Calling all diabetics...I have a question

[jennifer293]

I was diagnosed with Type 2 in December, and I have done awesome with it and I am on Metformin 3 times a day. On the bottle of Metformin it says do not consume alcohol while taking this medication. I am not a drinker by any means by I remember while at WDW last year it was nice to have a beer by the pool or a mixed drink. SOOOOO my question is if I were to drink it, I mean is it gonna kill me or is it gonna make me sick or is this warning for those who drink often or what? I have not had much in the way of sugar since this diet but I know how to curb my carbs enough so that I can have a few bites of something just not the whole thing. A drink would be just GREAT THOUGH!!!! But if it is gonna harm me then I will not do it!!!

TIA!!!

 

[scraptoons]

Ask your doc. My DH's doc says one glass of wine is good for ya once in a while (he is type 1). But this doc's advice may not apply to you. So ask.

If you are too chicken to ask doc, ask the pharmacist. If you don't have a relationship with him/her, you are bound to form one anyway with all the meds and stuff you'll be using.

(Ours see us coming in the door and start pulling out our order. They also recognize our voices over the phone and look up the prescriptions without the RX numbers).

 

[ducklite]

In all honesty, for a question like this, I usually go to the pharmacist. They generally have a better grip on the chemistry behind the medication than the doctor. Make sure you are talking to a pharmacist, not a pharmacy technician or assistant!

Then verify his/her opinion with your MD, and if they disagree err on the side of caution. Your MD will have more information on you specifically.

That said, and I'm not a diabetic, I don't think I would do it if I were you. Your sugar is probably going to be off to begin with with the extra walking and excitement, and the heat. I'd hate to see someone's great vacation go south over a beer.

Anne

 

[Selket]

I would absolutely ask your doctor - perhaps in addition to the pharmacist. It seems if you have any type of liver issues (and the dr. would know that - not necessarily the pharmacist) there could be more side effects.

I did find this on the internet but I would still ask your medical team:

Glucophage & Alcohol
Question:I am curently taking Glucophage 500 mg. can I have a glass of wine with my meal?

Answer:Glucophage(metformin hydrochloride) is a relatively new oral medication for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. It is a medicine that works primarily by inhibiting the glucose release from the liver-rather than at the cellular level like other oral agents(glyburide, tolinase, etc.). Metformin unlike the sulfonyureas, will not produce hypoglycaemia. It should be used with extreme caution-or not used- in patients with renal or liver dysfunction. Alcohol can potentiate the effect of glucophage so one should watch the finger stick glucose very closely after alcohol. For practical purposes, one drink shouldn't be a big deal if you monitor your glucose.

 

[jennifer293]

thanks for the responses.I have been gone camping or I would have responded sooner.. I think I will just forget about having that drink. It seems like too much to risk on a 3K vacation.. Looks like one more thing I get to sit and watch everyone so but me. Diabetes is NO FUN!!!

I would hate to be laid up in the hospital for it.

Thanks again!!

Jenn

 

[Selket]

I don't have type 2 - my 4 yr old is type 1 - but you have to live with it the rest of your life. With that in mind, I don't know if your WDW vacation is the time to start drinking but I do think it is WELL worth asking your doctor about having a drink now and then and if you can fit that into your meal plan.

I very strongly believe that diabetics (type 1 or 2) are more likely to have better control overall if they don't feel denied their favorite foods/drinks all the time. Sounds like you already know how to work in the favorite foods! Maybe after asking your dr. and with his/her approval you can try the "glass of wine" thing at home and do some extra finger pokes and see how that goes. Then you'd have a better handle on it for vacation.

 

[Ambassador]

There seem to be two questions here: interaction and blood-glucose effect.

We have type 1 in our family, and do not know the answer to your interaction question. A friend is type 2, and has never been seen not enjoying a few glasses of wine with dinner. We think they are on Avandia.

Different types of alcohol will effect your glocuse significantly. High-carb drinks and fortified liqueurs like regular beer, port and cordials will rasie your levels. Light beer, red wine and distilled drinks may lower your levels.

Drink moderately and responsibly; just not in the Magic Kingdom.