Prandin, Lantus or ALA?
 

after 4 or 5 years of being in denial re: treating diabetes with diet instead of rx drugs, i started taking Prandin today and the digestive upsets i feared from oral diabetes drugs have not shown up. however, the one unexpected side effect ---PN--- has reared its ugly head! when i googled pn+prandin, PN was reported by a tiny percentage of users.

i tried the lantus 24 hour insulin pen just one time a few weeks ago & freaked out...maybe my neurosis caused all the unpleasant side effects?

so now what? do i bite the bullet & try lantus again or stick with Prandin in the hopes of PN sx lessening? or, in the alternative, give ALA a shot & see if that has a beneficial effect on my blood glucose?

thanks for any info/advice!

I don't think you've got anything to lose by trying R-Lipoic Acid (only need 100 mg. vs. 600 mg of ALA). NAC is another antioxidant supplement that lowers blood sugar. I take both, but at different times, and with food. Either can cause a bit of heartburn on an empty stomach. ;)

Doc

thanks for the response. i used to take the RLA but stopped that & all supps when i had a heart attack in july '14.

now that i'm off plavix, i wanted to focus on treating my diabetes. I've re-started with 50 mg of RLA but it plays havoc with my GI tract & even pre-treating with gaviscon, i still cannot tolerate it.

so i think i'll go back to ALA which I used before the R came on the market. ALA, for whatever reason, does not bother my gut. i will also add the NAC too...it looks beneficial for cardiac issues.

do you find that your blood glucose levels are ok without using rx diabetes drugs?

I'm not "officially" diabetic (meaning my test results are always negative) so while I don't monitor my levels regularly, whenever they are taken, they're fine. Thing is, my PN seems to respond as if I were diabetic, so I eat as if I were and I take the supplements. (RLA controls the burning pain.)

I cannot take NSAIDs due to IBS, so I take NAC to offset when I have to take acetaminophen. It seems to keep my liver happy; those tests are always good as well.

Doc