Medication

Kympton

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I have recently decided to take a larger dose than I'm prescribed. I am waiting for a review and blood test but recently my readings are so high I have thought it better to take a larger dose in the short term to keep my readings low. I am currently prescribed 80 ml glkckazide 2 times a day and 25 jardiance once a day. I am taking 6 glkckazide and 1 and half jardiance a day. I am thinking that this is better than putting up with my current readings which are between 10 and 19. I would appreciate any input. Thanks
 

Jenny15

Well-Known Member
Messages
770
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Jazz music, science denial, and running out of coffee.
I suggest you see your doctor about your current readings. Do you know what your last HbA1c test result was, and how long ago was it?

It's never a good idea to increase your dose of any medication unless you've cleared it with your doctor or nurse, or you know a lot about the subject. Some medications can cause problems if you increase them when you haven't discussed it with your doctor.
 
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bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
HI and welcome @Kympton
Have you thought about changing what you eat to lower your blood sugars rather than taking more medication?
I'll tag @daisy1 for the extremely useful intro to how a lot of us have managed to lower our blood sugar levels in some cases completely coming off medication.
 
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Kympton

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I suggest you see your doctor about your current readings. Do you know what your last HbA1c test result was, and how long ago was it?

It's never a good idea to increase your dose of any medication unless you've cleared it with your doctor or nurse, or you know a lot about the subject. Some medications can cause problems if you increase them when you haven't discussed it with your doctor.
I am a little nieve when it comes to
Readings but I think it was 10.3 and my doc said I had brought it down from 12.2. My glucose readings have been very high lately and taking those extra few tablets have brought it back down. My doc says once my blood works come back above 8 then he wants me on insulin. But I'm an amputee and have an ulcer on my remaining leg. Also I have other health issues. I just kinda feel I'm fed up of the docs taking so long to get my readings lower. I have been living with high readings for over a year now
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome to the forum,

It is most likely that your diet is causing these high levels, and taking all that extra medication without knowing what you are doing or what damage you are causing to your body is not a wise plan. It would be much better to have a good look at what you are eating, and keep to your prescribed doses. These are very strong drugs.

Are you eating carbs such as bread, rice, cereals, potatoes, pasta, fruit and things made with flour? These all convert to sugar once eaten, so it is not a good idea to eat too many. Can you tell us what you eat in a typical day? We may spot something to help you.
 

Kympton

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
HI and welcome @Kympton
Have you thought about changing what you eat to lower your blood sugars rather than taking more medication?
I'll tag @daisy1 for the extremely useful intro to how a lot of us have managed to lower our blood sugar levels in some cases completely coming off medication.
I truly try my best. But I live alone and I'm on low income so buying fresh is very hard for me. I'm 42 and single and to be honest I struggle to live the healthiest lifestyle. I have no family and have been housebound for nearly a decade. I suppose now I'm middle age and my health is getting worse I want to make some change that is real. For a long time now I have accepted high glucose as a way of life
 

Jenny15

Well-Known Member
Messages
770
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Jazz music, science denial, and running out of coffee.
I am a little nieve when it comes to
Readings but I think it was 10.3 and my doc said I had brought it down from 12.2. My glucose readings have been very high lately and taking those extra few tablets have brought it back down. My doc says once my blood works come back above 8 then he wants me on insulin. But I'm an amputee and have an ulcer on my remaining leg. Also I have other health issues. I just kinda feel I'm fed up of the docs taking so long to get my readings lower. I have been living with high readings for over a year now
I can see why he is suggesting insulin but I'm confused by what the ulcer and amputation mean... I would have thought they are strong evidence that you need insulin as soon as possible?
 

lovinglife

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
4,541
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am right in understanding you've upped your gliclizide without consulting your doctor? This is very dangerous and at the dose you now say you are taking you are exceeding the maximum dose by 160g a day! Max dose is 320g a day and you are taking 480g! Please stop it's dangerous

Also what happens when your prescription runs out far sooner than it should? How will you explain to your GP? I appreciate your desperation but you are playing with fire
 

Jenny15

Well-Known Member
Messages
770
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Jazz music, science denial, and running out of coffee.
I am right in understanding you've upped your gliclizide without consulting your doctor? This is very dangerous and at the dose you now say you are taking you are exceeding the maximum dose by 160g a day! Max dose is 320g a day and you are taking 480g! Please stop it's dangerous

Also what happens when your prescription runs out far sooner than it should? How will you explain to your GP? I appreciate your desperation but you are playing with fire
I agree, the dose needs to come down to what was prescribed, but I don't know enough about this drug or his overall medical picture to know whether suddenly stopping it is safe.

