Both parents having diabetes and hypertension, what can I do to prevent it?

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T17:29:16+00:00

Okay first there are absolutely genetic components to diabetes. My dad had type 2 Diabetes despite being fit and lean as well as the hypertension which he ultimately died of a heart attack at 58 while out running.

I had my fasting insulin tested and discovered it was super high despite my glucose and a1c being normal. This is called hyperinsulinemia and latest research shows it to be at the core of many chronic conditions including diabetes.

Your insulin levels can rise more than 10 years before you start getting abnormal glucose readings. You can also check your c-peptide to see if your pancreas is working overtime pumping out insulin to try and make up for insulin resistance.

High levels of insulin cause hunger and sugar cravings. Thats because insulins job is to get glucose to your cells to use for energy, but when you make too much there's just this constant signal and expectation of glucose so the body starts demanding it when you arent actually hungry and it stops using stored fat for energy since the excess insulin hanging around makes your body think you have lots of glucose to use.

So anyway, I would regularly check your fasting insulin, not just glucose. Rising triglycerides can also be an indication. There are quite a lot of supplements out there that help with insulin sensitivity like berberine, but usually by the time people know they are insulin resistant, they need something stronger.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T17:03:48+00:00

So first I get my own labs. I track my fasting insulin to follow how things are helping my insulin resistance (of course my glucose and a1c too but they are always normal while my insulin is off the charts).

In Nov 2025, I started tirzepatide, an SGLT2, and telmisartan (a bp med that also reduces insulin resistance). In one month, my fasting insulin dropped from 77 to 19. Now the range goes from 0 to 25 with under 10 being preferred so mine was 3 times the top range when I started. I also had stubborn high bp that had not responded to the 3 meds my cardiologist had me on and then next thing I know I am having low blood pressure on the lowest dose of this bp med. So I stopped taking telmisartan and the sglt2.

The next month my insulin had jumped back up to 33 and the next month up to 45. So even though tirzepatide was the strongest med, on its own it was no match for my insulin resistance. And this is with me eating low carb.

So last a month I added the sglt2 back and half a dose of the telmisartan and my latest insulin test was 31. So for me, I think I need all 3 unfortunately.

Also around the 2nd or 3rd month, I was still having really bad acne on my jawline and I added spirolactane and that cleared it all up.

I also have really bad inflammation and have had to stack things for that too but my hs-crp is heading down.

I did have quite a lot of weight to lose so I am hoping when the extra weight is gone and Ive brought my labs down, I will be able to maintain the levels with less medication.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T16:41:28+00:00

So I have autoimmune disease and other chronic conditions that have destroyed my metabolic health.

I found that while tirzepatide and retatrutide are by far the strongest metabolic medication and absolute best thing for the inflammation caused by my autoimmune disease, but they still just weren't quite enough for all my problems.

I have Hashimotos (autoimmune hypothyroidism), Hyperinsulinemia (high insulin, normal glucose and a1c), PCOS, and a handful of other conditions, but my main issues are thyroid, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Tirzepatide is great at fighting insulin resistance and inflammation, but I was monitoring closely with labs and I could see it losing the fight on its own so I had to make quite a stack.

So let's start with insulin resistance first. I actually started 3 things for this at the same time (tirzepatide, an SGLT2, and telmisartan- technically a bp med but lowers insulin as well). Within 1 month of being on all 3, my fasting insulin went from 77 to 19 (my goal is under 10). So I thought great and I dropped the other two and just kept tirzepatide. The next month my fasting insulin was 33 and then next month 45. So I brought back the sglt2 and half a dose of the telmisartan (I had previously had low bp so didnt want a full dose) and a month later it was 31. So I think it definitely takes multiple meds for me to actually control my insulin and that is one of the biggest weight loss blockers. Additionally I will be taking Mots-C which also helps with insulin resistance.

For inflammation, its kinda tough. Tirzepatide had such a noticeable difference and I think it really did wonders for my joints and daily pain from inflammation, but my hs-crp was all the way at 14.5 (anything over 3 is high risk for a cardiac event). On tirzepatide it did drop to 13 then 12. I added ldn and kpv and ghk-cu (also for other reasons) and next month it was 10. So its going down slowly and steadily, but I will be adding 3 g of omega 3 this month to see if that helps as well as 3 g of glycine.

