Managing gliclazide

[Wizzo]

Hello everyone: I'm Wizzo and have joined this forum today.

I am type 2 currently taking: metformin 500mg x 2 twice daily, sitagliptin 100mg once daily and gliclazide 80mg half a tab 3 times a day before main meals. My doctor has recently increased my gliclazide to ½ x 3 times a day (formerly ½ before breakfast and lunch) and this is giving me some very low bs readings, especially my pre-evening meal one. Can anyone offer any advice on how to stabilize these with reference to food intake and snacking?

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Believe it nor not you are in some ways lucky that the Gliclazide is having such a big effect as it shows your pancreas is still in quite a good state. Could you let us know whether you are overweight and whether you are taking your readings 2 hours after a meal; also what you mean by low BS readings? What is your diet like? If you are not already trying to control your carbs a bit then that might allow you to reduce your Gliclazide, but you must be careful not to go too low and have a hypo and also you should discuss and do this in conjunction with your GP. If you are not overweight then slightly increasing your carb intake with the prescribed Gliclazide would help balance the two? BTW Gliclazide can also be obtained in a 40mg dose so may be this could be prescribed by your GP and these tablets be split but that is up to you after discussion with the GP.

 

[pav]

Would be interesting what your numbers are as I have been on gliclazide a couple of months and have two low points in the day. Normally around 2 to 2:30 pm as I take late lunches and numbers can be in the low 4.0's and around 10:30 to 11:00 pm where they are in the low 5's.

Trying to get the carbs balanced which is where the night lows come in as if I eat things like omelette with out any wholemeal bread. Lunch is just me not getting used to eat earlier.

 

[desidiabulum]

My DN encouraged me to adjust timing and dosage according to meter readings and I have found a balance that works OK for me. I assume it's the half tablet at lunch that is giving you the pre-evening meal low. Might be worth trying a full tablet before breakfast? Did the GP switch your dosage because you were getting high post-lunch readings? Keep testing and adjusting and I'm sure you'll find a balance that works for you in the end.

 

[Viking]

Hi, I have been on Gliclazide for many years, four a day, without any obvious side effects. I take two in the morning and two before dinner. They used to work just fine. However, just recently they appear to have stopped working for me and I am about to go onto Byetta injections, as I have been getting some seriously high readings. I used to take pioglitazone until the doc took me off it, after ten years without any side effects. I very rarely suffered any lows and managed to stay at reasonable levels most of the time. I do tend to eat more or less anything I want but do avoid any sugary foods as far as possible. I do however, need to eat at regular times and my evening meal tends to be the biggest. I have never had to take any meds at lunch time so perhaps changing when you take the Gliclazide might help, such as leaving out the lunch half to see if it makes a difference. Its worth a try, but do check your BG two hours after lunch and dinner to see if it has made a difference.

 

[Wizzo]

Hi. Believe it nor not you are in some ways lucky that the Gliclazide is having such a big effect as it shows your pancreas is still in quite a good state. Could you let us know whether you are overweight and whether you are taking your readings 2 hours after a meal; also what you mean by low BS readings? What is your diet like? If you are not already trying to control your carbs a bit then that might allow you to reduce your Gliclazide, but you must be careful not to go too low and have a hypo and also you should discuss and do this in conjunction with your GP. If you are not overweight then slightly increasing your carb intake with the prescribed Gliclazide would help balance the two? BTW Gliclazide can also be obtained in a 40mg dose so may be this could be prescribed by your GP and these tablets be split but that is up to you after discussion with the GP.

I am overweight but not excessively so - it's good to hear that my pancreas is in quite a good state. After my last GP consultation I have been testing regularly for a week to see how things pan out. I have had readings as low as 1.6 and 1.7 in the bedtime reading but as high as 11 or 12 2 hours after breakfast. I think, as others have said that my carb intake needs to be controlled more carefully: discussions with my medical team are ongoing...thanks

 

[Wizzo]

Would be interesting what your numbers are as I have been on gliclazide a couple of months and have two low points in the day. Normally around 2 to 2:30 pm as I take late lunches and numbers can be in the low 4.0's and around 10:30 to 11:00 pm where they are in the low 5's.

Trying to get the carbs balanced which is where the night lows come in as if I eat things like omelette with out any wholemeal bread. Lunch is just me not getting used to eat earlier.

I get a mid morning surge to 10 or 11 after breakfast: I think i may take 80mg instead of 40mg then and see if that helps. I really do need to pay more attention to my carb balance...thanks.

 

[Wizzo]

My DN encouraged me to adjust timing and dosage according to meter readings and I have found a balance that works OK for me. I assume it's the half tablet at lunch that is giving you the pre-evening meal low. Might be worth trying a full tablet before breakfast? Did the GP switch your dosage because you were getting high post-lunch readings? Keep testing and adjusting and I'm sure you'll find a balance that works for you in the end.

Yes I am doing just that and I am now taking a full tablet before breakfast I am trying to adjust to get the balance right.
Thanks for your reply

 

[Wizzo]

Hi, I have been on Gliclazide for many years, four a day, without any obvious side effects. I take two in the morning and two before dinner. They used to work just fine. However, just recently they appear to have stopped working for me and I am about to go onto Byetta injections, as I have been getting some seriously high readings. I used to take pioglitazone until the doc took me off it, after ten years without any side effects. I very rarely suffered any lows and managed to stay at reasonable levels most of the time. I do tend to eat more or less anything I want but do avoid any sugary foods as far as possible. I do however, need to eat at regular times and my evening meal tends to be the biggest. I have never had to take any meds at lunch time so perhaps changing when you take the Gliclazide might help, such as leaving out the lunch half to see if it makes a difference. Its worth a try, but do check your BG two hours after lunch and dinner to see if it has made a difference.

Excuse my naivety, but what do you mean by 'seriously high readings'? I am frantically testing at the moment since my increased dose, my fingers aren't enjoying it but my diabetic nurse has given me a new regime to try, which I shall do. I think because I've had no major symptoms I've not taken my diabetes seriously enough, especially regarding mealtimes and the amount of food i eat. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Viking]

Excuse my naivety, but what do you mean by 'seriously high readings'? I am frantically testing at the moment since my increased dose, my fingers aren't enjoying it but my diabetic nurse has given me a new regime to try, which I shall do. I think because I've had no major symptoms I've not taken my diabetes seriously enough, especially regarding mealtimes and the amount of food i eat. Thanks for your advice.[/quote]


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