Blood glucose and medication

I was diagnosed with type 2 six years ago and started on Metformin. When my fasting glucose shot up to 400 mg/dl in 2011 (I live in Spain, that is how it is measured - divide by 18 for mmol/l (400/18= 22.22 mmol/l). This was put down to dietary transgression, it most definitely wasn't. - Spanish Doctors don't listen any better than English ones. Medication was then changed to Metformin with Sitagliptin. Towards the end of 2013, I became very ill and was diagnosed with Lactic acidosis, the Metfornin/Sitagliptin was stopped and I started on Sitagliptin 50 mg twice daily and Gliclazide 30 mg at lunchtime. The illness lasted for almost 3 months and I lost 15 kg in weight. Since then, my blood glucose has been very well controlled, with my morning fasting level between 80 and 100 mg/dl (4.4 to 5.6 mmol/l). My last three HbA1c readings were between 5.2 and 5.6 mmol/l.

Last night, before supper, I started to feel really odd. I tested my blood glucose, this was 66 mg/dl (3.6 mmol/l). Supper was Spanish dish, made with chickpeas in chicken broth with a small slice of wholegrain bread. Total CHO intake for the day was about 85 grams. I wasn't feeling any better an hour later and my blood glucose had dropped slightly to 65 mg/dl (3.6 mmol/l). I took a teaspoon of honey and went to bed. This morning my fasting glucose is 88 mg/dl (4.9 mmol/l) and I felt fine.

I drink 3 to 4 litres of water per day, no alcohol and watch my carbs carefully. My diet is mostly Mediterranean - fish, fruit, veg, chicken, rabbit, some red meat and offal. I can't exercise much due to physical ailments, although I was very fit when I was in the Army and since, until 1999 when I developed a varicose ulcer on my right ankle that effectively stopped everything. I wondered if anyone could shed some light on what happened yesterday?

Liso66 said:

It is just a guess, but I believe you had a hypo. They are more common with T2's taking medications. I also eat low carb, and when I was on Metformin, I would get hypos/lows in the middle of the night. That is when my doctor started cutting me back on the dosages, and ultimately, I was taken off the MEDs all together.

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That was my thought, but 3.6 mmol/l isn't really that low - it is at the lower edge of normal. I was a Registered Nurse and I know the signs of a hypo - dizziness, sweats, palpitations, pallor etc. and I didn't have any of those - I just felt odd.

My glucose is usually in the range 4.5 -5.5. There was only one instance of it going really high and that was 4 years ago, and when I was on different medication.

Thanks for your help. It has only happened the once, so I will just monitor things. I'm glad to be off Metformin - it nearly killed me.