Problems with Liver and Kidney function

[darthbader]

I am new to this forum so please forgive me if there are already posts on this subject. I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes almost 3 years ago. At first my Endocrineologist had me taking Glucavance but it was too strong and I had frequent lows. Then she switched me to plain glucaphage which was ok for a while but then a Generic came out and it wouldnt work for me so she switched me to Glucaphage XR 1000mg a day. Then she decided to put me on Glucaphage XR 1000mg a day plus 1 mg daily of Amaryl. This combination was too strong as well so she took me off amaryl and doubled my dosage of Glucaphage XR, also too strong. So I have been on a rollercoaster for almost 3 years now. I finally switched doctors in December. Every time I get blood work lately my GP calls me and wants me to come back again for more bloodwork because my Liver function is High. Well I had blood work last week and I got a call from my doctor instructing me to increase my Glucaphage XR to 1500 mg becuase my sugars are high and My Kidney and Liver function are both High as well. They also want me to start taking a Kidney medication to reduce my kidney function. I started doing research about the side effects of the drugs listed above and I found out that everything that I have been taking for the last 3 years have been affecting my kidneys and liver function.

I feel as though I am bieing poisioned to death. I am 32 years old and at this rate I will be on Dialisys by the time im 40.

Has anyone here tried any suppliments such as Chromium, cinnamon, B vitamans, and magnesium instead of these poisons that doctors prescribe??

Has anyone had success with these products?

I am considering trying a few suppliments in hopes of getting off these drugs.
Also I am a somewhat active person. I play hockey 2x times per week so I do get some excercise.

Iany help in this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jeff in Pittsburgh, PA

[Mark C]

I am new to this forum so please forgive me if there are already posts on this subject. I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes almost 3 years ago. At first my Endocrineologist had me taking Glucavance but it was too strong and I had frequent lows. Then she switched me to plain glucaphage which was ok for a while but then a Generic came out and it wouldnt work for me so she switched me to Glucaphage XR 1000mg a day. Then she decided to put me on Glucaphage XR 1000mg a day plus 1 mg daily of Amaryl. This combination was too strong as well so she took me off amaryl and doubled my dosage of Glucaphage XR, also too strong. So I have been on a rollercoaster for almost 3 years now. I finally switched doctors in December. Every time I get blood work lately my GP calls me and wants me to come back again for more bloodwork because my Liver function is High. Well I had blood work last week and I got a call from my doctor instructing me to increase my Glucaphage XR to 1500 mg becuase my sugars are high and My Kidney and Liver function are both High as well. They also want me to start taking a Kidney medication to reduce my kidney function. I started doing research about the side effects of the drugs listed above and I found out that everything that I have been taking for the last 3 years have been affecting my kidneys and liver function.

I feel as though I am bieing poisioned to death. I am 32 years old and at this rate I will be on Dialisys by the time im 40.

Has anyone here tried any suppliments such as Chromium, cinnamon, B vitamans, and magnesium instead of these poisons that doctors prescribe??

Has anyone had success with these products?

I am considering trying a few suppliments in hopes of getting off these drugs.
Also I am a somewhat active person. I play hockey 2x times per week so I do get some excercise.

Iany help in this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jeff in Pittsburgh, PA

Jeff.... You did not indicate what your numbers were. So it's a guess. But if you are not tolerating the meds as prescribed, a little s injection of Lantus my be a better way out than the pile o'pills. None of these other supplements will do what you need them to.

[TAutry]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to the forums.

I'm with Mark on this one, I think you should check with your doctor on switching to insulin. I'm very leery of any of the drugs that impact the liver and kidneys. While poorly controlled diabetes will lead to an earlier than necessary departure from the world of the living, a liver that goes bad will take you out in short order.

What lifestyle changes have you made to try to improve your diabetes management? There may be some things, independent of medication, you can do that might help.

Travis

[Dode]

Hi and welcome Darth, This is a great forum. My husband and I take chromium and magnesium and although I wouldn't say that it is doing a lot of good, it certainly isn't doing any harm. We both have had problems with different meds they have had us on. Now that we are taking the supplements we don't seem to be having as many problems. One thing I have noticed since being on these is that I don't seem to have as many times when I am completely exhausted as I did before.( We both are T2).

