Posting this hear also, as I’d love to hear from others taking SGLT2-inhibitors.
“Late to reply here, but the past period I had a small boil on one buttock that came back a few weeks later. I never had any such boils on my body before.
As the boil returned in exactly the same spot, I was quite worried I may be dealing with a MRSA infection. I have been taking weekly doses of Rapa for almost half a year. But I should mention I had started taking a low daily dose of Empagliflozin (10mg) the past months also - so I’m not sure whether it is the Rapa or Empagliflozin that caused this. This small boil finally disappeared the past week, but left a dark mark. Did anyone experience this? I was especially worried because of the (case) studies discussing Fournier gangrene in patients using SGLT2-inhibitors. Albeit these patients suffered from T2D and were mostly males, this knowledge still made me feel rather uncomfortable.”
Here’s a thought, skip the meds and the possibility of myriad known side effects and many that will invariably reveal themselves over time, and try cinnamon. Lowers BP, glucose spikes, A1C,inflammation, and lipids.
Safe,effective,cheap.
Does that actually give you results? I’ve tried cinnamon powder (not Cassia because of Coumarin), sulforaphane, supplements such as bitter melon, and so on. And not just briefly but consistently for a longer period of time - never saw a change in post-prandial bg-levels or in Hba1c-levels. Did your Hba1c and post-prandial bg-levels actually change as a result of eating some cinnamon powder with every meal?
I have tried a host of blood glucose lowering supplements over the years, including bitter melon, berberine etc. The only thing that has a significant effect on my levels is metformin.
I am also now taking empagliflozen, not to lower my A1c, but because it has other useful benefits. I don’t really know if it has had an effect on my A1c because I haven’t been taking it for a long enough time.
As they say “Results may vary” depending on individual body chemistry etc.
“Empagliflozin reduced the risk of CV death irrespective of the use of: metformin”
“The addition of empagliflozin to antihyperglycaemic regimens of patients with type 2 diabetes and CV disease consistently reduced their risks of adverse CV outcomes and mortality irrespective of baseline use of metformin, SU or insulin. For chronic kidney disease progression, there may be a larger benefit from empagliflozin in those patients who are not using metformin.”
https://dom-pubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dom.13938
I’ve seen Ceylon extract help diabetics. Studies seem to indicate multiple benefits.
I’ve taken 1tbsp of Ceylon cinnamon with every meal for 1.5 years without seeing any effects on my post-prandial BG-levels. This is why I asked if you have noted a change in your BG-levels yourself? I took a patented bitter melon extract twice per day for a year that in studies (that I assume were sponsored) resulted in a decrease in BG-levels. Nothing. There are studies with regard to Sulforaphane’s effect on BG-levels. I ate 100g broccoli (Calabrese) sprouts for years, took a patented sulforaphane supplement prior to that for a year. Also didn’t see any difference when I did or didn’t take it. Perhaps I’m the outlier, however positive results bias in research is a known problem. Commonly research findings can’t be reproduced. https://www.nature.com/articles/533452a
Either way, my Hba1c levels weren’t bad, but I did not want to start taking Rapamycin without adding a supplement/drug that would keep my BG-levels in check given the discussed effect Rapa can have on BG-levels. Supplements in the past had no effect apparent on my BG-levels; neither did sulforaphane or Ceylon cinnamon. So I first tried Metformin, and months ago switched to Empagliflozin.
Many people have virtually no impact on their A1C with rapamycin. You have to decide on your own the benefit/ risk ratio.
Yes - I think I’ve only seen a small percent here I the forums that have had an impact on their blood glucose measures when on rapamycin. I’ve certainly never experienced it, and it seems relatively rare. I like Acarbose and the SLGT2 inhibitors just for their glucose spike elimination.
Speaking of Acarbose, does anyone know if it blunts benefits form exercise similar to Metformin ?
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Well then there are the other potential benefits of SGLT2-inhibitors when it comes to cardiovascular health, discussed in some studies. And if we look at the ITP-studies blunting glucose spikes may be important. So I felt this was a reasonable approach.
Albeit I still don’t understand why such additional life extension is seen in male rodents when Rapa is combined with a SGLT2-inhibitor or acarbose and not in female rodents. As a female I’m not sure if I should take note and adjust my supplement/drug regimen.
