Hi, hope you all are feeling well.


Last week my Dr. said I am Pre-diabetic. Actually he says he doesn't like this term for some reasons, so, I am diabetic.

I weigh a little over 200 pounds, and the weightgain started when I quit drinking in Jan. 2004 and quit smoking 1 year ago.
Yes, I ate more then. But.....

I'm also on Antidepressants and benzos (used to take Xanax, NOW Klonopin).

Of course my inactivity and binge eating at night doesn't help,
but I heard that certain medications *can* cause type 2 diabetes.

I forgot where I found this out.

Is this right ?
Has anyone here heard of such "side-effect" from meds. ???

Thanks. :)

I know that prednisone can cause diabetes, that is why so many people develop diabetes after a transplant. But I don't think that the meds you mentioned can cause this. I am sorry, but the most likely cause is your diet and lifestyle. Work on those and you stand a good chance of not needing any meds for quite some time.

Good luck to you.

Cora

Losing weight, eating low carb, low calorie and exercise will go a long ways in controlling your diabetes.

Being a little bit diabetic is like saying a person is a little bit pregnant. You have been given a wake up call, one you should take seriously.

Believe me, losing weight will be the best thing you ever did for yourself. I lost 65 lbs. by eating only 3 oz. lean meat plus 1/2 cup green veg plus another 1/2 green veg for lunch and dinner. Breakfast I ate oatmeal mixture of oats, oat bran, wheat bran, soy granules. Some people have good luck with oats and others do not. Unfortunately I have gained 25 lbs. back over the past 3 years and having a difficult time losing again.

Be sure and get a glucometer, test fasting, before meals, 2 hrs after meals and you will see what your food choices and portions are doing to you.

I have controlled diabetes 6 years with diet/exercise only.

Alot of meds cause weight gain which in turn can make you become diabetic. I was on Prednisone which caused it for me. Also alot of antideppresants do cause weight gain! I was on one that caused me to gain 12lbs in one week(stopped taking that right away, that was years ago though) And I do believe that Klonopin is one of those. You need to be careful what you eat(if your eating when you shouldn't, make sure it's something good for you, like veggies that are green!) Cut your carbs down(not out, but down)This will help with weight gain! I know this is hard. I wasn't DX with this very long ago, but if it can be controlled with diet and such wouldn't you rather it be done that way, had I known before all this started that I should be watching my diet I would have!

I was diagnosed "pre diabetic" back in 2004, lost 82 lbs, and started using our exercise bike every day, the first day I was on it the grand total of 7 minutes!! lol But I kept it going, do between 2 to 3 hrs now, depending on what's on tv, cause we keep the bike in the living room where we watch tv, makes the time go by fast. Going to a dietitian helps bunches too, dh lost 40 lbs. I don't count carbs, only have 2 to 4 starches per day, never measure my veggie servings. I eat at least 12 servings of veggies a day, plus 2 or 3 fruit servings per day. Have protein at every meal, meaning eggs substitutes at breakfast scrambled with about 3 cups of veggies, 3 oz. of protein at lunch, and at least 4 oz. of protein at dinner. It is not easy to do, but if you want to stay off of the meds, which we can't afford, a person has to just try to eat as well as possible every day. It will pay dividends in the end. Please see a dietitian if you can, it can make a huge difference.

The meds do not directly cause diabetes, but weight gain from meds can and does cause someone who is already predisposed to developing T2 to develop it sooner.

You've done two terrific things for yourself...you quit drinking and you quit smoking. It's not uncommon to gain weight after quitting either of those, but you still need to acknowledge your incredible accomplishment in doing both!

Some anitdepressants can also cause weight gain, or make it slightly more difficult to lose weight. Not sure which antidepressant you're on, but even if you're on one that is adding to the difficulty, it still will not be impossible to lose weight...it'll just happen more slowly.

Adding exercise would be a great way to start managing your blood glucose. Exercise makes most people more insulin-sensitive, which means your body will utilize the insulin you do produce much more efficiently. And of course exercise will also help with weight loss.

You might want to ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietician for advice on meal planning. Often you don't need to make drastic changes all at once...just small changes. For example, eliminating sodas (unless they're diet) could be a first step. Once you get used to that, you can take another step (limiting potatoes, for example). I think it's a whole lot easier to make one small change at a time and wait until it's become part of your lifestyle before making another change. Too often, people get gung-ho at first, go on really restricted diets, and then find they can't sustain it over a period of time and end up bingeing.

At any rate, it will be a lot easier for you to deal with this now, rather than waiting until you've crossed the line into full-blown T2 diabetes. Good luck!

Ruth