Advice needed

O

Olive

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I am a diabetic 2 and for some years have been on Sukarto sr tablets
2 in the am and 2 in the early evening....The Dr has now taken me off these
tablets as he believes they are the cause if my IBS (can only describe it as that)
my problem has corrected itself, I am concerned at what my sugar levels are
(the Dr is not ringing me for another week) I have been eating sensible no
different to when I was taking them and not putting on weight....Has anyone
on the forum ever had this problem with sukarto and what medicine was
given to replace the tablets? also what can I do to check my bloods I
believe there are various monitors on the market but I am not rich so any advice greatfully received
 
Toucan

Toucan

Forum Host
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello Olive,
I hope that things go on Ok for you without the Sukarto. Is the GP suggesting any alternative?
If you are eating sensibly then it may be that you don't need them any more.
Do you know what your blood sugar level was last time it was tested?

A meter is a very good way to monitor.
SD Gluco Navii is one that many people use, and test-review-adjust gives information on how to go about testing.
 
O

Olive

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Toucan said:
Hello Olive,
I hope that things go on Ok for you without the Sukarto. Is the GP suggesting any alternative?
If you are eating sensibly then it may be that you don't need them any more.
Do you know what your blood sugar level was last time it was tested?

A meter is a very good way to monitor.
SD Gluco Navii is one that many people use, and test-review-adjust gives information on how to go about testing.
Click to expand...
Thank you for replying - My Dr will ring me sometime first week of Sept my Blood Sugar level at the
last meeting with the diabetic nurse was I believe 7 - Ive made a note of the monitor and advice you gave me I
think I need to get in touch with the surgery for a test before the Dr hands out more pills..I am reluctant to take
more medication I was also taken off a cholesterol lowering tablet because it gave me cramps in my legs I am starting to feel worried about all this
 
Toucan

Toucan

Forum Host
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello @Olive
It's good that you are going to get a test and the surgery, and then I'm sure some appropriate medication can be sorted out for you.
I think that getting cramps because of cholesterol tablets happens to quite a lot of people, so try not to worry to much.
Worry and stress only make things worse, and I'm sure there will be a helpful solution for you.

If you find that your blood sugar levels are still a little bit high, then please let us know. There is plenty of help available here on what to do to improve them.
 
B

Becka

Well-Known Member
Olive said:
Has anyone on the forum ever had this problem with sukarto and what medicine was given to replace the tablets?
Click to expand...

Gastrointestinal problems are the most common side-effect of Metformin, of which Sukkarto is a brand. So that is not unusual, though for most people it only affects them for the first few weeks whilst they adjust to the medication.

What medication is used instead will depend on the individual, such as the state of their diabetes and other medications and conditions. A DPP-4 Inhibitor, also called a Gliptin, seems to be the most commonly prescribed alternative where Metformin is unsuitable.

There was a recent thread by someone else who made that change and I explained the difference between the two medications. If you are interested that can be seen here:

forum.diabetes.org.uk

Changing medication

Hello there. Fairly new to this. I recently changed my medication from sukkarto to alogliptin. The side effects were just too much. The first 3 days my blood readings have jumped up by a couple at all times in the day. Is this normal and will it drop back down when I get settled down. First time...
forum.diabetes.org.uk forum.diabetes.org.uk

Incidentally, when you say you blood level was 7 in September, do you mean a fasting level or your HbA1c? If you are unsure, if the nurse just pricked your finger to take the reading during the appointment it will just be a fasting level. You would also have been told not to eat before appointment. That only shows what you blood glucose was at that exact moment (7 mmol/L) so is not a reliable indication of your overall control.

An HbA1c is a proper blood test, one with a syringe and off to the lab, and shows your average levels over a period of six to twelve weeks. There are two different scales used for that with the older one sometimes still used in the way that a nurse may tell you your weight in stones even though they record it in kilogrammes. A 7 would be a normal diabetic reading in the old system.

An HbA1c of 7% (which is 53 mmol/mol in the new system) is a little over the normal diabetic target level of 6.5% (48 mmol/mol). A healthy non-diabetic reading, incidentally, is under 6% (42 mmol/mol). So if that is your HbA1c level I do not think you have anything to worry about in the short term until you on a new medication.
 
grovesy

grovesy

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
If the bowel problems have stopped since stopping the tablets, then that would be enough for me to say they are the cause. You GP sounds on the ball as many try to encourage people to continue,despite it been a common side effect.
 
O

Olive

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Thanks all for the replies it does help to talk to people
even though for the moment I have to wait till Sept. I'll
just try hard with the food intake
 
I

ianf0ster

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
If you keep cutting the carbs out of your meals then coming off the Metformin (Sukarto SR) isn't going to have much effect on your BG levels. Reducing carbs in the diet has a much bigger effect than either Metformin or additional exercise.
 
everydayupsanddowns

everydayupsanddowns

Administrator
Staff member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Welcome to the forum @Olive

Hope the phone appointment goes well. As others have suggested, moderating your carbohydrate intake could well help keep up your BG on target without the Sukkarto, but if necessary there are other medications that might help your body regulate BG effectively.

Let us know how you get on :)
 
O

Olive

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello all, I said I would tell you how I got on its been a while and as I said the Dr. was ringing me beginning of September
well he didn't so had to wait for an appointment with the Diabetic Nurse two weeks further on I am off the Sukarto and my test said the result of the sugar was 9 up 2 from 7 as I last reported the nurse must have told the Dr he forgot to ring and he phoned and put me back on the Sukarto to see how the IBS problem was fairing !! well I will stop this here as the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing anymore ...I have decided to buy a meter to test my own bloods and I really have not got a clue how to do this, do I test before a meal and then after ?..sorry to bother you all but life stinks with this covid.
 
Drummer

Drummer

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Yes, testing just before you start to eat and them two hours later should help you to adjust your carbohydrate intake down and get you to normal blood glucose levels.
I use the Spirit Healthcare tee 2 meter as it is cheap to use and it seems accurate. The tablets were killing me after a few weeks so I stopped them and just used diet to control my BG level - I have no trouble at all now.
 
everydayupsanddowns

everydayupsanddowns

Administrator
Staff member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
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