This would seem to support your position:
A histopathological study was conducted on 22-month-old mice to see if Cana retarded diverse forms of age-dependent pathology. This agent was found to diminish incidence or severity, in male mice only, of cardiomyopathy, glomerulonephropathy, arteriosclerosis, hepatic microvesicular cytoplasmic vacuolation (lipidosis), and adrenal cortical neoplasms. Protection against atrophy of the exocrine pancreas was seen in both males and females. Thus, the extension of lifespan in Cana-treated male mice, which is likely to reflect host- or tumor-mediated delay in lethal neoplasms, is accompanied by parallel retardation of lesions, in multiple tissues, that seldom if ever lead to death in these mice. Canagliflozin thus can be considered a drug that acts to slow the aging process and should be evaluated for potential protective effects against many other late-life conditions.
…the current data establish that Cana, like rapamycin, calorie restriction diets, and hypopituitary mutations, can be considered as an anti-aging intervention, in that it delays many forms of lethal and non-lethal age-dependent decline.
Cana does extend lifespan and delays the onset of cancer only in males.It also shows anti aging effects across a spectrum of tissue types . These effects were predominantly only in males as well.
The lifespan extension in males only was similar to acarbose.
This leads them to speculate that the etiology of these effects was a blunting of glucose spikes, since that would seem to be the common denominator with both acarbose and Cana. That doesn’t explain the the difference between males and females since , quite obviously, females also have glucose spikes.
The other issue is that both acarbose and Cana have mTOR inhibition properties which muddies the water. Of course, this presents the same issue of trying to resolve the male/ female problem.
The good news is that Cana has anti aging properties in males, but the bad news is that it leaves open many questions, especially regarding the mechanism of action and the discrepancy between males and females.
Oh wow, this changes how I think about the SGLT-2 inhibitors.
My thinking went like:
“Lower dose SGLT-2 helps only when blood glucose is very high due to some high-GI food (for e.g. preventing glucose levels from crossing 160). But to make sure that glucose levels didn’t cross, for example 130-140, on medium-GI food, I thought only a higher dose SGLT-2 inhibitor would help.”
But if there is a dose-dependent decrease in trough levels with SGLT-2 inhibitors, I should be more careful about when I use them.
For e.g. high SGLT-2 while on an extended fast can be a bit harmful based on this graph. Previously I thought it’d just be useless, not necessarily harmful. I guess the graph also makes sense based on the reported risk of SGLT-2 inhibitors increasing the chance of ketoacidosis (?)
When I was taking 2g of metformin daily, I experienced hypoglycemia. I found out when I thought I was having a heart attack and went into the hospital and we found out it was from the metformin. Reduced to 1g a day and symptoms got better. Went to 500 mg a day and even better. Now I cycle 500 mg every other day with no symptoms.
Have you tried even lower doses of metformin? My current hunch is that on even lower doses, the issues with metformin affecting exercise benefits, etc. might be insignificant. I currently take 250mg berberine every now and then. E.g. after a high GI-meal, when I want to suppress appetite, etc.
Aaah… Just when I feel I have things somewhat figured out, I get thrown off by new reports.
I’m thinking that there different types of benefits of exercise, and it’s best if we understand what happens to the different purported benefits under different conditions.
I thought that the only time high blood sugar may be beneficial might be during exercise, where it could help with increasing the glycogen capacity of muscles, which in turn could decrease insulin resistance, etc. Of course, fasted training also has benefits in terms of increased autophagy, etc. and I thought it’s best to cycle between these. But am I wrong with the first hypothesis?
The pill size is 500 mg. Actually, it is pretty good at this dosage every other day.
Sorry I looked through the thread, but can’t find it. Based on what research did you conclude this? Thanks.
I’m wondering if hypoglycaemia is what I’m experiencing also. I will wake up in the morning and can feel my heart racing a bit. I should test my BG-levels at that moment.
Is this one of the symptoms you had also? Thanks.
On the topic of SGLT2 inhibitors, a new study:
I think the benefits are looking far greater than the risks in diabetics. For the healthy person looking for longevity, I’m not as certain.