Diabetes - Banaba Leaf

QUESTION: I just want to ask you if it's okay to take lagerstroemia speciosa or banaba leaf supplement for my diabetes and I'm already have taking gluocophage, glyburide, for my diabetes. and taking toprol, coozar, hydrochlorothiazide for my blood pressure. is it okay to take it? Thank you, Teresita

ANSWER: Dear Teresita,

Thanks for your email. Unfortunately, Glyburide is a drug which often interacts with many other substances paradoxically, or the opposite of the way you would expect by raising blood sugar, which you do not want. I have found that when Glyburide is taken with Glucoright, the blood sugar will often go up. When Glucoright is given by itself, however, it helps to lower the blood sugar level.

GlucoRight contains Banaba leaf, which has been shown to produce dramatic drops in blood sugar levels of adult onset diabetics; Momardica Charantia (Balsam pear), which appears to increase insulin sensitivity as well as stimulate increased insulin production; Gymnema sylvestra, which increases enzymatic activity involved in glucose utilization, promotes regeneration of Islets of Langerhans and increases circulating insulin levels; Vanadyl Sulfate, which increases glucose uptake into muscle and fat, lowers elevated levels of sugar in the blood and decreases the production of sugar by the liver; and Chromium, which increases Insulin receptor sensitivity and enhances glucose uptake into muscle cells and out of the blood stream.

Glyburide may be a problem for you anyway because you are also taking hydrochlorothiazide, one of the drugs known to interact badly with it, causing an increase of blood sugar. Please see the Contraindication listed below:

"Certain drugs tend to produce hyperglycemia and may lead to loss of control. These drugs include the thiazides and other diuretics, corticosteroids, phenothiazines, thyroid products, estrogens, oral contraceptives, phenytoin, nicotinic acid, sympathomimetics, calcium channel blocking drugs, and isoniazid. When such drugs are administered to a patient receiving glyburide, the patient should be closely observed for loss of control. When such drugs are withdrawn from a patient receiving glyburide, the patient should be observed closely for hypoglycemia." (Source: http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/glybur_ad.htm)

I would recommend that you ask your doctor to allow you to go off of Glyburide and see how you do without it. Then you could safely take Glucoright.

For more information about Glucoright, please click here

Best in health,
Dr. Hansen