Do I really need to take diabetic meds???

[heart2heart]

Ok, I'm a female, 56, about 45 lbs overweight. Yes, I need to do exercise but I have so many chronic pain issues not to mention depression from the pain that I don't do much. I can't even walk much due to foot pain problems. Anyway, my blood glucose used to be around the 140 mark then I started taking Actos 30 mg mg., I now take ONLY take 15 mg  and my fasting blood sugar is around 110 to 115.  I also barely eat in the morning - a cup of yogart and a banana for breakfast, a small turkey sandwhich for lunch. Afternoon I feel I'm having a hypglycemic attack so I have some cookies and coffee or tea (I need the caffeine- I'm dying from fatigue!)  Sometimes I feel like I'm having a hypoglymeic attack if I have supper late.  My question is why am I even taking Actos if I'm having hypoglycemic attacks??  Should I be eating more for lunch or breakfast to prevent the hypoglycemic attacks? But then I will putting on pounds, which I don't want.

[Laceybug77]

Sounds like you are not eating right, which is not going to help you lose weight at al if your body is always in starvation mode.  Most diabetic diets should be 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal and 15-30 for snacks (usually half of your meal amount).  Sounds like you are only eating snack sized amounts which means low blood sugars and not even enough calories for your brain to function at a normal daily resting rate (you need a certain amount of calories a day just to keep your body functioning which is usually at a minimum of 1200 calories, but probably more for overweight people).  Don't worry about putting on extra weight right now, as long as you get your bloodsugars under control (that includes not dropping too low) the weight will come off just by following a proper diet.  You body is not going to magically make extra calories for you and turn that into fat...it all depends on what you put into it.  So, if you eat more it won't hurt you as long as you are still at your recommended caloric intake.  Anyway, your fatigue and intense hunger should go away because you will be giving you brain the energy it needs.  If you have a hard time eating larger portions try eating snack sized portions every couple of hours.  I tried to eat less carbs and was actually fearful of them because I am such a severe diabetic (both types) but I put on 35 lbs in the past year.  So, now that I am eating more carbs I'm not in starvation mode and I eat all the time, but I am now losing the weight and I'm on lower doses of my medications.I had to do a lot of research though to figure out what the heck was going on though.
Hope that helps, Good luck :)

[Linda2962]

I would sit down and talk to your doctor about this. The reason maybe that you aren't having enough to eat in the mornings.  It does help me to eat a little more in the mornings.  It's brain food!  I've always told my children to start their day with food in their stomachs.  It helps you to get a good jump start to your day.  I've found that if I have a piece of fruit and maybe some milk or just water works just fine, along with the sandwich.  It keeps me going until I have dinner.