 on June 5, 2008 at 12:37pm

i wear won... got it online. it has to be a good idea if you have a problem and cannot speak.

Hmmmmmmm makes sense to me.

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