Could my medication be making me ill ?

[elnbthom]

Hi there.....I am 64 and was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes 3 months ago. I had not been feeling unwell and the high blood sugar was discovered during a routine health check. My only health issues previous to the diagnosis had been an underactive thyroid for which I had been having treatment for several years and occasional bouts of Asthma which is well controlled.
In fact when my GP told me about the type 2 it came as a real surprise because I had been feeling really happy and healthy...eating well not feeling tired and generally enjoying life.
When a water test revealed the presence of Ketones my GP sent me to hospital as an emergency , I was seen by a consultant who prescribed Metformin twice daily. I have since been seeing our local practise nurse who deals with Diabetes.
She asked me to monitor my blood sugar regularly and despite the metformin my readings are still far too high.
Over the last few weeks I have been feeling totally drained. Tired a lot of the time and my appetite is not good. Also suffered with Diarrhoea and mentioned this on my visit to the nurse just over a week ago so she changed my Metformin to a slow release type which she said should help ease the toilet problem. She also prescribed Gliclazide 80mg......half a tablet per day for the first week and increasing it to a full tablet after a week..( half in the morning and the other half in the evening)
After the first week my sugars have dropped slightly but are still much higher than they should be. Also I feel tired most of the time and still have Diarrhoea. I can barely face food at all and am really struggling. Now I have noticed my eyes are looking very yellow so I am assuming Jaundice is the issue now. Having read the paperwork with my medication it appears that some of the rare side effects include Jaundice ,Diarrhoea, loss of appetite and heartburn...all of which I am experiencing now. I have no energy for exercise and little or no interest in food. Can't get a GP appointment for a couple of weeks but am due to see my practise nurse again next week.
I am feeling totally exhausted and don't know what to do for the best.
Am I just feeling sorry for myself or could it be the medication making me feel so ill OR could it even be something more serious causing my symptoms? Any advice would be really appreciated .
Thank you in advance.....Ellen

 

[daisyduck]

This sounds very unpleasant and if you've never had anything similar before then yes, it could be your medication. Does your doctor have emergency appointments each day ? I would phone and ask the receptionist, telling her that you think you might be having a very bad response to the prescribed medication and ask to see someone urgently. Assuming you are in the UK you could call 111 and they can be very helpful with advice and getting you an appointment if they think you need it urgently.
Hope this is resolved for you soon.

 

[chalup]

I agree with daisyduck. You should not allow this to drag on for weeks and you also should insist on being taken seriously.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. It sounds like the Metformin may not suit you - even the SR version. A few people do react to it. Gliclazide rarely causes problems apart from hypos if the dose is too high. Can you let us know what your weight/BMI is. The reason I ask is to see whether there is a possibility you are T1 and not T2. Mis-diagnosis does happen particularly if slim and have lost weight recently. Note that Metformin never reduce blood sugar by much so if you are reacting to it then agree with the DN that you should stop it. You may of course have other conditions so do go back to the GP/DN.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

I would agree with Diabell your upset tummy and loss of appetite is almost certainly the result of your prescribed metformin, usually it is prescribed as 1 pill a day and then gradually increased over several weeks up to the max dose of 4 pills a day and this will often stop the stomach problems but some people can be badly affected by it, personally I wasnt and the stomach cramps I did suffer cleared up after a few weeks.

The tiredness that you describe is not the result of the Metformin however and is almost certainly the result of your high blood sugars and should get better as your blood glucose (bg) levels reduce, it is the carbohydrates you eat that make your blood sugars increase so your levels will go up after each meal, you should test before you eat and then again 2 hours after you stop eating and this will tell you what the food you have eaten is doing to your bg levels. You should aim to reduce the carbohydrates in your food ie potatoes, pasta , rice, bread and flour products, till the difference between your post meal bg levels are returning to your pre meal levels ie they should be no more than 2 mmol/L higher 2 hours after your meal, and many people like to see an even smaller gap.

It is also as Diabell suggests worth asking for a test to tell if you could be T1 or LADA another type of diabetes like T1 that affects adults as you were admitted with ketones in your urine which is uncommon for a T2.

Good luck and Im sure things will work out for you so try not to worry too much as stress can also increase your bg levels.

 

[Dark Horse]

Hi there.....I am 64 and was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes 3 months ago. I had not been feeling unwell and the high blood sugar was discovered during a routine health check. My only health issues previous to the diagnosis had been an underactive thyroid for which I had been having treatment for several years and occasional bouts of Asthma which is well controlled.
In fact when my GP told me about the type 2 it came as a real surprise because I had been feeling really happy and healthy...eating well not feeling tired and generally enjoying life.
When a water test revealed the presence of Ketones my GP sent me to hospital as an emergency , I was seen by a consultant who prescribed Metformin twice daily. I have since been seeing our local practise nurse who deals with Diabetes.
She asked me to monitor my blood sugar regularly and despite the metformin my readings are still far too high.
Over the last few weeks I have been feeling totally drained. Tired a lot of the time and my appetite is not good. Also suffered with Diarrhoea and mentioned this on my visit to the nurse just over a week ago so she changed my Metformin to a slow release type which she said should help ease the toilet problem. She also prescribed Gliclazide 80mg......half a tablet per day for the first week and increasing it to a full tablet after a week..( half in the morning and the other half in the evening)
After the first week my sugars have dropped slightly but are still much higher than they should be. Also I feel tired most of the time and still have Diarrhoea. I can barely face food at all and am really struggling. Now I have noticed my eyes are looking very yellow so I am assuming Jaundice is the issue now. Having read the paperwork with my medication it appears that some of the rare side effects include Jaundice ,Diarrhoea, loss of appetite and heartburn...all of which I am experiencing now. I have no energy for exercise and little or no interest in food. Can't get a GP appointment for a couple of weeks but am due to see my practise nurse again next week.
I am feeling totally exhausted and don't know what to do for the best.
Am I just feeling sorry for myself or could it be the medication making me feel so ill OR could it even be something more serious causing my symptoms? Any advice would be really appreciated .
Thank you in advance.....Ellen

If you have signs of jaundice, NHS choices recommends dialling 111 or using your GP's out of hours service - you should not wait 2 weeks for a routine appointment, especially if you are feeling unwell.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Jaundice/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

[Mep]

Sorry to hear you're suffering You could be like I was and intolerant of metformin. But for me I was kept on that drug for years despite the fact I whinged a lot about the nausea and diarrhoea I got every day. I had dosage changes and even the SR version trialled on me with no improvement at all. In the end I was taken off it anyhow as I needed to be on insulin.

Also my other question is if your sugar is so high... have they done all the diagnostic tests? I would hope they have done this for you and not just said you're type 2 based on a hbA1c test result. With me they did the GAD test and c-peptide test to confirm what type of diabetes I had. Metformin mind you isn't a drug that gets your sugar levels down quick at all. It could be that you need further help to get your sugar down.

I wish you the best and hope you get to feeling better.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The majority on Metformin and the SR version if needed find it is not a problem, but a few do have problems and it's not worth continuing with it after the first few weeks if that happens. Discuss with the nurse. It only ever helps blood sugar by approx. 1-2 mmol on the meter so not an essential drug. The right diet can be tweaked to compensate. I've been on it (SR) for 13 years now and one of the lucky ones who has no side effects whatsoever.

 

[elnbthom]

Hello again.............stopped taking Metformin on Friday morning also stopped Gliclazide. Went to local A&E today and they told me I had done the right think by stopping the meds. Had 2 sets of blood tests taken , the first lot apparently clotted before they could monitor it, so back tomorrow for results of second lot and also having a CT scan. Will update you all when I find out what that reveals. Thank you all for your support.

 

[chalup]

@elnbthom How are you doing?

 

[elnbthom]

Hello folks...sorry I haven't been around for a while but unfortunately I have spent the last 8 days in hospital. Went to see my GP about the jaundice and ended up having a CT scan which diagnosed 'probable Pancreatic cancer ' Had an endoscopy during which they inserted a stint to open up the bile ducts which had become blocked owing to pressure from a mass/tumour at the head of the pancreas .Now I am almost back to my normal skin colour so the stint is obviously doing its job. Have to wait until Friday when the medics get together to assess the situation. To decide what my prospects are and let me know what options (if any) are available for treatment. I am trying to stay positive. Now on insulin to try keep my blood sugar down but still on the high side but obviously it will take a while to work out a dose that will control it. Thank you everyone for you messages of support. I would like to keep you all updated about how things are going if you think that will be appropriate. Ellen.

 

[chalup]

Please do keep us updated. We will be thinking of you and hoping for the best possible outcome for you. If you need a place to vent, or rant, or just someone to listen, feel free and we will listen. Take care

 

[elnbthom]

latest update..........call from McMillan nurse on Friday to tell me that things are looking hopeful for possible surgery followed by chemo/radiotherapy. This is subject to confirmation by the specialists who will perform another endoscopy asap to check no other vessels have been affected by the tumour...but looking more positive now. Still trying to find a dosage of insulin that will bring my blood sugar levels down. Currently taking 16 am and 14 pm but think this will need to be increased considerably before things are at an acceptable level. I am still feeling positive . Thank you all for being here x

 

[chalup]

It is good that you are staying positive. I have my fingers crossed for you that this will be as fully treatable as it gets. We are always here to listen or cheer for you.

 

[magsiesss]

Please do keep us updated .... wishing you all the best

 

[Freema]

hope the best for you <3

 

[Brunneria]

Goodness, you have been through the mill!
Hope things continue to improve, and please do keep up updated.

 

[asparagusp]

Stay positive Ellen. We are all rooting for you. Love, asparagusp

 

[elnbthom]

Thank you all once again for your support...very much appreciated

 

[elnbthom]

latest news.............sadly following an ultrasound endoscopy I have now been informed that my tumour is inoperable. So now I have an appointment with Chemotherapy specialist on Tuesday to see what can be offered to me. Obviously NOT the news I had wanted but still trying to remain positive. Wish me luck...because I certainly need it.