How to Deal with Trulicity Side Effects?

How to Deal with Trulicity Side Effects?

Trulicity is a new diabetes medication that has seen significant success since its release to the market earlier this year. Unfortunately, while many patients have experienced no side effects at all, some have reported unpleasant symptoms ranging from mild to severe and lasting from one day to several weeks. To help you understand what’s causing your Trulicity side effects and what you can do about them, here are some of the most common Trulicity side effects and their causes and treatments.

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? Then it’s likely that you’ve started on the treatment method of your choice, whether that’s diet, exercise, or medication like the new injectable drug Trulicity. While this new treatment has helped many people lower their blood sugar levels and get their diabetes under control, there are some side effects to watch out for to ensure your health and safety. In this article, we’ll cover what to expect from Trulicity side effects and how to handle them when they occur so you can stay healthy as you continue on your diabetes treatment journey.

Tips Before Starting a New Diabetes Treatment

If you are thinking about starting a new diabetes treatment, there are some things that you can do before the treatment starts. There is nothing worse than getting started on a new treatment only to find out that you cannot tolerate it or it is not the right one for you. *Learn what other treatments might work for you and why.* *Discuss your concerns and symptoms with your healthcare provider.* *What’s the goal of taking this drug?* Take time to research and think about whether or not this medication is right for you. These may be important questions to ask yourself when determining whether or not your should start this new therapy: What other diabetes medications have worked well for me in the past? Is there a specific goal that I want this medication help me achieve? Is there anything else I need to be aware of while taking this drug?

Will my insurance cover the cost of this drug?

Does my doctor know if I am allergic to any ingredients found in this drug?

Are there any significant changes going on in my life that would make it difficult for me to take this medication (like pregnancy)?

Will someone else need to give me injections if I start using insulin instead of an oral medication?

Side Effects During and After Starting Trulicity

During your first two weeks of taking this medication, you may experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting or changes in bowel movements. While these side effects tend to be short-lived, this drug does have a number of other potential and much more serious side conditions. These can include infections of the bloodstream caused by mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) or aspergillus fumigatus (aspergillosis), as well as bacterial skin infections and allergic reactions. For this reason it is important that if you start experiencing any unusual symptoms during or after your treatment, you should let your doctor know right away. Talk to your doctor about what to do if you are pregnant and want to take Trulicity. The pregnancy category for this drug is C, which means there are no adequate studies done on pregnant women and its use has not been adequately studied. So far there have been no cases of birth defects reported but again due to lack of data it’s not recommended for use while pregnant.

Adjusting Your Trulicity Dosage

Once your body gets used to the reduced number of daily doses, you may be able to reduce your dose, in consultation with your doctor. So if you are currently taking four doses a day and want two, consult your doctor first and make sure that’s okay before reducing the number of doses you take each day. It’s also possible for you or your doctor to adjust the time between doses as well, but this can be more difficult for people who work outside the home. If changing the dosage doesn’t do enough on its own, tell your doctor about any other symptoms that may need attention. It’s best to speak up sooner rather than later so they can prescribe a course of treatment early and give you relief as soon as possible.

Other Tips

  • Try different dosages of your medication until you find the best dose for you.
  • Start taking your medication at different times of the day to see which time works best for you and makes the most difference in controlling your blood sugar levels.
  • Try taking a smaller amount of insulin before eating carbs if you have more frequent highs after taking Trulicity.
  • Wait 15 minutes after starting the injection before eating anything in order to make sure that it is already working its way through your system and helping control your blood sugar levels better than it would if you were eating right away.
  • Eat foods high in fiber, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as they can help fill you up while also keeping your blood sugar levels under control
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.
  • Exercise regularly- about 20-30 minutes per day on most days- because exercise not only helps your body release endorphins, but it can also reduce the risk of developing diabetes complications down the line
  • Meditate or do breathing exercises when you feel stressed or anxious because stress hormones (like cortisol) will raise your blood sugar levels
  • Stay healthy by getting plenty of sleep, lowering stress levels when possible, and avoiding smoking

Conclusion

Trulicity is a new insulin therapy indicated for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It contains a once-weekly, single subcutaneous injection of dapagliflozin. Trulicity lowers blood sugar by stimulating the release of glucose from the liver and improving its uptake by the tissues, as well as reducing glucose production by the liver. In clinical trials, use of Trulicity in combination with diet and exercise lowered hemoglobin A1c by 1% compared to diet and exercise alone. In addition, people treated with Trulicity had about 50% lower fasting plasma glucose levels than those taking placebo in studies that evaluated this measurement. The most common adverse reactions were genital fungal infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and decreased appetite. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Read more for these type of blogs.