Chromium in combination with diabetes medications?

Dear Dr. McLeod:

I heard your interview this past Sunday morning. I'm 43 yrs old, 295 lbs. and 5'9". I'm interested in trying the chromium picolinate supplement, but I have a couple of questions. I take Amaryl (2 mg daily) and Avandia (4 mg daily), I take both in the morning, for Type 2 diabetes. I also take Wellbutrin (150 mg daily) in the morning. I do take a Centrum multi once a day (usually before bed). What concerns should I have about taking the chromium picolinate supplement? Would the supplement have any counter-reaction with the Amaryl and/or Avandia? How would the supplement react with Wellbutrin? And, if I should not have any concerns about taking the supplement, what do you recommend the proper dosage to be? Your "rule of thumb" of 5 mg per pound would mean you would be recommending 1500 mg per day for me. Is that right? But, if each of the multivitamin pill I take contains 100 mg, should I limit myself to 2 500 mg tablets?

Thank you in advance for your attention and response.

Dear Sir,
Thank you for contacting me. First of all, I must tell you that I'm not able to offer personal advice, as that would be a shoddy attempt to practice medicine without meeting with you. So, please consult your healthcare professional.
With that caveat, let me address your several questions in a general way:

Medications for type 2 diabetes can lower blood sugar too much. Because chromium makes the body more sensitive to insulin, it might contribute to low blood sugar. On the other hand, taking chromium might allow a person to take less medications for type 2 diabetes. Again, do so under the careful supervision of your healthcare professional.

I've found that people who respond favorably to Wellbutrin also respond well to chromium. You may be able to take less Wellbutrin.

The multivitamin you're taking may contain chromium chloride, which is difficult to absorb. You may not be absorbing any appreciable amount from your multivitamin. If you decide to take chromium, I suggest you take chromium picolinate, which is readily absorbed.

My "rule of thumb" is to begin by taking 3 micrograms per pound per day, in the morning, and to increase that to 5 micrograms per pound in a week if no improvement.

Please let me know what you and your physician decide to do and the results.

Again, thank you for asking this very important question.

Malcolm McLeod