Gliclazide

[lizabetic]

Started Gliclazide, sulfonylureas, two weeks ago now. I have the 40mg tablets and started on once a day with dinner. Levels weren't great to begin with so ended up adding another 40mg to morning, with drs suggestion, I done some hardcore testing even down to 1hr, basically at the moment i'm averaging between 8 and 18. The problem i'm finding is that because my morning levels are the toughest to get down it kind of goes from there as an ongoing cycle.

I should say i'm at home now so most of the time am pretty inactive. The days where I have been doing things I've consequently got much better levels 🙂 Shows you what a little exercise does.

I think i'm back to how I was this time last year when my panc' was on it's last legs, that really doesn't sound right for some reason haha! Basically the tablets are working but it does take a while to come down. I'm thinking of phoning and suggesting I take an extra 20mg with dinner to see how that goes. If that's not much better (consider that dinners my biggest meal) then maybe it's needed in the morning instead. I'm pretty sure it's morning levels that fluffs it all up.

They are definitely working, it is a case of trialing doses and timings to see what fits best, one thing i'm worried about is pancreas burn out as sulfs have been said to kill of the beta cells quicker, however i've trusted my endo and hope I can achieve good control with them on his thoughts that I could be a MODY (which i'm now believing more so).




And lastly, just a quick question. Those of you who are on sulfonylureas when do you take them;

• the same time morning/night
• with dinner and if so how soon before/during/after?

 

[Northerner]

Good to hear that the glic is working for you Liz, I hope you hit on the right doses soon. I suppose the problem with taking tablets is that they are more difficult to predict adjustments for than insulin if you do decide to do something active (like run to find shelter from the rain, probably, given this weather! 🙂)

I'm afraid I can't answer your other questions, but I'm sure someone will 🙂

 

[MeganN]

Gliclazide works better if taken 30 mins before a meal i have found. I take 60mg morning and night. My sugars are showing great improvements 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Megan - that's my understanding of how it works - it increases the insulin production soon after being taken - a bit like us insulin users bolusing before food - hopefully the insulin meets the spike in BG head on.

If you are OK between meals once the meal has done it's stuff, you don't really want to have a burst of extra insulin randomly. I would have thought if you took it at bedtime you are in more danger of sending yourself hypo in the early hours, rather than correcting your dawn phenom.

 

[lizabetic]

Thanks for your replies. I'm not so okay between meals at the moment, I think getting my morning levels sorted will help but i'm not exactly starting with decent levels so not sure how i'll go about it.

See when I started them which was in the evening and after insulin with breakfast and lunch they worked really well with dinner! I started on a 6.6 and was 5.6 an hour later, and dropping quicker with a bit of a mental breakdown there lol! BUT now all day my levels just spin off from bad breakfasts and dreaded DP. Consequently at the moment bed time and night levels aren't sorted out so wake up roughly the same in the morning if DP doesn't also kick in :S

In the long run... what the heck can I do about dawn phenomenon?

 

[trophywench]

Liz - have you actually done a basal test? cos if your basal isn't correct and (with the help of your pancreas) keeping you stable in the background, then getting your dawn phenom and mealtime levels sorted out is just going to be pants.

Have you read this?

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=120

 

[KateR]

I take mine about 30 mins before breakfast and dinner too.

 

[MeganN]

It has taken me 6 months to train my body against the horrible dawn phenomenon. The key is to have a good sugar before bed. My sugar is normally around 5 USB in the mornings now.

It will happen if you're sensible it just takes some time to work out xx

 

[lizabetic]

Liz - have you actually done a basal test? cos if your basal isn't correct and (with the help of your pancreas) keeping you stable in the background, then getting your dawn phenom and mealtime levels sorted out is just going to be pants.

Have you read this?

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=120

I haven't tested basal but when it's running high it doesn't go down inbetween meals well it takes a bloody long time to do so. As far as I gathered from insulin times my basal is stable and ticking along underneath somewhere just not enough to bring post food levels down. Woke up with an 8.5 this morning which was tons better!! 🙂

Megan, how did you manage to sort of DP? I will go to bed with levels in 6's and wake up with 8s still :\ I can't win.

 

[trophywench]

What time does it start to rise Liz?

 

[lizabetic]

Well I woke at 7am this morning and tested at 11.1 and by 8am (slept in between) it went to 12.3 but I think it starts rising just after 6 sometime? So not that early. Although I know this morning it wouldn't have gone that low cause I went to bed on a 22 :\

 

[trophywench]

Well these levels are ridiculous Liz. You can't live like this.

When are you back at the docs? because summat needs changing and that's 110% clear .....

 

[lizabetic]

Well i'm at home atm and my doctors are in reading so that's annoying! I've come down with a cold today so sugars probably reflecting that!

Morning levels don't bother me, but it's the day/evening ones that are bugging me now! I don't know if it's better to just go back on insulin but I went from 7.3% to 7.5% just cause its hard to bring down and I don't need basal or else I drop too low so that's why i'm trialing the tablets really.