Sound Familiar?

I am 45, 5'2", 300-320#, today is 315# yeasterday was 300#, any ways. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabeties on 2/7/05, my family doctor perscribed, 45mg of actos an 5mg of Amaryl. I experienced low blood sugar attacks but my numbers were only 71-90, my numbers before medication was 250-350. I gained 43 # in 3 months (right before my Wedding), and had low blood sugar attacks so bad I would have to sit on the floor at work and eat 3 packets of sugar. I finally went to a Diabetic specialist, (who was very arrogant), he perscribed Glucopage xr 750 mg twice a day. I didn't start on them until after my wedding on 6/11/05, I ended up adding 30 mg of Actos with my Glucopage, still having a problem getting my sugar down from 250, but now I have developed a exstreamly bloated upper abdomen, which makes me look full term with quads, my strech marks are getting stretch marks. I have had a Cat Scan from breast to pubic bone, MRI of my Brain, thyroid blood work, kidney function blood work, liver function blood work, pancriess funtion blood work, and nothing conclusive but my female hormone levels are slightly off. I am on my way to a Upper G.I. Specialist in two minutes, I'm missirable, have any of you ever heard of anything like this? And if so what was the outcome? Good or Bad! [email protected]

Hi Dawn. Can say I'm in the same boat with you. Went to a Diabetes "Specialist". He did not know I had lost 25 lbs. in the previous year. After all, everyone was telling me if I lost weight I could be taken off my diabetes medicine (Glucophage), my blood pressure would go down, yada, yada, yada. So what does the specialist do? Puts me on 30 mg. a day of Actos. In 2 months I gained 22 lbs !! I have never 'unloaded' on a doctor before but this time I let him have both barrels ! He knew this medicine had a side effect of weight gain (I had to find out from friends that had been through the same thing). My repeated question was "Why do you tell me to lose more weight and then put me on a medicine KNOWN to cause weight gain??? DUH ! Sometimes I actually believe the medical community is only interested in keeping us coming back. If I sound depressed I am - but I'm also fed up !

Boy do I hear you'all! My internist put me on 45mg of Actos along with my insulin and I gained 67 pounds in 3 months . I also had sever edema in both my legs and feet. I felt like a beachball about to explode. Went to an Endrocrinologist who said the Actos along witht he Insulin caused the weight gain and while he wouldn't take me off the Actos he did reduce the dosage to 15 mg and gave me a different diuretic. Within a month the edema was gone and I had lost 12 pounds. But that was all I had been able to lose in the past year and a half. So I went from 260 in January 2004 to 327 in April 2004 and now am 315 and can't budge any lower . WLS here I come.