Doctors appointment (call) tomorrow am - help with prepping

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Mbabazi said:
I hope the antibody tests are conclusive. I imagine the glicazide would counter the c peptide by showing I was making more insulin since that is what it is meant to do so maybe a c peptide after starting it is pointless. I imagine though that it would not affect any antibody testing, right? What do you think?
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This thread has been interesting, I can’t compare the cpeptide results to mine as I’ve only had blood ones but there are people like myself who don’t fall into any of the typical diabetes categories.

Gliclazide stimulates your pancreas to produce more insulin so if your pancreas is capable of producing more than yes your cpeptide will be higher on it. If your pancreas isn’t capable of producing more then it won’t impact it.

Standard type 2 produces a high cpeptide reading as they produce too much insulin. If your cpeptide is already below the normal range then I wouldn’t think gliclazide could make the result appear as a “false positive” for definite t2.

However I would check whether you should skip the gliclazide before the cpeptide test with whoever orders the test. I had to eat 2 hrs before my test, and take my long acting insulin but not my mealtime insulin, so that my bg was about 18 at the time of the test. Then the result showed how much my body could make in response to a high bg.

If bg is normal at the time of the test then the results have to be interpreted differently because the body won’t be stimulated to make more insulin with a normal bg
 
Inka said:
The Gliclazide won’t affect the antibodies test 🙂 I’m not sure about the C Peptide. I wouldn’t worry too much about the HbA1C test. You’ll ‘see’ that as you test day by day - ie you’ll see how your numbers are doing. The proper antibodies test is key, I think. That and you eating normally - not just for your own health and well-being, but to give the doctor an accurate picture of what’s happeniD
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Do you think it would be sensible to request a different drug like vildagliptin or any from that group that does not potentially exhaust the beta cells. How does one usually go about asking for things like that? call the GP and ask them to give a message to the doctor. I really do not feel comfortable with the glicazide. For example, my bg now is 16.8 and I am to take a glicazide tablet, but I am going to bed and not planning to eat again as glicazide would require. I already took metformin with my evening meal. I don't want to deal with a hypo in the night if that might happen but also the knowledge that I am exhausting my beta cell functioning is in my mind.
 
So sorry to hear about the difficulties you are having getting your blood glucose into range, and ongoing confusion and uncertainty about your diabetes type.

Have you ever been seen at the hospital clinic? I wonder if perhaps going to A&E might be an option to get assessed by diabetes specialists if you've only been getting seen by general practitioners so far?

It also does seem worth eating more normally so that your levels reflect a less restricted way of eating?
 
Mbabazi said:
Do you think it would be sensible to request a different drug like vildagliptin or any from that group that does not potentially exhaust the beta cells. How does one usually go about asking for things like that? call the GP and ask them to give a message to the doctor. I really do not feel comfortable with the glicazide. For example, my bg now is 16.8 and I am to take a glicazide tablet, but I am going to bed and not planning to eat again as glicazide would require. I already took metformin with my evening meal. I don't want to deal with a hypo in the night if that might happen but also the knowledge that I am exhausting my beta cell functioning is in my mind.
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I think it has the same mode of action as gliclazide.
Metformin just works away in the background rather than directly on the food you eat.
I believe gliclazide is better taken 30mins before you eat to be the most effective as it will then help you cope with the carbs in your meal.
 
Mbabazi said:
Do you think it would be sensible to request a different drug like vildagliptin or any from that group that does not potentially exhaust the beta cells. How does one usually go about asking for things like that? call the GP and ask them to give a message to the doctor. I really do not feel comfortable with the glicazide. For example, my bg now is 16.8 and I am to take a glicazide tablet, but I am going to bed and not planning to eat again as glicazide would require. I already took metformin with my evening meal. I don't want to deal with a hypo in the night if that might happen but also the knowledge that I am exhausting my beta cell functioning is in my mind.
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If your insulin production is low then be careful with any of the flozin category. They don’t stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin so could be something you’d be offered. If offered them make sure you get ketone testing strips too.

The flozins carry a small risk of DKA, which is higher in those without much insulin production and type 1s. Took less than a week before I had it.
 
