Hello
I desperately need as much advice as possible. I have been a type 2 diabetic for maybe 10 years. Until July last year I was taking insulin and empagliflozin. The reason for taking insulin, I was told, was because of the heart drugs I was taking and that these would interfere with diabetic medication. Just over a year ago my GP surgery had a new diabetic nurse and she questioned why I was taking insulin. I explained about the heart medication. She said that the heart medication I was now taking would not interfere with current diabetic medication. She said she wanted me to come off insulin and try metformin. Anyway, I started taking metformin but was getting stomach problems. I was put on another diabetic medication but was still getting stomach problems. Then I tried third medication but again, stomach problems. I found out several months ago that my stomach problems seemed to be down to irritable bowel syndrome. My wife and I had tremendous stress and it seems this is what was causing the problem.
About mid April this year I started taking Gliclazide because my stomach problems seemed a lot better. I was told to start taking 40 mg at teatime. About a week later I took another 40 mg but in the morning. Now for the last couple of weeks I have been taking 80 mg in the morning and 80 mg at teatime. My lifestyle is somewhat sedentary due to other health reasons and other problems. In the last few weeks, I have tried to be more active and this has helped my blood sugars. I take three readings a day. My averages for the three readings have been about 8MMOL/L. The problem I have and where I need advice is that my morning readings are anywhere between 9.5 and 10.4. Even when I was taking insulin and empagliflozin my readings in the morning were between 7 and 8.
I am coming up to 63 and feeling a complete mess. This is due to health and outside problems. My wife is diabetic and on metformin and her figures in the morning are around 6. She also takes medication for numerous health problems.
I really would appreciate as much help as possible. I don’t mind giving more information if it helps. I feel that with a little more exercise and maybe an extra 40 mg of gliclazide morning and teatime then my blood sugars would come down. But I don’t think the morning readings will improve that much. I do not eat a great deal for supper. Usually, supper consists of a round of toast or a couple of sugar-free biscuits. This is about 9 pm. I also usually have a snack around 8 pm but this is because I take blood thinning medication. If I don’t have something small to eat I usually get indigestion caused by the blood thinning medication. Having something small to eat, i.e. some nuts etc, stops the indigestion. So, from around 9:15 pm in the evening until about 7.30 or 8 am I do not eat. In the past when, on the very odd occasion, I have not eaten supper, I still have high figures in the morning. I realise that the medication I am on probably doesn’t help with the readings but as I have said, my wife is on numerous medications and her blood readings on Metformin are ok. I have heard of the dawn phenomenon but I think my problem is more than that. With everything else going on in my life I really need to get this sorted. Your advice will be helpful. Thank you.
I desperately need as much advice as possible. I have been a type 2 diabetic for maybe 10 years. Until July last year I was taking insulin and empagliflozin. The reason for taking insulin, I was told, was because of the heart drugs I was taking and that these would interfere with diabetic medication. Just over a year ago my GP surgery had a new diabetic nurse and she questioned why I was taking insulin. I explained about the heart medication. She said that the heart medication I was now taking would not interfere with current diabetic medication. She said she wanted me to come off insulin and try metformin. Anyway, I started taking metformin but was getting stomach problems. I was put on another diabetic medication but was still getting stomach problems. Then I tried third medication but again, stomach problems. I found out several months ago that my stomach problems seemed to be down to irritable bowel syndrome. My wife and I had tremendous stress and it seems this is what was causing the problem.
About mid April this year I started taking Gliclazide because my stomach problems seemed a lot better. I was told to start taking 40 mg at teatime. About a week later I took another 40 mg but in the morning. Now for the last couple of weeks I have been taking 80 mg in the morning and 80 mg at teatime. My lifestyle is somewhat sedentary due to other health reasons and other problems. In the last few weeks, I have tried to be more active and this has helped my blood sugars. I take three readings a day. My averages for the three readings have been about 8MMOL/L. The problem I have and where I need advice is that my morning readings are anywhere between 9.5 and 10.4. Even when I was taking insulin and empagliflozin my readings in the morning were between 7 and 8.
I am coming up to 63 and feeling a complete mess. This is due to health and outside problems. My wife is diabetic and on metformin and her figures in the morning are around 6. She also takes medication for numerous health problems.
I really would appreciate as much help as possible. I don’t mind giving more information if it helps. I feel that with a little more exercise and maybe an extra 40 mg of gliclazide morning and teatime then my blood sugars would come down. But I don’t think the morning readings will improve that much. I do not eat a great deal for supper. Usually, supper consists of a round of toast or a couple of sugar-free biscuits. This is about 9 pm. I also usually have a snack around 8 pm but this is because I take blood thinning medication. If I don’t have something small to eat I usually get indigestion caused by the blood thinning medication. Having something small to eat, i.e. some nuts etc, stops the indigestion. So, from around 9:15 pm in the evening until about 7.30 or 8 am I do not eat. In the past when, on the very odd occasion, I have not eaten supper, I still have high figures in the morning. I realise that the medication I am on probably doesn’t help with the readings but as I have said, my wife is on numerous medications and her blood readings on Metformin are ok. I have heard of the dawn phenomenon but I think my problem is more than that. With everything else going on in my life I really need to get this sorted. Your advice will be helpful. Thank you.