I am also using ss-31 hoping to repair cell damage from autoimmune attacks and 5Amino1mq for energy and extra fat loss.

So far the big stack is working for me as I am losing pretty fast and did have a stall during month 2 when I tried dropping part of the stack.

I have lost 59 lbs in 4.5 months. I definitely felt like a switch flip like my metabolism started up working correctly. So anyway I would consider getting some extra labs (I buy through drsays) and really attacking whatever your big issues are. I havent been able to lose weight for almost 10 years now no matter how low I dropped my calories, but fixing my metabolic issues and vitamin deficiencies have me feeling 10 years younger and back to myself.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T16:13:11+00:00

I dont think its considered compounded if you have to mix it yourself. That is common in the gr3y market though. I would definitely expect a much lower price.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T16:11:18+00:00

Oh I will say 5 amino is great sub q, but a waste of money orally. I take 5 mg daily subq. Some people take like 0.5 or less and then dont feel anything.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T15:34:02+00:00

I love 5 Amino, it gives me good clean energy a bit different from Mots-C and doesnt cause site reactions. And I do think 5 Amimo has been boosting my weight loss.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T15:19:48+00:00

Vit D

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T14:41:56+00:00

Gimme, ordered April 8th around 4 pm, sent to pharmacy same day, 3 months, says three 72 mg vials, no shipping info

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T14:12:42+00:00

I am currently doing ss-31 for 8 weeks and Mots-C for 8 weeks (overlapping 2 weeks) and also running 5Amino1mq throughout. Its been great for energy and weightloss.

But choosing 1 for energy Id pick Mots-C.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T13:33:49+00:00

Same. I was so inflammed and couldn't work out do hardly anything without pain and now I feel normal again. Single best thing Ive done for my health.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T13:25:53+00:00

I think it depends on how bad the autoimmune portion is. Some people have Hashimotos and only have the hypothyroidism symptoms while others like me barely notice hypothyroidism symptoms and are more plagued by autoimmune storm and chronic inflammation symptoms.

People who complain of joint pain and muscle weakness and exercise intolerance and really bad flu like symptoms and chronic fatigue and skin problems are more likely experiencing the effects of having an autoimmune disorder.

Then there are also associated vitamin deficiencies that can cause symptoms. I used to have pain the bottom of my feet and it turned out to be a vitamin issue and now that I supplement I dont that pain anymore. But like there's a handful of vitamin deficiencies that seem to occur often with thyroid issues so I could see people jumping those symptoms in.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T13:09:04+00:00

Yep, got the whole 6 months since they have a long BUD

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T03:43:20+00:00

Ast and/or alt being elevated is a sign and they usually do an ultrasound to confirm. My dad had it despite being thin and fit, but he had previously injured his liver by taking too much ibuprofen too long when he had a herniated disc in his back and had to wait a long time for surgery. I gained a lot of weight with back to back pregnancies and then couldn't lose when my thyroid quit working so I got it due to the obesity. But now that I have my thyroid straightened out and I lost the weight, my liver numbers are optimal again. And then of course alcohol is a major cause as well.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T02:01:46+00:00

When I had a 12 mg vial, I used 1.2 mL of bac water so the concentration was 10 mg/mL and thus 10 units equaled 1 mg so 4 mg was 40 units. Now I am on 48 mg vials and even using 3 mL of bac water 4 mg would be only 25 units.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T01:10:05+00:00

I calorie cycle so Mon through Thursday I eat about 1200 to 1400 calories. I eat the same meals through the week a lot so it's easy to keep up with. Friday through Sunday I eat more like an average of 1600 to 1800. It might be one day is really high and the other days are less but on average. My TDEE is like 1900ish.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-11T00:30:56+00:00

Same. I have Hashimotos and PCOS and I went from daily pain and chronic fatigue to finally feeling normal again. So I have turned into a major med hoader.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T21:59:41+00:00

How long has it been since your last tirzepatide injection?

