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Hypos on Glic...

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E

evilcat

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all,

I've been on 2 x 80mg Glic for about two weeks now and in that time I've had three hypos, all mid-afternoon time. I know that hypos can be a side effect of Glic, but I wasn't sure if I should perhaps take my morning pill at lunch time or alternatively increase my carb intake early afternoon.

Through a process of elimination, I've determined that I can't tolerate any carbs in the morning as they make my blood sugar shoot up to the high teens/early 20s 😱 and even at lunch time anything more than a couple of crispbreads or one slice of spelt bread puts me high. I normally have salad, ham and a bit of cheese for lunch with nuts as a snack if I get hungry...

By dinner time and the second Glic I can have a small portion of carbs (potato/rice/pasta) without too much of an impact.

The Glic is making a big difference to my BS (23.4 at diagnosis in mid-May down to an average of 7.5 in the past two weeks) so I'm not sure whether I want to reduce the amount I'm taking. I'm also on 500mg Met twice a day (to be increased to 1000mg from next week.)

I've got an appointment with the doctor next week so will pick this up with her then, but I thought I'd see if anyone else had experienced this.

Many thanks!
 
I haven't experienced this. It might be worth keeping a note of what you have eaten and when you take your tablets and the time of day you get your hypo and see what the doctor says.
 
Many thanks Caroline.

I've been keeping a log of everything I eat but at the moment there doesn't appear to be any real pattern. The first one happened after I'd tidied the house so I put it down to the exercise, but yesterday's occurred when I was sitting in a meeting at work after doing nothing more strenuous than typing on my PC!
 
I always take mine with some sort of carbs, usually at lunch which is when I have my main meal of the day. I do have to vary the dosage depending on what my BGs are like that day as I can get some very nasty hypos if I don't. So, if I'm 8 or above at lunchtime, I take two, if between 6.5 and 8, then I take one and if below 6, none (my Consultant and the DSN have approved this course for me). I can't adjust the dosage of the Byetta, I either take it or not and that doesn't work very well so this is the only way I have to try and manage my levels. It seems to work most of the time, but I still get hypos at least twice a week, though not too serious (i.e., not below 3).

The only pracital solution I can suggest is to do what the T1s do and keep some jelly babies or glucotabs handy for when you start to get too low and test at regular times if, like me, you don't have hypo awareness.

I should say this is what works for me and you should consult your medical team before trying it yourself.
 
Many thanks Alison.

That sounds like a good approach. I'll suggest it to the Doctor and see what she says.

I'm nearly out of test strips so I can't test as often as I would like - I managed to get one box on prescription and was told that was all I could have but I'm going to try again to get a repeat on Monday. I'm very reluctant to spend nearly ?30 when I could get them for free...
 
evilcat said:
Many thanks Alison.

That sounds like a good approach. I'll suggest it to the Doctor and see what she says.

I'm nearly out of test strips so I can't test as often as I would like - I managed to get one box on prescription and was told that was all I could have but I'm going to try again to get a repeat on Monday. I'm very reluctant to spend nearly ?30 when I could get them for free...
Click to expand...

Aye that would be a problem. However, you have two things you can use to press your case for strips on prescription:

1: the Glic is really helping, even if it is helping a bit too much on occasion, and
2: you need to test so be sure you're going too low in order to make the most of your meds and avoid the hypos.
 
You should get strips and PDQ if you are on Glic, they definitely can and do cause hypos - and if you drive it's mega-essential. Smack round the head for the GP.

I don't like to hear you say 'should I increase my carbs?' - well yes in an emergency ie hypo definitely. But no - not just to 'feed' the Glic, that's counter productive IMHO. Unless of course you are as skinny as a piece of string and want to put on weight, or otherwise for whatever reason actually wish you could eat more carbs!

2 jelly babies or 3 fruit pastilles, 60mg Lucozade, all 10g CHO and what I as a T1 would use. Only snag is stopping after the 2 or 3 ! The 60mg is OK cos I don't want to drink any more of it. LOL
 
It was the diabetic nurse who said I couldn't have the strips so hopefully I'll have better luck with the doctor...

I have a long commute (130 miles total a day) so I don't take the first Glic until after 9:30 once I'm in work. I'd be in serious trouble if I lost my license and couldn't drive. Perhaps I'll suggest to the Doctor about splitting the first pill in two - one half in the morning and one half at lunch.

Taking your point Trophywench - I don't want to feed the Glic, and I definitely don't want to put on any weight! Hmmm, it think I've seen jelly babies in mini packs so may be that won't be so tempting...

...Just tested again 2 1/2 hours after eating and I'm down to 4.4. Not in hypo territory yet but I won't be home until 7pm so I'll need to keep an eye on things. The strange thing is that I've eaten pretty much the same diet for the past couple of weeks so I guess maybe the meds are having a cumulative effect.
 
Well funnily enough, if say you wanted to wean yourself off Glic for any reason - only taking half a tab for a few weeks is the way to do it, before dropping it.

And yes - you should have better luck with the GP - and perhaps he better re-educate his ruddy nurse before someone gets splatted on the motorway? Grrrrr.

It rather sounds to me like your BG might have come down enough to consider a dose reduction? - have you lost weight or something?
 
trophywench said:
It rather sounds to me like your BG might have come down enough to consider a dose reduction? - have you lost weight or something?
Click to expand...

Sadly no real weight loss since diagnosis (about 2 kg) :( although I did drop a dress size in the month before! I was only diagnosed mid-May and my doctor's plan was to double my Met next week as she wanted to treat me 'aggressively'.

I guess she wasn't expecting the drugs to have such an effect so quickly. Neither was I to be honest, not that I'm complaining :D
 
Oh well - onwards and downwards then? LOL
 
Here's hoping :D
 
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