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Suggest Opinion On Treatment For Diabetes
My wife is diabetic for the last 16 years. She has been taking Metformin 1gm twice a day along with Galvas 50mg twice, Diapride 4 mg twice, voglibose 0.3 mg twice and Victoza injection 0.6 mcg once a day. Still her sugar level is high. I consulted another Dr. who asked her to stop Metformin and Victoza completely. Since then the sugar lever has gone up further and when Metformin is restarted, the level has come down. But the present Dr. says that Metformin is in-effective for patients above 50 years. Is it true? Please advice me if she is taking the right treatment. (She also has high BP, cholestrol and thyroid problem for which she is taking medicines and they are under control.)
Mon, 7 Jul 2014
Hello,
first of all metformin IS effective in patients above 50 years... Perhaps there was another reason to stop metformin but I can't tell.
An important point in diabetes treatment is sticking with an appropriate diet and regular physical exercise. If she is exercising regularly and conforming to a healthy diet then there is nothing more she can do.
Knowing the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels is very important to judge the efficacy of the treatment.
If after taking all these medications, she still has high (>7,0 - 7,5%) HbA1c than then it would be probably better for her if she started insulin. She could continue taking metformin.
I should note that decisions regarding her treatment cannot be made without a complete evaluation of other medications, biochemistry panel (particularly kidney function indicators) and relevant medical history.
Kind Regards!
first of all metformin IS effective in patients above 50 years... Perhaps there was another reason to stop metformin but I can't tell.
An important point in diabetes treatment is sticking with an appropriate diet and regular physical exercise. If she is exercising regularly and conforming to a healthy diet then there is nothing more she can do.
Knowing the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels is very important to judge the efficacy of the treatment.
If after taking all these medications, she still has high (>7,0 - 7,5%) HbA1c than then it would be probably better for her if she started insulin. She could continue taking metformin.
I should note that decisions regarding her treatment cannot be made without a complete evaluation of other medications, biochemistry panel (particularly kidney function indicators) and relevant medical history.
Kind Regards!
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