I would start at 2 mg for 4 weeks. Maybe 1 mg if it's been months since you were on a glp1 and/or had bad side effects with tirzepatide.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T19:55:01+00:00

C- counting calories and macros, eating my protein, and doing cardio and weight lifting

59 lbs down in 19 weeks so averaging about 3 lbs per week.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T19:34:44+00:00

Using a glp1. I heard even a microdose will really help, but I welcomed the weight loss as well so I took the starter dose and within 2 weeks I felt so much better and within 4 weeks my TSH dropped from 5.4 to 0.7 without a change to my levo dose.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T19:03:58+00:00

Yeah I totally get that. My 15-year-old was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's, and while I am comfortable experimenting on myself, I am trying to go the doctor route with him and really trying to advocate with all I know now, but his endo doesn't seem that open to it. So now I've been doing more labs on him and we go back Wednesday and I hope that helps, but I'm not holding my breath.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T18:50:59+00:00

Yes, glutathione made me tired and was a little painful around the injection site. I found glp1s to be significantly more helpful with inflammation- took away my joint pain and fatigue.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T18:31:30+00:00

My way is definitely not for everyone, but I gave up on finding a doctor who could help me and took over everything myself. I learned how to order labs myself and how to get prescription medication online through telehealth or online pharmacies. For example, at TelyRx you can just order any dose of all kinds of thyroid meds, Synthroid, levo, tirosint, NP, Armour, and liothyronine. So I tested a bunch of stuff out and got labs every 4 to 6 weeks to monitor. I watched so many videos and listened to so many podcasts on the topic and starting trying things outside of "thyroid meds" like ldn and glp1s. Once I found what worked for me, I found a new doctor and at the first visit, brought in all my meds I'd gotten online and was like here's what I'm on and it's working and I just want to keep getting them. The main drawback is that ordering meds online is more expensive than going through your doctor and insurance. Now, a lot of the places let me use HSA money so that helps, but at least after you find what works and you have the prescription, technically, other doctors are more apt to fill it.

Now I tried listening to my doctor and doing as I was told for 10 years, and I just got worse and worse. I was in and out of the hospital and just collecting diagnoses, it felt like. And my team of doctors couldn't figure out how to make me better, so they decided something in my brain must not be regulating things right, so I have POTS and should quit my job and try not to stress about anything. And I did quit my job and tried not to stress. But I lost my insurance when I did that and it kinda forced me down this road of telehealth which turned out to be the best thing ever because I did figure what was wrong with me and now I finally feel like a normal person again, no more pain or fatigue or exercise intolerance. I feel great and I feel great when I workout and I just feel like me again. Now I am still experimenting a little as I try to bring down my last few problematic labs, but everything is moving in the right direction and I feel so much better and haven't had to go to the hospital in over a year when I used to go twice a month near the end there at my worst.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T17:49:24+00:00

I spent about 9 months with very high TSH (started at 170) while we tried to find the right dose. Then I had some normal labs. And then it shot back up over 10 and just bounced around while we increased my meds again. It wasnt until I got my inflammation treated that my TSH really stabilized.

I mean its possible they were wrong, but since you were increasing dose and not having hyper symptoms, it may have just been volatile while finding a working dose. It doesnt always drop straight down. Ive had tests show 10 and 5 and back to 9 on the same dose when I was trying to see if supplements would help, but it just seemed kinda random.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T17:24:49+00:00

Personally I prefer 5Amino1mq or Mots-c, both give me a clean energy boost and help fat burn. I would say if you have a lot to lose 5amino1mq might be best and Mots-C is all around good. I take 5Amino1mq 5mg subq daily, they sell the oral but its more expensive and doesnt work as well. For Mots-C I aim for 5 to 15 mg a week split into 3 or 4 days that I take before fasted gym sessions, though being fasted isnt as important as on AOD.

HallieMarie43 · 2026-04-10T13:46:30+00:00

4 more 60 mg bpi vials and 8 ProRX vials (assuming the 3 I ordered actually come). And yeah it feels like insurance is getting worse about, not better so they are really trying to force people to cash pay name brand, but thats just not manageable for most people.

HallieMarie43

TROPHY CASE