[jared]

Is it possible for a juvenile to be put on pills and not directly on shots?

the reason i ask is my cousin was diag this weekend with a sugar level of 550. They put in on shots and we were wondering if they put young people on pills.

thanks in advance

[JediSkipdogg]

It depends if he was diagnosed with type 2 or type 1. Type 1 is generally (99+%) treated with insulin and type 2 is generally (99+%) treated with pills. You can be treated with the other, but it woudl be in conjunction with the main method of treatment.

[jared]

So is it fair to say that the hospital has done tests on his pancreases and have determined that his produces no insulin because he is type 1. Type two diabetics usually have some insulin floating around but cannot use it like a non-diabetic can. Right?

[psilocybin]

Originally Posted by jared

So is it fair to say that the hospital has done tests on his pancreases and have determined that his produces no insulin because he is type 1. Type two diabetics usually have some insulin floating around but cannot use it like a non-diabetic can. Right?

be careful there is a honeymoon period and by the way type ones produce little to no insulin, not just always none

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by psilocybin

be careful there is a honeymoon period and by the way type ones produce little to no insulin, not just always none

They will eventually produce none though. Type 2s will always produce insulin, whereas type 1s will produce none once the honeymoon is over.

[Harold]

Originally Posted by JediSkipdogg

They will eventually produce none though. Type 2's will always produce insulin, whereas type 1s will produce none once the honeymoon is over.

Carefull Jedi! Nothing is set in stone, even this. We do have one member, Alaska, that occasionally has to stop taking insulin when he makes his own.

A fairly sized group of type 2's also test positive for antibodies, and still produce normal amounts of insulin. Some of them go on to develope type 1, but still they are also type 2.

As for jared's question, yes sometimes. When insulin levels are still high enough they give pills untill the levels drop decreasing the chances for lows.

[jared]

thanks for all the good info.

so after the levels stabilize on a youngster like my cousin they will take them off pills and put on shots ?

[lelggren]

I am a type 1, almost 11 years running now, and I was recently put on metformin. I've been on insulin all my diabetic years, and I still am, but I find that the metformin has helped my insulin that I take to be more efficient. Just because you are type 1 doesn't mean that the pills are off limits. My body is just a bit insulin resistant, and so the pills help me to use the insulin that I take in my insulin pump. Do they have him on insulin as well as the pills?

[jared]

He is strictly on shots but my mother and i were wondering why it seems they never put young people (juveniles) on pills they seem to always go straight on shots.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by jared

He is strictly on shots but my mother and i were wondering why it seems they never put young people (juveniles) on pills they seem to always go straight on shots.

Because in general, and I believe as is the case with your cousin, young people get Type 1 (aka juvenile) diabetes. Pills may be of transient value while the pancreas is still producing insulin (the honeymoon period) but will not continue to have any therapeutic value for type 1 diabetes, unless used in conjunction with insulin shots. Standard medical wisdom says that you use the treatment that you know will work, and for type 1 diabetes shots are it.

Type 2 diabetes, the kind adults often get, has a different biological root, and non-insulin treatments (pills) are often used with success.

[MarkMunday]

Here is some background to the way pills work and why they aren't used by type 1s. There are essentially three types of pills for diabetics "

1. Pills that make your pancreas produce more insulin
2. Pills that make your body more sensitive to insulin
3. Pills that stop you liver from producing glucose

Number 1 is not much good if your pancreas has stopped producing insulin altogether. And number 2 won't help with people who are not insulin resistant, which is the case for most young normal weight people. Number 3 (Metformin/Glucophage) can help T1s control their blood sugars better but is seldom used with T1s.

Metformin has been around for a long time. But it has never been approved by the FDA for use with type 1 diabetics. The only reason I can think of is that using Metformin might compromise the body's ability to pull out of a hypo - through the release of glucose by the liver. It could result in hypos becoming more dangerous for T1s.

Anyway, I have used Metformin, as a type 1, and I found that it helped a lot. Unfortunately, I had to stop using it because of gastro discomfort. Interestingly, my blood sugar control remained really good after I stopped using the Metformin. Go figure!

Cheers,

Mark

[DeusXM]

T1 and T2 are essentially two totally different conditions and are only grouped together as 'diabetes' because they result in the same symptoms.

The following statements are now generalisations and yes, I'm fully aware that there are exceptions BUT 99.9% of the time they're accurate.

If you develop diabetes under the age of 30 then it's type 1. You produce no insulin and so you must suppliment it with insulin injections. Tablets are of no benefit to people with T1 because tablets can only enhance the action of insulin. If insulin isn't there, then it can't be enhanced.

That's why young people are put on shots - it's the only solution.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by lelggren

I am a type 1, almost 11 years running now, and I was recently put on metformin. I've been on insulin all my diabetic years, and I still am, but I find that the metformin has helped my insulin that I take to be more efficient. Just because you are type 1 doesn't mean that the pills are off limits. My body is just a bit insulin resistant, and so the pills help me to use the insulin that I take in my insulin pump. Do they have him on insulin as well as the pills?

The literature someone recently pointed out on a thread about the Dawn Phenomena also stated that metformin can be used to help with that also. Thus a type 1 can be put on metformin to deal with DP.

[gettingby]

Ok, I'm jumping in on this one.
When I was first diagnosed, my PCP put me on pills instead of insulin shots. Went on like that for a year and it was the most miserable year of my life. As a result of having little/no insulin in my body, I went into DKA and almost died.
I have seen pills work on a type 1 but it was in conjunction with insulin, not just pills alone. From my experience I see that pills only will not work for a type 1. I'm sure that it may work for some for a short period of time but that's not always the case.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by gettingby

Ok, I'm jumping in on this one.
When I was first diagnosed, my PCP put me on pills instead of insulin shots. Went on like that for a year and it was the most miserable year of my life. As a result of having little/no insulin in my body, I went into DKA and almost died.
I have seen pills work on a type 1 but it was in conjunction with insulin, not just pills alone. From my experience I see that pills only will not work for a type 1. I'm sure that it may work for some for a short period of time but that's not always the case.

Oh yes, I meant a type 1 on insulin and metformin for the dawn phenomena...