Welcoming Welchol

Dear Frankenduf,

I also thought that metformin could cause a little weight loss. But I quoted Dr. Handelsman to the contrary. In any case, the effect is minimal.

Best regards,

David

It's my understanding that metformin alone won't make the pounds melt off with no effort, but it can help you lose weight if you're also doing diet and exercise. I know someone who had been trying to lose weight for years, with no success. She was finally Dx'd with type 2 and given metformin and was then able to lose 60 pounds and is now normal weight. However, she continues a very strict diet and walks or runs for an hour every day.

She said she simply couldn't lose without the metformin.

To me this is similar to David's weight loss on Byetta. It helped, but he probably wouldn't have lost the weight if he'd spent his days on a lounge chair watching football games and drinking beer.

I know someone else who says that without metformin, she'll pack on pounds when she eats carbs.

Of course, both of these examples are annecdotal.

I'm sure Dr. Handelsman has a reason for his conclusions. But his interview was arranged by the drug company that is selling Wellchol, and one should evaluate his comments in that light.

I took another bile acid sequestrant a long time ago, and it caused severe constipation. I now have diverticulosis and wonder if the BAS was a contributor to that, so I tend to run in the other direction when someone suggests a BAS. However, Welchol isn't supposed to have this effect.

Allison Goldfine, who wrote the introduction to my T2 book, had an article on Welchol here.

metformin did NOT lead to either appetite or wgt loss for me but to increase of both.  nor did it help control BG but did cause extreme gastric distress and insufferable fatigue. I will never touch it again. 

well, it more likely is:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4756

perhaps your emphasis is to imply that low HDL is associated with increased morbidity/mortality than high LDL, but that point would be subsumed by the double whammy of concurrent high LDL/low HDL which is precisely why this metabolic syndrome is so dangerous

My emphases was that the official description of Metabolic syndrome includes low HDL, but does not include high LDL. Metabolic syndrome has official criteria to what it includes, and high LDL is not one of them. Having a pattern of small LDL particles usually is seen in people who have metabolic syndrome, but it also is not officially the criteria for the diagnosis.

Dear Dr. Parker,

Thank you for pointing out my typo. I just fixed it.

Best regards,

David

Thank you, David, for bringing this drug to my attention.  I try hard to stay up to date, but hadn't heard of this one, or had forgotten about it.

By my count, we now have 10 classes of drugs to treat type 2 DM.  When I started my medical career over two decades ago we only had three. 

I appreciate all you do for people with diabetes. 

-Steve 

Dear Dr. Parker,

Ten is my count too, and I list, describe, and link them at http://www.mendosa.com/drugs.htm

In the U.S. before 1995 when the FDA finally approved metformin, the only classes of drugs that we had to control our diabetes were insulin and the sulfonylureas. And in at least one respect both of them made it HARDER for us to control our diabetess because they cause us to gain weight.

Best regards,

David

My dr. just prescribed Welchol because I am also intolerant of statin drugs.  He said that Welchol has almost no side effects.  I will err on the cautious side myself, but am disappointed that you had muscle pain and/or weakness with this drug also.................it makes me not want to start it, but I will give it a try. 

You're right - I wonder how many physicians would endure the horrible muscle pain that a lot of patients experience on statins.  Incredibly, I was told at first to take a Motrin every day..............like that would help!  Good luck in your search for a remedy that will help you.

I have only been on this drug for 2 days but i have not had any bad side affect and i am taking 3 pills 2 times a day I have diareah almost daily and so far havent had it in the 2 days so far i like it but only time will tell, i am on tricor and metformin