Can diet and exercise be enough to manage and reverse pre-diabetes without medication?

Question

I'm asking because I find that with taking my Metformin I'm weaker because I'm always using the bathroom and I have less of an appetite. I can barely exercise or anything. I want to stop taking it and stick to exercising and dieting with an occasional fast food.

Answer 1

If you feel weak and are peeing a lot it is because  your sugar level is too high you need to check your sugar level and see where you are at.  You should have changed your diet.  You need to eliminate all the sugar and reduce the quantities of carbs you consume at any meal.  Stick with lean meats and vegetables and a little fruit.  If your sugar level is too high, you shouldn't exercise, because it does more harm than good.  Once your sugar level is under control you can begin exercising.  There are natural things you can also take to reduce your sugar level like bittermelon, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar.

Answer 2

For some people, proper diet and lots of exercise work to lower blood sugar or stabilize it. For some, only med's help. Talk to your doctor about changing medications if the one you are taking is making you sick.

Answer 3

the doctor prescribed medication should be used in conjunction with diet and exercise. You need to make an appointment and talk to your family doctor who prescribed the Metformin to you in the first place.

The reason for the medication is that your doctor thinks you are in a dangerous enough condition that your will power/diet/exercise and lifestyle may not be enough to counter the progression of the disease.

your doctor can do several different things for you to try.

He (or she, but i'll just use he for convenience) may decrease the dosage so you still get the benefit of the drug but also have more energy to exerciese, he may replace it with another drug that can work better for you, or he can stop the meds altogether. he can also tell you any other risks that needs to me managed.

often, doctors don't just treat to get rid of one thing but they treat one thing to prevent other more serious things from happening to you.

so please call and make an appointment with your doctor. even ask for a consult over the phone if that is possible.  

Answer 4

First off,  NEVER stop, increase, or decrease any prescription medication without the permission of your doctor.

It IS possible to control pre-diabetes with only diet and exercise, BUT the patient has to be extremely self-disicplined -- and most are not.  Since you can't even get up enough steam to exercise, your probably fall in to latter.  And you also need the self-discipline that there can be NO fast food.

Frankly, from your symptoms it seems like you are already an "out of Control" Diabetic.  You're tired, pee a lot, and your appetite is dropping.  These are ALL signs of uncontrolled diabetes -- NOT Metformin usage.  I'll bet your blood pressure is high, and your probably have high cholesterol.  You've probably got some tingling, numbness, or pain in your fingers, toes, feet, and legs.  You may also be having digestion problems -- either constipation or diarrhea.  Maybe sexual problems . . .?

What is more important is that you get those sugars down NOW, before they do any more damage.  Your doctor has prescribed Metformin, but that may not be enough.  Maybe metformin isn't working for you -- that is another possibility.  There are other drugs to try.  But if I am correct in my assumption, you probably need insulin injections now, to get those sugars down to a level where they can be controlled with meds, diet, and exercise.

You MUST make lifestyle changes, or you are going to die. Die slowly, possibly painfully, and with a greatly reduced quality of life.

This can ALL be avoided by strict adherence to your diet (>>NO<< fast food), more exercise (push yourself if you want to stay alive), and weight lose (even as few as 20 pounds will make a huge difference).

Answer 5

jmac8900   !

Yes it is much more than enough.

It may seem hard to believe, but there can be some positive aspects to a diagnosis of diabetes. First, unlike many other chronic illnesses, you can be in charge and you can control it. Second, the organizational skills and discipline that you develop car­ing for your diabetes can be successfully transferred to other aspects of your life. Third, once you have diabetes, you (and your doctor) will pay more attention to your health and you may in fact live longer and healthier.

Answer 6

Talk to your doctor.  It will depend on your blood work....and not just your blood sugar and A1c.  Normally the Metformin only affects you in the early months. There are other meds you can try.