Question:

   — Pamela H. (posted on October 22, 2003)

October 22, 2003
I would sit down with your doctor and have her explain your condition to you. In the mean time it would be wise to treat yourself as a diabetic. no sugars low carbs lots of protien and check your blood glucose levels a couple of times a day. I have type II diabetes and am on glucophage, glucotrol, and avandia and I check my sugars 4 times a day.
   — harleigh2002

October 22, 2003
Jen my wife was insulin resistant before surgery and had PCOS, which insulin resistance is one symptom. Do check with your doc. Jen was told this is a pre diabetic condition that should help you get approved. She was on glucophage for awhile, but not diabetic. If your PCP tries to discourge you from WLS get a new PCP.
   — bob-haller

October 22, 2003
Im also on 1000mg of glucaphage(sp?) a day because of my Insulin resistive and considered a diabetic 2 because my numbers jump every where my pcp sent me to a dietian/diabetes class and I was told too check my numbers at home 2x a day, ny insurance covered my monitor and all supplies and am on a low cal low carb diet, I also have been diagnosed with PCOD 3 years ago..but had it for years now..I would consult with your pcp agian or research for another pcp. when i was pg 2 years ago,I was on insulin because of my gestational diabetes and was told that I had a very high risk of getting diabetes 2 in the future..which is true now. make the most of your concerns with your pcp its your right. Good luck and email me if you have any ?'s
   — por2geegurl

October 22, 2003
Im also on 1000 mg of Glucophage daily and Im not diabetic. I got into an argument the other night with the Dr at the ER because he SWORE I was diabetic because I take Glucophage. I am NOT diabetic. I was diagnosed with PCOS about 6 months ago as well . Ive had it for about 12 years and didnt know . Thank goodness I have a wonderful PCP now that took the time to find out what was wrong with me. From what I understand , the PCOS causes the female body to produce more testosterone than normal, causing ones insulin to be high... the glucophage really does help with this condition. Ya might wanna have it checked out.
   — DixiePop

October 22, 2003
In a nutshell: Being Insulin Resistant means that your body produces more insulin than it needs to in order to get the job done. For example (I'm making these numbers up). Let's say it usually takes an insulin level of 7 to maintain your blood sugar of 75, if you're insulin resistant, then your insulin level is 25, and your blood sugar is 75. Your body is resisting the insulin that is there. That is why you're not diabetic, your blood sugars are normal.... it’s the insulin level that is out of whack. Glucophage acts not by lowering the blood sugar, but by making the cells more receptive to the insulin that is available. That is why it won't affect your blood sugar but should reduce your circulating insulin. Now, if you're diabetic, you have a high blood sugar. It's possible that you could still be making insulin, but either not enough, you've become totally resistant to it, or your pancreas quit making it at all. (Which is why insulin, or blood sugar lowering medications are given). And they do think that insulin resistance is a "pre-diabetic" condition, kind of like a yellow stoplight. However, as with everything there is controversy over whether all insulin resistant people become diabetic. Good luck, sorry if I didn't help. If you need anything e-mail me.
   — Sungurl B.

October 23, 2003
I agree with most of the postings below. I also have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and I take 1500 mg of Glucophage XR per day. I am NOT diabetic. If medical personnel are looking at you "funny" when you tell them about your condition, it's because they are ignorant of the disease. Go to an Endocrinologist who specializes in these types of disorders, it will be the best thing for you, especially when your PCP doesn't even explain it to you! Go to an endo, quickly! Good luck and best wishes! Sherry Weber
   — SherryWeber

October 25, 2003
The actual Diagnosis is called HYPERINSULINEMIA look that up
   — Monica T.

October 25, 2003
Diabetics have damage to their insulin producing cells of the pancrease. They have high blood sugars that need regulation because they don't have insulin doing its work to regulate the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, either by taking an oral med which causes the working pancrease insulin making cells to make more insulin, or by taking injections of insulin. Obese people have their normal cells in their body become resistant to insulin. Normally, the cells of the body utilize the circulating insulin to do their work. Your body can even naturally make higher amounts of insulin trying to get the cells to take it, but the receptors on the cells won't take the insulin. (Think of a cell with lots of puzzle piece edges, the insulin comes to the cell and hooks into the receptor edges for insulin, but sometimes the shape of the edges are changed and the insulin doesn't fit in all the spaces it needs anymore.) So for insulin resistant syndrome, the focus may be not on pancreatic issues, but on the receptors of the cells. So the issue is the internal reason why you are taking the med, not focusing on the name of the med you are using. Those ER md's are focusing on the med, not the internal reason why the med is given. Which is stupid as many people take a med for it's side effect, not for the main reason it can be given for. An example is the glucophage; another is that Lupus or arthritis patients take Plaquenil, a malaria drug!! People with fibromyalgia often take an antidepresent for the sleep inducing help it gives, not the antidepressant part. The reasons why it works aren't always known, but the fact that it helps a condition are what counts. Sometimes md's don't keep up with all the new research and should listen when a patient tells them about what their md is doing for them. They shouldn't assume that all patients are stupid & not know what they are talking about. Anyway, most people who lose their excess weight have the receptors on the cells go back to functioning properly and can stop taking the meds. That is the same thing as what happens with some obese people not being able to get pregnant, their cells aren't receptive to the estrogen, and when they lose weight, they become more receptive and viola! they get pregnant. A good way to handle this problem is to carry literature about this syndrome with you and when something happens that you end up in the ER or with another md, then you give them a copy of the literature and they stop treating you like you're stupid! This has always worked for me. When fibromyalgia was first made a diagnosis and many md's didn't know about it, it was such a help. Most md's are willing to learn stuff and appreciate the info. There IS a chance that you might need your blood sugar checked occasionally to be sure you keep your blood sugars regulated, (the insulin non receptiveness can cause high blood sugars just like a diabetic and you could have blood sugars be out of whack. out of whack blood sugars can still cause diabetic like damage to your body, so you need to be sure the medicine is working. In the case of taking this drug for polycystic ovarian disease, it wouldn't be needed at all as they aren't taking it for sugar controll at all.) So, maybe you would want to see an endocrinologist for this also, (they specialize in hormones in your body working correctly, such as thyroid, insulin, etc). It does seem strange you are not checking your blood sugars on some type of schedule, as you can still have the same type of damage as a diabetic and keeping your blood sugars in the normal range will control that. So sorry that this is so long, but there is alot more to this and you need info. Go onto webmd.com to find stuff, also talk with your md about your questions. If they are resistive, then find yourself a new md. Don't settle for not getting the best care you can get. You deserve it!! Best of Luck, karen, RN (open rny, 9/6/01, 297/146)
   — Karen M.