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Am scared

M

Midnight Caller

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Good afternoon,after having a very bad reaction to Metformin I have been put on Gliclazide 80mg which as yet I have not taken, I feel I am being pressurised into taking medication rather than addressing diet control,this is when after being prediabetic for many years my husband died and T2 kicked in shortly after,hence I am scared of the side effects in being on my own and no support from my GP,I was told not to use a blood glucose meter,so how do I know if things are getting better or stable,if anyone can reassure me by sharing their experiences would be very reassuring,I am this week awaiting a CBM on a 10 day trial.
Thank you
 
dont be scared gliclazide is there to help you hopefully you will not have any side effects. you want to test your BG you go ahead and test it Meters can be brought very cheeply its the cost of the test strips you need to get an eye on. by all means its your right to test your bg after all how can you know the effects of your diet.
im sorry to hear you lost your husband it must be hard for you i know but you will go on and survive.
Welcome to the forum Have a good look around lots of help here Members are very good are giving support/ Remember no question to small large or to silly mine included
take care look forward to getting to know you
gail
 
Hi @Midnight Caller, I took gliclazide after having unpleasant side effects from metformin and it worked well alongside slow release metformin and changing my diet to reduce my carb intake. My thought for you is that you take it and see what happens and hope your experience is like mine and most others who take it. If it doesn't, then you can always stop it and try something else.
 
I hope you are less stressed these days. I see from previous posts times have been tough. I personally think using a BG meter is helpful. However you need a purpose for the use eg test immediately before eating something new and 2 hours after you started. Some people react badly to porridge. I get spikes from pasta I've bought an alternative from Holland and Barrett or you could test once a day eg first thing in the morning and hopefully watch the numbers gradually reducing. The surgeries won't pay for the meter. They are cheap but check out the forum for recommendations as some use expensive test strips.
However if your general anxiety will worsen if testing then don't.
Do try moving more. I know leaving home may be difficult or impossible. Do see if you can get help so you can eventually go out. I go to an aqua fit class which is good for my BG blood pressure and soul.
I know you've previously had the freshwell link. Moseley and Caldesi are good too.

As far as moving stretching gardening housework and stair climbing all count.

In the present climate Doctors will not give out unnecessary prescriptions. Were you tried on slow release metformin? I've not tried gliclazide but a number of members use it.
 
Your doctor should be prescribing a blood glucose monitor for finger prick testing as you have been prescribed medication, gliclazide which can potentially cause low blood glucose. That is not to say you will experience that.
Did you try any of the dietary changes as suggested in the Freshwell program.
 
Sorry about your husband @Midnight Caller

I think it’s quite natural to be a little anxious before starting a new medication, but gliclazide has been used to treat T2 for many years and its action is well understood.

As @Leadinglights says, your GP should be prescribing you with a means to monitor your glucose levels, because gliclazide has the ability to induce hypoglycaemia - so you need to be able to check if you are experiencing hypo-like symptoms and warning signs.

As @Docb says, you can always try Gliclazide, and see ho you get on with it. As I understand it, glic doesn’t often have the upset stomach side effects that some oral meds can have.
 
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