Avoiding hypoglycemia

Erin

Well-Known Member
Messages
748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
mean people, corrupt politicians, poverty, happy pharmaceutical ads;
How do you people avoid hypoglycemia (for me it is now sometimes under 5.0 that has the symptoms). It makes me very ill, and in particular makes a chest pain and takes sometimes a day to recover. For this reason, I sometimes risk hyperglycemia (say 12.0) by overeating, which is not that great, making me sleep after meals and sometimes gives me a headache. I do wish Google Techies would create a diabetes watch. Wouldn't that be great?
 
Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
When I was given Glimepiride some years back I didn't avoid a hypo. Headache, shaking, feeling like I was going to lose it any moment etc. I had been experimenting with low carb and put what I had learned into practice with such success that I stopped taking the Glimepiride. In time I gave up all medication due to side effects etc.

Now I eat good food, take no pills and don't have excessive highs or lows.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you are following a sufficiently low carb diet then you do risk hypos from your medication. Rather than eating to your medication (as you are doing at the moment), why not discuss with your doctor about reducing your medication? It is your Gliclazide that is making you hypo (although 5s are not hypos, they are perfectly normal readings) It works by stimulating your pancreas to produce extra insulin, and the less carbs you eat the less insulin you need. Too much insulin = hypo territory. Low carb members on insulin injections reduce their insulin doses accordingly.
 

Erin

Well-Known Member
Messages
748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
mean people, corrupt politicians, poverty, happy pharmaceutical ads;
When I was given Glimepiride some years back I didn't avoid a hypo. Headache, shaking, feeling like I was going to lose it any moment etc. I had been experimenting with low carb and put what I had learned into practice with such success that I stopped taking the Glimepiride. In time I gave up all medication due to side effects etc.

Now I eat good food, take no pills and don't have excessive highs or lows.
When I was given Glimepiride some years back I didn't avoid a hypo. Headache, shaking, feeling like I was going to lose it any moment etc. I had been experimenting with low carb and put what I had learned into practice with such success that I stopped taking the Glimepiride. In time I gave up all medication due to side effects etc.

Now I eat good food, take no pills and don't have excessive highs or lows.


Wow! You are brave to cut all meds.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Wow! You are brave to cut all meds.

You would be surprised just how many members on here have done just that - including insulin users. It is low carbing that does it. Diet is the key. :)
 
Messages
6,107
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Wow! You are brave to cut all meds.
It wasn't bravery, the side effects were horrific. I took pills in good faith but was constantly ill. What was odd is that there was only one kind of pill that I didn't associate with side effects. There must be something in every pill that upsets me. When, one by one I stopped them I just went the whole hog and stopped the lot.

When I say side effects I mean two separate months when I couldn't walk, dry retching, partial paralysis of arms and shoulders (I was sent to the physiotherapist for that one), everything tasting like burnt plastic and so on.