Sukkarto SR 500g & high BG readings

[SpookyGirl]

I started the Sukkarto SR metformin last Monday. 500g tablet. I also have quite bad non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and enlarged spleen. After pneumonia with steroid induced type 2 in March, my BG has hit and stayed high and despite cutting all the sweet stuff and cutting carbs down, I relented to start Metformin. Only been on it less than a week but had one day very bad tummy, a couple of days feeling sick, the rest constipated but after eating my main meals my BG is through the roof. 3 nights I have felt flushed in the face, sick, felling hot then cold and disturbed sleep.
I am now at a point I do not want to eat anything. My BG before a meal last night was 9.9 mmol/L and 15.2 mmol/L 2 hrs after. Before I started the Metformin my bloods were coming down.
I feel very confused

 

[rebrascora]

Sorry to hear you are feeling so rough and understandably worried about your levels, although 15 would not warrant urgent treatment as long as it was coming down again.

What did you have for your meal?

Metformin does take time to build up in your system and get to a level where it is effective and one 500mg tablet is not an effective dose, it is just a starting dose to allow your digestive system to get used to it before you up the dose. I think I read somewhere that 1500mg is the minimum effective dose, but certainly if your levels are that high, 1 tablet a day is not going to have a lot of effect.

Do you have a means of testing for ketones? A spike up to 15 doesn't necessarily warrant checking ketones but together with feeling rough, it might be worthwhile investing in a pot of Ketostix to test your urine for ketones.

I definitely feel hot and uncomfortable when my levels go up to mid teens and I sleep restlessly anywhere above 10, but it sounds like you felt pretty unwell.

Are you still taking the steroids?
Could you be coming down with an infection or illness as that can send levels much higher than usual?

 

[SpookyGirl]

Thanks for the reply. Don't think I am coming down with anything. No, the hospital took me off the steroids in March.
Last night I had a fish pie, but the other 2 nights I had chicken and mixed veg, and Heck sausages and mixed veg.
I have eaten nothing since 8pm last night, feel sick and still flushed.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Was it a ready-made mixed veg selection @SpookyGirl ? Does it provide a figure for total carbs per 100g? Can you estimate how mamy grams of carbs would be in your usual portion?

I seem to recall you’ve been having elevated BG levels despite aiming for a low carb meal plan before. Does your nurse know about your low carb eating? (is it the same one you didn’t get on with?). any chance you could chat things through with a GP?

 

[SpookyGirl]

Hi.
No it was all fresh veg. Not sure why you would think I would eat processed veg? Never have and never will.
I have quite bad fatty liver disease and part of the reason I am on Metformin is to help the liver release less glycogen into the bloodstream. This is what is causing the elevated levels, according to the DN.

Anyhow, I have been on Metformin over a week now and had 2 morning readings of 8.8 mmol/L yesterday and 8.5 mmol/L this morning. I increased to 1000mg a day, yesterday. So levels are slowly dropping. Yesterday's difference between before and after food was 2.6 mmol/L.

The sickness is still there but the weird night time feelings seem to have stopped for now

Not really understanding your last paragraph as I have not really go into detail about what I was sating. Maybe you have confused me with someone else?

 

[trophywench]

I'm sure Mike didn't mean 'processed' veg - however frozen mixed veg is widely available, so there might be elements of higher carb veg within that - eg sweetcorn, plus there is frozen mixed 'casserole veg' too, which includes parsnip, turnip and swede as well as carrots - though of course you can buy any of those fresh and peel and chop them yourself. I personally see absolutely nothing whatever dubious about using frozen veg and at the very basic, it enables me to have lovely sweet garden peas with my scampi & chips so in our house, all that meal content first coming out of our freezer!

 

[SpookyGirl]

Though I have to reiterate, fresh not frozen veg but I appreciate you explaining it to me.
The veg we have is cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, mushrooms, courgette and leeks. Occasionally a little carrot and some peas.
I have had 2 waking measurements the last few days of 8.8 mmol/L and 8.5 mmol/L, so I guess things are moving in the right direction.
I have several metabolic issues which started with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, (underactive thyroid), in 2013, which is notorious for causing more metabolic and autoimmune issues. As it stands the DN has stated she is unsure if I am type 2 or if the liver is causing extra glucose to be released into my system. The fact that I am eating a very clean diet with minimal carbs suggests this could be the case. But as I am not medical, I just have to go by the DN and Hepatologist's diagnosis.