Leadinglights said:
I think it has the same mode of action as gliclazide.
Metformin just works away in the background rather than directly on the food you eat.
I believe gliclazide is better taken 30mins before you eat to be the most effective as it will then help you cope with the carbs in your meal.
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Gliptins work differently to things like Glic. They don’t cause hypos as they only increase insulin production when it’s needed and they also inhibit glucagon production.
 
thank you everyone for your help and all the suggestions.

So last night, out of fear and just being tired of the high numbers, I started the glicazide. I took a tablet and had a banana because my last meal had been maybe 4 hours before but my bg was still 16.8. I have woken up this morning and tested only to find that it has only slightly reduced to 14.1. Surely it should have worked better than that. In fact, I was scared of a hypo in the night and hoping to wake up to single digits. I will take another glic this morning with breakfast and hope it reduces into the single digits. Just sharing because im suprised.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
So sorry to hear about the difficulties you are having getting your blood glucose into range, and ongoing confusion and uncertainty about your diabetes type.

Have you ever been seen at the hospital clinic? I wonder if perhaps going to A&E might be an option to get assessed by diabetes specialists if you've only been getting seen by general practitioners so far?

It also does seem worth eating more normally so that your levels reflect a less restricted way of eating?
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thanks 🙂 I have never been to the hospital clinic. The GP made a referral for me and I can see in my app that they will call me. It says to only call the clinci if I do not hear back by Mid march. The next thing I have scheduled is a repeat of the GAD and another antibody test. This was ordered by the GP on the advice of the diabetic specialist they consulted. I suppose they too have their suspicions about this not being a clear type 2. They said my GAD antibodies were low so that is why they want to check- apparently if might be a fluke.
 
Mbabazi said:
I think this would be a better class of drugs. I just do not know how to go about asking for it
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Does your GP surgery have econsult? You may be able to type a request there.
 
Mbabazi said:
I think this would be a better class of drugs. I just do not know how to go about asking for it
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Personally, i'd take the glycaside, even if just as a stop gap.
You need to bring your levels down, and i'd put that above the therotical benefit of a longer honeymoon period ( should you be type 1). Some people find the honeymoon period a pain anyway
I was on glycaside for a week or two and it was pretty trouble free for me. Alongside metformin, it brought my premeal levels down to 7, and i didn't find its effects dramatic enough to take me hypo even when i inadvertently had a low carb meal
 
Mbabazi said:
thank you everyone for your help and all the suggestions.

So last night, out of fear and just being tired of the high numbers, I started the glicazide. I took a tablet and had a banana because my last meal had been maybe 4 hours before but my bg was still 16.8. I have woken up this morning and tested only to find that it has only slightly reduced to 14.1. Surely it should have worked better than that. In fact, I was scared of a hypo in the night and hoping to wake up to single digits. I will take another glic this morning with breakfast and hope it reduces into the single digits. Just sharing because im suprised.
Click to expand...
I found glycaside to have a fairly undramatic effect, best take as advised by the medics (before meals as i remember)
As you took with a banana, the glycaside would have had to deal with the nearly 30 carbs of the banana before it started to bring down your general level.
It too me a while (over a couple of weeks), and numerous dose increases (under medical advice) before metformin and glycaside brought my levels down, by which time i was on max dose. I wouldn't expect them to do it in a single night, from my experience. As sudden deceases can be hard on your body, a slow decease is best anyway.
I'd say its best not to take any hypo causing medication too near to bedtime, though if your body is used to high levels you will probably get hypos symptom quite a bit before 4.
Taking glycaside needn't stop you chasing your diagnosis etc but its a pretty safe way to bring levels down in the meantime, especially compared to insulin.
 
Tdm said:
Personally, i'd take the glycaside, even if just as a stop gap.
You need to bring your levels down, and i'd put that above the therotical benefit of a longer honeymoon period ( should you be type 1). Some people find the honeymoon period a pain anyway
I was on glycaside for a week or two and it was pretty trouble free for me. Alongside metformin, it brought my premeal levels down to 7, and i didn't find its effects dramatic enough to take me hypo even when i inadvertently had a low carb meal
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Yes, i agree, this is what I decided to do. So I am now taking the glic and metformin as well and hoping the numbers will come down. Everything else can be determined in the future.
 