[Lee73]

Hi Darth,

Welcome. I am not a doctor, nurse and I don't have diabetes, but my dad and sis do (type I) and my dad is on kidney dialysis. I will try to address some of the issues you have raised.

You are right to be concerned about your kidney and liver. Obviously you want to keep your blood sugar under control and this will help with maintaining liver and kidney health. When you say your doctor said your liver and kidney were "functioning high" did he elaborate on this?

Our kidneys and our livers are our bodies natural filters, I imagine (and as I said I am not a doctor or nurse) that when your doctor said "high functioning" liver or kidney he meant "overfunctioning"...??? Not sure, correct me if I am wrong.

Medications of all sorts even low dose OTC's (advil, tylenol, allergy meds etc) get filtered through our kidneys and livers.....but so does chromium and magnesium and cinnamon etc. "Natural" substances can be just as taxing on our livers and kidneys as chemical ones. I know this because I am prone to kidney stones and have had to be very aware of what I eat and drink and how it affects my kindeys and of course, because of my dad's kidney failure. WHen I was having kidney stones I got a fast reducation about "natural remedies". Basically water is good....so, um that is kind of limiting (and even tap or spring water is bad because of the minerals :eek: ). So, basically, I would say keep your blood sugar under control to the best of your ability, use common sense, let your doctor know about your concerns about being "over-medicated" or switching medications too often.

Sorry that got long-winded. Hope it helped. Good luck.

Lee

[darthbader]

Here are my most recent numbers from my bloodwork.
Glucose 166
ALT (SGPT) 53
Total Bilirubin 2.2
A1C - 7.3

I respond well to meds for a while then they seem to be less effective after being on them for a while. Usually in the begining my body responds too well and I get quick lows. Then after a while they dont seem to work at all

I could stand to lose a few pounds but I am not over weight by much. Maybe 10 lb and I am trying to cut those 10 lb. I am currently 6'1" and 204 lb. Right before I was diagnosed with Type II, I weighed 230 lb. I gained over 40 lb in one year leading up to becoming diabetic. I was approx 190 lb and I played hockey about 4 nights per week, then I got married and Injured my ankle then things started to go down hill for me weight wise. Ultimately I would like to get back to 190 lb or even 185 lb but its not easy, thats for sure.

I was on insulin for about 6 weeks after being diagnosed but the doctor told me that was just until I got my sugars back to normal. when I went into the hospital I thought I had the flu. I dropped from 230 lb to 185 in 6 weeks (I thought it was due to a diet I was on) I Actually felt great for the first 4 weeks then my eyes started to hurt and get blurry and I couldnt stay awake. Always thirsty and always consuming water until my mouth was so dry I needed something with flavor. I was probably just hours away from death when I went to the hospital (thought it was the flu cause I was puking and was aching all over)

The doctor said that he had never seen someone walk in to the ER under their own power with sugar levels as high as mine was at the time I walked in. It was 1174. I guess Im lucky to be alive and I would like to keep that luck going.

I have found that if my sugar is high drinking lots of water helps bring them down quickly.

I am still interested in trying the suppliments to see if they will help but I do understand that that must be filtered as well.

[duck]

As a Type 1 and a once-avid workout-aholic, I can attest that chromium was worthless for me in any shape or form. I was also involved in a double-blind chromium study in college, and it is worthless. Vanadium and vanadyl sulfate did nothing for me either. Cinnamon, the jury is out, but if I eat too much of it, my stomach begins to hate me.

Lose that last ten pounds--that way you eliminate one more factor from the equation.

I too have found that hydration affects my blood sugar levels immensely.

[Harold]

Hi Darth and Welcome to the Forums. Assuming your blood work was a fasting check the 166 glucose is too high and may account for or attribute to the elevated Total Bilirubin 2.2. It really is hard to tell how elevated without the labs reference range. The ALT (SGPT) 53, really nothing to worry about only slightly elevated. Were you exposed to any chemicals in your work or at home? The liver has to process anything you body comes into contact with as well as what you injest and chems are asorbed through the skin. Things like cleaning solvents, insecticides, weed killers, zippo lighter fluid, used car oil or hydraulic fluids, and gasoline may all give you a slightly elevated ALT. My ALT ran over 200 for like a year and a half before I figured out cactus juice was causing it.