Intensive and interactive medication adjustments
Whenever applicable, diabetes medications are changed or adjusted by the program endocrinologists in order to reduce or eliminate those medications that might contribute to weight gain while increasing or initiating others that have little or no impact on body weight. Diabetes medications with a proven weight loss potential are encouraged if they are not contraindicated and are approved by the patient’s medical insurance plan.
Participants treated with insulin and with HbA1c <7% are advised to reduce their prandial insulin by ~25% at the start of the program to avoid hypoglycemia. Each participant is asked to monitor his/her blood glucose between 5-8 times/day and specifically before meals, at bed time, before and after exercise sporadically after meals.
Blood glucose logs are reviewed weekly and accordingly, diabetes medications are adjusted by a diabetes nurse practitioner and/or a certified diabetes educator. Anti-obesity medications are not used in the Why WAIT program. Patients are thoroughly evaluated by the end of the 6th weeks by a diabetologist or a diabetes nurse practitioner and at the end of the program by a diabetologist.
To learn more about the full dietary intervention of the Why WAIT either join the Why WAIT program at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and read the Diabetes Breakthrough Book (Harvard Health Publication)
Copyright Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD
