How long before meds take effect?

[stuartbruff]

Hello,

I was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with a fast blood sugar of 10.7 and hb reading of 103. I had only had one of the big three T2 symptoms, tiredness (I can go all day without the toilet). It was only picked up because my GP was running out of things to explain why I was quite as tired as I was and some nerve problems (there are perfectly valid non-diabetic reasons to explain many of my symptoms), so she carried out a blood test. My last recorded blood test was about 2-3 years ago and was absolutely normal.

I was prescribed (initially) modified release versions of Glicalzide and Metformin. When these run out in a week or so, I'm transferring to normal Metformin and doubling the dose after a couple of weeks. I felt really awful for the first week of meds and have little recollection of them (mind you, I had a head injury years ago and that's not all that unusual, but it was slightly worse than I think I've experienced before ... not that I can remember, of course!) and seem to be cycling between feeling OK and rough over a couple of days at the moment. I've just got a test meter and took my first reading this morning before eating (last food 7 hrs previously) getting 11.7.

My questions are what kind of readings should I expect after this long on meds and how long before I should start to see my levels drop to normal and feel different. The medics seem rather vague about this. I went for an eye test after being first diagnosed to get an eye photograph (all seems OK on that) but my optician said I should wait until my blood levels are under control, otherwise my prescription (I need varifocals) is likely to be in error - again, duration was a shoulder shrug.

Advice gratefully received.

 

[ClaireG 06]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I'm afraid asking how long meds may take to have an effect is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string in my opinion. We are all different. Metformin normally only lowers the levels by a few Mmol although Gliclazide is very effective for some. It can take a long time sometimes for your diabetes care team to find the right combination of medication etc for you and these needs can also change overtime.

In the mean time, here is a link to some information we recommend for the newly diagnosed that maybe helpful to you.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

Please come back and ask any more questions you may have, there is usually someone who can answer them

 

[daisy1]

Hi Stuart and welcome to the forum People have different experiences with how long meds take to start working but they will come and share them with you. It all depends on the individual. If you have a DN available try phoning him/her and he/she may well know more than the doctor about this. If you continue to feel ill like this you should go back to your doctor anyway. This may not necessarily be caused by diabetes.

As you are newly diagnosed, here is some basic information which will help you to manage your diabetes properly - this in itself may make help you to feel better. Ask as many questions as you like as there is always someone who would like to help you.

Edit: while I was typing this post Claire posted so apologies if I have repeated anything. I see we are both in agreement on the main points. The link is the same as the information written out below.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Daibell]

Hi

I prefer to check my BS 2 hours after the main meal typically in the evening. Taking a reading in the morning can be affected by the 'liver-dump' effect which can vary from day to day so I personally wouldn't take too much notice of a morning reading; mine vary all over the place