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Thirsty but blood sugar low

G

GLev

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have started to be thirsty again, not a raging one, my lips and mouth are dry. My blood sugar is low though. I'm on the maximum dose of Metformin and Gliclazide. Any ideas what it could be. Am I going to have to go on to insulin
 
GLev said:
I have started to be thirsty again, not a raging one, my lips and mouth are dry. My blood sugar is low though. I'm on the maximum dose of Metformin and Gliclazide. Any ideas what it could be. Am I going to have to go on to insulin
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Hi @GLev , thirst and a dry mouth associated with diabetes is caused by high blood glucose. What are your blood sugars like, and do you test when you're thirsty?
Dry mouth and lips can be caused by a number of other things.

No one on here will be able to tell you if you'll need insulin, but if your blood glucose isn't high there is no reason to be prescribed insulin.
If you do get high numbers throughout the day, insulin may be of help, or possibly some changes in eating habits may do the job.
 
Although thirst is a symptom of diabetes, diabetes is not necessarily the cause of it. There are many diseases and conditions that are accompanied by thirst, even banal alcohol intoxication. Hyperparathyroidism, pneumonia, pyelonephritis, and a lot of other things. It's not necessarily something scary, so just go to the doctor and get tested.
 
A very obvious question, are you drinking enough fluids, sounds obvious, but that could be the reason, especially if you are not peeing frequently. Meds , alcohol , excessive sweating from heat or exercise can cause thirst.

Are you actually thirsty or is it a dry mouth? I sometimes have difficulty separating the two. They are distinct from each other, but they can also be experienced together.
 
A very simple one for me is black coffee, always leaves my mouth dry and I have a small glass of cold water afterwards. Salty foods too can affect me for quite a few hours afterwards
 
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