When I was first diagnosed with type II diabetes my doctor told me to try and control my blood sugar through diet and exercise. After a few months it was clear from my blood test results that I couldn't control my diabetes without the aid of some medication. My doctor prescribed glyburide and he also enrolled me in a diabetes course at the local hospital. Diet and exercise alone weren't sufficient to control my blood sugars, even with the dose of glyburide. While attending the diabetes classes at the hospital the nurse in charge recommended to my doctor that I be put on Metformin medication. It's important to understand how these two medications work. Glyburide causes the body to produce more insulin in the pancreas. In theory, increased insulin will enter the blood cells and break down the sugars. Metformin works in a different way. Metformin causes the body to produce less sugar. I went back to my doctor and based on the nurse's recommendation he replaced my prescription for glyburide with metformin.

According to the nurse at the diabetes clinic glyburide may not be good for the body as it could over-work the pancreas and damage them. Though, later on this fear was put to rest after I consulted a doctor who was a diabetes specialist.

My general practitioner doctor made me take metformin starting with low doses and then increasing the dosage after my 3-month blood work. This process continued for a year or so until I was taking the maximum allowable daily dose of metformin. Combined with a healthy diet and exercise I was able to control my blood sugars. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I managed to get my blood sugar level below 7. However, there were other problems which arose in the years following my initial use of metformin.

The metformin had a side-effect which built up with prolonged use. By the third year of use I had very bad stomach cramps and diarrhea. I tried to explain to my doctor that I thought my stomach problems were connected with the metformin, but he didn't seem to agree. Eventually I convinced my doctor to send me to a gastro-intestinal specialists. I had many tests conducted to find the cause of my stomach problems. None of these tests were pleasant. In the end the specialist said that he couldn't find anything wrong with my stomach and he suggested that I try stop taking my metformin.

I went back to my doctor who stopped my metformin medication and put me on Avandia. After three months of use the Avandia didn't helpt to control my diabetes at all. My general practitioner then sent me to a diabetes specialist. This specialist put me on glyburide. After a few months of testing I was prescribed the maximum daily dose for glyburide. I've been using glyburide for about 9 months now. I am still unable to control my blood sugars and I'm worried about the consequences to my body in the future resulting from my high blood sugars.

I now face a dilemma, either use the metformin with which I can control my diabetes and live with the daily stomach cramps and diarrhea, or find some other medicine.

When you research diabetes medications for your own use then you'll learn there aren't that many choices. There is a class of drugs such as glyburide or metformin. Then there is a third class that works to make the cells more receptive to insulin such as Avandia or Actose. My next step will be to return to my general practitioner doctor and have him refer me to the diabetes specialist doctor again to see if I can use Avandia or Actose or similar medicine in conjunction with glyburide to control my blood sugars. If all else fails then I may end up taking insulin injections sooner rather than later.