# No longer considered diabetic **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 27, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412 "2024-06-27T18:50:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/1 "2024-06-27T18:50:20Z")
I just got a phone call from my doctor who said that as a result of the blood test I took yesterday I should no longer be considered diabetic. A year ago, my A1C was 4.6%. My DIL (a family physician) thought I should drop the medication (metformin), but after consideration my doctor thought halving the dose was a good idea. The A1C is now 5.4% and now he thinks I should no longer be considered diabetic. I didn’t know such a change was even possible. The only thing I know is that I am now 60 lb less than when originally diagnosed. But my then family doctor explained that metformin would help for some years, but it was possible, even likely, that I would eventually need to inject insulin. Nope, not gonna happen. The only thing that bothers me is the possibility that I might start to gain weight. Weight loss is a known side effect of metformin (I think of it as a kind of wegovy lite) and I did lose 20 lb making no attempt at dieting during my first year on it. The other 40 lb was a direct result of dieting. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/2 "2024-06-27T19:10:25Z")
Hoo-oooray!!! If you can stay in the 5s with a clean diet, reduced body fat, and no drugs, the way it was explained to me is I’m managing the diabetic complications/ co-morbidities down to background level. Which is huge. That doesn’t alter the fact in my case, and probably in yours, that you’ve got a weak damaged pancreas. Keep letting it coast along on your low carb diet inside your thin(er) body and it’ll be good enough to last your duration. Switch to abusing that wimpy pancreas with a high carb high glycemic diet and your pancreas will scream in agony and crap out for good. Or at least that’s what I was taught and have been living the last decade plus. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/3 "2024-06-27T20:09:30Z")
Diabetes is a side effect of pancreas not working or not working optimally. You still have that problem. Stay on a decent diet. Excercise as much as you can. Still check your glucose. Go for appointments. You are very very lucky. Long term Metformin can cause kidney damage. Are your kidneys ok? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/4 "2024-06-27T20:34:49Z")
Congratulations on your improvement! Metformin seems to have several benefits that are not yet well understood. However, if your creatinine is above 150, or for other reasons, different options may be better. Of course you and your personal medical provider can decide what is best for you. Exercise and keeping an eye on your glucose make sense, as Beck noted. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/5 "2024-06-27T20:51:36Z")
Well done and do try to stay slim! ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/6 "2024-06-29T02:05:27Z")
T2 is considered to be a whack metabolism, whereas T1 is a whack pancreas. Many times, a T2 can have a pancreas pumping out insulin like crazy, but the metabolic problem of insulin resistance is causing the high blood glucose levels. I had it impressed upon me that if my HbA1c was ever in the “nondiabetic” range, I would still be diabetic. An accident, illness or super stress could knock that perfect number on its butt. Surgery is another biggie. You have a metabolic disorder. It will always be there. Tell the paramedics, the Emergency Room, your plastic sugeon, everybody that you are T2, excellent control, managed by diet, exercise, and maybe a low dose of metformin. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/7 "2024-06-29T02:10:27Z")
I used to work with a woman whose dad was considered to no longer be diabetic after losing an enormous amount of weight (\>100 pounds, via diet and exercise) and when he had his knee replaced, he had to go back on insulin! That was an unpleasant shock, but not all that surprising, and thankfully temporary. Good job, Hari! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/8 "2024-06-29T14:53:49Z")
I’m glad you posted this thread, because the exact same thing happened to me. A1C is at about 5.2 the last three tests. I haven’t made that many diet shifts other than cutting out beer and soda. I’m happy, but baffled. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/9 "2024-06-29T15:29:39Z")
Is there a standard for deciding that someone is no longer diabetic? I assume it’s having A1C below some value for a certain amount of time. Does anyone know what those numbers are? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/10 "2024-06-29T15:39:26Z")