So I suggest contacting a nurse or doctor within 24 hours for advice, whether that means calling a helpline or whatever else might be available. I am sure any nurse or doctor would prefer being asked than not being asked, because they don't want to see you have health issues because of your decision.

They see this sort of thing all the time and they won't be angry with you. They will be clear about it having been a bad idea but you should not fear letting them know.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,939
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I truly try my best. But I live alone and I'm on low income so buying fresh is very hard for me. I'm 42 and single and to be honest I struggle to live the healthiest lifestyle. I have no family and have been housebound for nearly a decade. I suppose now I'm middle age and my health is getting worse I want to make some change that is real. For a long time now I have accepted high glucose as a way of life
It's not about fresh, per se. A bunch of stuff comes out of my freezer. Are these options for you?: eggs with bacon, cheese and/or mushrooms (no toast, sorry). Salad with tuna or bacon, capers, olives. (No croutons, but mayo does nicely as dressing). Meat can be kept in the freezer, and as long as there's no carby fillers in there or high-sugar marinade, you can low-carb on chicken, pork, beef, etc, to your heart's content. Above-ground veggies are good, (freezer!) as is cauliflower-rice. Just skip bread, potatoes, rice, corn, cereal and fruit (though berries are okay in moderation). I think you'll find your numbers will go down, just be careful with the meds, because you could enter hypo territory. Once you get your numbers down, you should heal a whole lot quicker. I know I did. Good luck... And be careful, use your meter plenty!
 

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I totally agree with @lovinglife

Exceeding the maximum dose is potentially dangerous and may lead to additional health problems.

Far better to make an appointment immediately with your doctor or clinic as soon as possible, and discuss appropriate medication.

Many, probably most, type 2s find that adjusting their food to lower carb options (low carb bread instead of high carb, cutting their rice, pasta and potato portions and replacing them with extra vegetables and slightly more meat, fish, eggs and dairy) has a more powerful effect to lower blood glucose than tablets do.

However, if you are going to try this, and you continue to take your medication, then you need to reduce those carb foods very slowly, while testing your blood glucose regularly. Both the medications you are on can cause hypoglycaemic episodes (too low blood glucose) if you take them and drastically cut your carb intake. But if you slowly and carefully reduce your carbs you may find a happy balance of medication and diet which keeps your blood glucose where you want it.

I really encourage you to make that doc appointment today.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Kympton

Hello Kympton and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

Lancers

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Day time television
I totally agree with @lovinglife

Exceeding the maximum dose is potentially dangerous and may lead to additional health problems.

Far better to make an appointment immediately with your doctor or clinic as soon as possible, and discuss appropriate medication.

Many, probably most, type 2s find that adjusting their food to lower carb options (low carb bread instead of high carb, cutting their rice, pasta and potato portions and replacing them with extra vegetables and slightly more meat, fish, eggs and dairy) has a more powerful effect to lower blood glucose than tablets do.

However, if you are going to try this, and you continue to take your medication, then you need to reduce those carb foods very slowly, while testing your blood glucose regularly. Both the medications you are on can cause hypoglycaemic episodes (too low blood glucose) if you take them and drastically cut your carb intake. But if you slowly and carefully reduce your carbs you may find a happy balance of medication and diet which keeps your blood glucose where you want it.

I really encourage you to make that doc appointment today.
Im afraid I did the same as I was worried about my high readings and ended up feeling rather ill. I joined this site to get more information and now realise I need to lower my carb intake. Early days but my count was 6.8 this morning. I take 2x 500mg a day and stick to it.
 
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