After months of being borderline, my glucose levels are suddenly super high (16-30 at all times) and metformin/gliclazide doesn't work.

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Chessfan

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Type 2
So I was diagnosed as borderline a few months ago. Then I went on a cruise and 1) drank far more alcohol than I ever have in my life and 2) got Covid. After coming back, I had a test that showed my mmol/L as 23. I started treatment on metformin 1000mg. No change. Upped by the nurse to 2000mg. No change. Added gliclazide 80mg. No change. gliclazide 160mg. No change. Now I'm changing to gliclazide 320mg and... I'm just gonna go out on a limb here and guess there will be no change.

I'm not sure why this is happening all so suddenly. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you think covid could be the cause?

I've searched around and the only similar topics I found had people suggesting it could be T1. I guess this could be the case, but to be blunt... I'm fat as hell, so it's probably T2.

Thinking about it, I say no change. Not in glucose levels. But my symptoms (constant thirst, needing to pee in the night) have improved a lot.
 
Now you are using Gliclazide you need to be more careful about how you eat as you can have hypos and DKA when taking it, but are you limiting your carb intake and still seeing high numbers?
Any unexpected weightloss?
I saw higher numbers after Covid, which settled down after a while, I think - I was never told about the rise so did not do any checking.
 
Drummer said:
Now you are using Gliclazide you need to be more careful about how you eat as you can have hypos and DKA when taking it, but are you limiting your carb intake and still seeing high numbers?
Any unexpected weightloss?
I saw higher numbers after Covid, which settled down after a while, I think - I was never told about the rise so did not do any checking.
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Since my levels are so high, my nurse says I don't really need to worry about hypos. Frankly, I'd love to be able to worry about them. My blood glucose levels are permanently in the high teens and 20s.

As for carb intake, I've been improving it to some extent but my diet is still pretty bad at the moment.

I've been losing a significant amount of weight, presumably due to the diabetes more than anything.
 
Chessfan said:
Since my levels are so high, my nurse says I don't really need to worry about hypos. Frankly, I'd love to be able to worry about them. My blood glucose levels are permanently in the high teens and 20s.

As for carb intake, I've been improving it to some extent but my diet is still pretty bad at the moment.

I've been losing a significant amount of weight, presumably due to the diabetes more than anything.
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Ah - an ordinary type 2 tends to be able to put on weight really easily - I'd suggest trying to get your insulin output tested as that might be the problem, a lack of insulin rather than too much.
 
Yes, being overweight to start with may lead health professionals to assume type 2, but it's possible to be overweight and develop type 1 or underweight and develop type 2.

If you've cut carbohydrates at least some and are on that level of medication with absolutely no change, plus are losing weight when you don't think you've cut calories enough to do that, then I would definitely be asking them to do the blood tests to check for insulin production and type 1 antibodies.

Have you estimated what your current and previous carbohydrate intakes were by the way?
 
Hi. Definitely reduce the carbs and ask for T1 tests.
 
I'll talk to my nurse about the possibility of T1. Thanks guys.

After taking two glicazide tablets (usually take only 1) before dinner today, and then measuring after dinner, my bg was 14.6. Still super high, but the lowest I've tested since I started treatment. However, later on that night it rose to 19. Not sure what to make of it.
 
Sounds as if you have type1 diabetes and not type2.
 
Chessfan said:
I'll talk to my nurse about the possibility of T1. Thanks guys.

After taking two glicazide tablets (usually take only 1) before dinner today, and then measuring after dinner, my bg was 14.6. Still super high, but the lowest I've tested since I started treatment. However, later on that night it rose to 19. Not sure what to make of it.
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Yep, you need Type 1 ruled out. It’s not just a childhood condition. More adults than children are diagnosed with it, and are often wrongly assumed to be Type 2.

Gliclazide isn’t ideal if you do have Type 1 as it can squeeze the life out of your remaining beta cells. Go back and ask for the Type 1 tests.
 
Don’t ask for them politely but insist on them firmly.
 
If you do a search, you will find there is a very strong link between having Covid and developing type1 diabetes.
 
For sure, I'm pretty sure that's what kicked mine off!
 
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