HbA1c \<5.7% is normal. 5.7 - 6.4 is prediabetes. 6.5 and above is diabetes. Because your A1c indicates your average blood glucose level over the past 2-3 months, I believe a single reading is enough. That said, there are different methods of testing. Before retirement I was a diabetes educator. Our clinic used a point-of-care A1c machine that sometime gave suspect results. When that occurred, we confirmed the result with a lab (venous blood draw, not fingerpoke) test. We typically found the POC test to be as much as 1% lower than the lab sample (both taken within an hour of each other). mmm ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/11 "2024-06-29T17:04:38Z")
I was told by my doctor that I was pre-diabetic a number of years ago. At that time I think my A1c was mid to upper 6, so I was put on 1000mg Metformin twice a day and told to get serious about losing weight. The last time my A1c was checked it was 5.5, and over the past two years my Metformin was reduced to 1000 mg once a day, and last year 500 mg a day. I’ve dropped about 30 pounds, mostly by diet because exercise is difficult for me. With all my medical conditions I’m constantly having my blood tested. I remember creatinine being one of the things they monitor. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/12 "2024-06-29T18:14:52Z")
What is that (the 150 creatinine) in mg/dl? Mg/dl is how my results are given. Recent blood work has mine at .94 mg/dl. I have an A1C of 6.4, up .1 and a fasting glucose of 126, down from 138, both compared to six months ago. For those 6 months, I have been on 250mg of Metformin per day, which has now been doubled to 500. This talk of kidney damage has me worried. I’m a 72 year old male. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/13 "2024-06-29T19:50:35Z")
150 μg/L creatinine (in Canada, SI units) is about 1.7 mg/dL (in the United States). Talk to your doctor if metformin is appropriate for you, but it probably is. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/14 "2024-06-29T20:18:22Z")
Ok thank you! The “normal” range is given as .70 to 1.28 mg/dl by Quest Diagnostics from whom I get my test results. So 1.7 would be quite out of range. I’ll keep an eye on it. It gets tested once a year in my comprehensive metabolic panel tests and it’s always been in the normal range. It’s my GP who has me on Metformin (starting 6 months ago as I’ve said) and he has not actually said that I have diabetes. He’s only mentioned pre-diabetes. I of course hope it stays that way, or maybe goes away altogether. I know I need to lose some weight and get more active. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/15 "2024-06-29T20:29:32Z")
Just to reiterate, it has now been two years in a row of low A1C (they no longer do glucose tests since they are too variable). The reaction a year ago was to halve the metformin (from two 500 mg pills a day to one) and this time to omit it entirely. But the doc also used the phrase in the title of the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/16 "2024-06-29T20:30:37Z")
Diabetes impacts the bodies metabolism. You need insulin to balance this. Insulin comes from the pancreas. If it is impaired and can’t make enough you have to add it. If your body resists insulin you have to add medication to make it accept what you have and still may have to add insulin eventually. If you can interupt this process, you’re very lucky. If you correct your resistance you’re very lucky. Just keep it monitored. Very easy to slip back over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/17 "2024-06-30T23:07:29Z")
There is no reason to believe that the insulin isn’t made. Rather that it is made, but there is resistance to it in the cells. Now that two doctors (one my DIL) agree that I should stop the metformin, who am I to argue? T1 and T2 are very different ailments that share a name. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/18 "2024-06-30T23:08:27Z")
Yes, agreed. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/19 "2024-06-30T23:14:39Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > 150 μg/L creatinine (in Canada, SI units) is about 1.7 mg/dL (in the United States). I feel that I should point out that these are all SI units. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-longer-considered-diabetic/1003412/20 "2024-06-30T23:40:21Z")
In fact, mg/dL are usually labelled “conventional” units as per the US, and μmol/L are usually called “SI”, Système International. Both units are _metric_. But SI was made to resolve inconsistencies between MKS (metre-kilogram-second) and CGS (centimetre-gram-second). Only MKS is SI, and only subdivisions of mol/L are strictly SI when measuring concentration. Though this is a difference probably only if interest to scientists and engineers. > **[The International System of Units - A Complete Guide to the SI](https://www.inchcalculator.com/si-international-system-of-units/)** > > The International System of Units, or SI, is a system of weights and measures most commonly used world-wide, and is the modern version of the metric system.