Newly T2 - BG level lower after breakfast?

[rosjean]

hi Looking for advice - newly diagnosed two weeks ago. Meds 500 metaformin twice daily 40 gliclazade.
tested bg this morning 6.9 had breakfast - porridge and fruit - then drove to post a parcel, felt fine . .when I got home felt very shaky and hot tested again - 4.4 . Should I be eating more breakfast or are my meds wrong. Have come down in two weeks from 31.9.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hello @rosjean

I've moved your post to its own thread so that it will get a bit more attention.

Congratulations on the BG reduction over the past few weeks! Looks like you have been working hard.

4.4 is at the lower edge of normal blood glucose readings, but because your body has been used to running at much higher levels it is alerting you to potentially dangerously low glucose levels slightly too early. Sometimes this is called a 'false hypo'. It should settle down in a few weeks.

Blood glucose levels will naturally rise and fall during the day, but are usually most affected by eating carbohydrates (raising BG) and exercise (lowering BG). Some people with T2 find that their BG rises sharply after eating (because their 'first phase' insulin response is impaired) but the body then rather over-compensates and sends them lower than they would like when the second phase insulin kicks in. I don't know if this is happening in your case.

In any event 4.4 should be nothing to worry about long-term. And once your body acclimatises to not normal BG levels the shaky/hot feelings will disappear.

 

[grovesy]

I suspect it is the effect of the Gliclazide it works by stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin.

 

[Amigo]

Hello @rosjean

I've moved your post to its own thread so that it will get a bit more attention.

Congratulations on the BG reduction over the past few weeks! Looks like you have been working hard.

4.4 is at the lower edge of normal blood glucose readings, but because your body has been used to running at much higher levels it is alerting you to potentially dangerously low glucose levels slightly too early. Sometimes this is called a 'false hypo'. It should settle down in a few weeks.

Blood glucose levels will naturally rise and fall during the day, but are usually most affected by eating carbohydrates (raising BG) and exercise (lowering BG). Some people with T2 find that their BG rises sharply after eating (because their 'first phase' insulin response is impaired) but the body then rather over-compensates and sends them lower than they would like when the second phase insulin kicks in. I don't know if this is happening in your case.

In any event 4.4 should be nothing to worry about long-term. And once your body acclimatises to not normal BG levels the shaky/hot feelings will disappear.

I don’t know a great deal about the meds but I thought you could have a ‘proper’ hypo on gliclazide everydays rather than just the ‘coming down’ adjustment the body experiences. Isn’t that why people taking glic need to test before driving?
Is this still a false hypo? Isn’t the safe and permitted driving level 5 and above?

 

[Flakie]

This happened to me when I started the new eating plan. I had a really low carb day thinking yes I can do it, then late afternoon thought I was having a heart attack! As you, my levels had dropped horrendously but I didn’t realise that as I hadn’t then got a testing kit. Lesson learned!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I don’t know a great deal about the meds but I thought you could have a ‘proper’ hypo on gliclazide everydays rather than just the ‘coming down’ adjustment the body experiences. Isn’t that why people taking glic need to test before driving?
Is this still a false hypo? Isn’t the safe and permitted driving level 5 and above?

Good spot Amigo - I hadn’t seen the reference to Glic, and was sidetracked by the 4.4 which is not hypo.

‘5 to drive’ is to give some room for manoeuvre I think.

 

[Robin]

You can drive if you're above 4, but if you're below 5, you're supposed to eat some carb before setting out. The rule is buried in the middle here,
http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=x20111123163931368019&linkID=74525&cook=yes

 

[rosjean]

Thanks everyone , I was mainly concerned about driving below 5, which what my GP told me.