Tdm said:
I found glycaside to have a fairly undramatic effect, best take as advised by the medics (before meals as i remember)
As you took with a banana, the glycaside would have had to deal with the nearly 30 carbs of the banana before it started to bring down your general level.
It too me a while (over a couple of weeks), and numerous dose increases (under medical advice) before metformin and glycaside brought my levels down, by which time i was on max dose. I wouldn't expect them to do it in a single night, from my experience. As sudden deceases can be hard on your body, a slow decease is best anyway.
I'd say its best not to take any hypo causing medication too near to bedtime, though if your body is used to high levels you will probably get hypos symptom quite a bit before 4.
Taking glycaside needn't stop you chasing your diagnosis etc but its a pretty safe way to bring levels down in the meantime, especially compared to insulin.
Click to expand...
This is so helpful thank you. I had a banana because I was worried about a hypo and taking it without food. This morning, me method has been to take it 30 minutes before my breakfast which is the advice I have seen from medical journals. My GP had said to take it with a meal. i am now to take glic in the morning and evening and metformin inthe middle of the day. If it can all work and I can bring my numbers down to singular digits I will titrate myself off it and transition to eating clean. If indeed I am battling insulin resistance, that should work.
 
quick update:Ive got an appointment with the diabetic clinic for the end of february. really happy for that. Also adjusting to glicazide. I am wondering if people taking glic limit carbs? or eat normal meals. My morning number was 11.8 which is lower than my usual so good. I took my glic, and had a banana, I checked 2 hours later and I was still at 16.7. Unfortunately I am hungry now and yet still high.I only take metformin in 3 hours at lunch. My fear is eating while I am already high. Is it possible to feel hypo ish symptoms while having high blood sugar?
 
Mbabazi said:
quick update:Ive got an appointment with the diabetic clinic for the end of february. really happy for that. Also adjusting to glicazide. I am wondering if people taking glic limit carbs? or eat normal meals. My morning number was 11.8 which is lower than my usual so good. I took my glic, and had a banana, I checked 2 hours later and I was still at 16.7. Unfortunately I am hungry now and yet still high.I only take metformin in 3 hours at lunch. My fear is eating while I am already high. Is it possible to feel hypo ish symptoms while having high blood sugar?
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The symptoms could be due to high blood glucose as they are quite similar in some people.
I know they say to be careful of having low carb diet when on gliclazide and there does not seem to be any guidance as to how much that should be but as there is still only a certain amount of carbs that the gliclazide will accommodate as it is encouraging your pancreas to produce more insulin but only if it is able and that insulin is able to be used efficiently.
You are challenging your system with something very high carb in the banana when your level is already very high which is why your level went up by so much.
Metformin is going to make little difference in the short term as it just works in the background helping your body to use the insulin more effectively.
Instead why don't you try some full fat Greek yoghurt with some berries as that will be less than half the carbs of the banana and fill you up so you won't feel hungry.
You have to be guided by your readings and if you have high level then have a meal with protein and vegetables and few carbs and see how you are then. If you are then dropping towards hypo territory you can always have a little something, a jelly baby or 2 but not too much as you could then shoot up too much.
 
Leadinglights said:
The symptoms could be due to high blood glucose as they are quite similar in some people.
I know they say to be careful of having low carb diet when on gliclazide and there does not seem to be any guidance as to how much that should be but as there is still only a certain amount of carbs that the gliclazide will accommodate as it is encouraging your pancreas to produce more insulin but only if it is able and that insulin is able to be used efficiently.
You are challenging your system with something very high carb in the banana when your level is already very high which is why your level went up by so much.
Metformin is going to make little difference in the short term as it just works in the background helping your body to use the insulin more effectively.
Instead why don't you try some full fat Greek yoghurt with some berries as that will be less than half the carbs of the banana and fill you up so you won't feel hungry.
You have to be guided by your readings and if you have high level then have a meal with protein and vegetables and few carbs and see how you are then. If you are then dropping towards hypo territory you can always have a little something, a jelly baby or 2 but not too much as you could then shoot up too much.
Click to expand...
This is so helpful thank you for explaining that and for the suggested breakfast. All the warnings about hypos are why I was loading up on a sweet carb in form of banana. I suppose in time I will learn to balance. My packed lunch is low carb but big enough though because metformin makes me sick when I have it with a small meal.
 
Eat normally @Mbabazi A banana isn’t very high carb. You’ve starved yourself for too long. If your blood sugar is high it’s because you don’t have the right meds or enough meds.
 
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