Blood glucose level

You are doing well my friend.
Keep up with those kind of results and the numbers will speak for themselves.

The answer to your question how low is dangerous I am not qualified to answer, however If you drive then you must be above 5 to drive. If you are on Gliclazide or insulin or any BG lowering drugs, I think you will find.
I am often below 5 in the mornings as are several here, Now I don't have any assistance or intervention from drugs reaching this level its not an issue. (Well in a legal sense) {strange but true}

Your Dr should be advised about you changing diet and your desire to stop taking Glic said Po hypocritically

For clarity. “5 to drive” is nice and catchy and often quoted but isn’t strictly what the law says.

https://www.gov.uk/diabetes-driving general advice

https://assets.publishing.service.g...e-to-insulin-treated-diabetes-and-driving.pdf. For insulin users it states to have a snack under 5mmol and not to drive if under 4mmol or feel hypo. If you Do hypo then snack and wait 45mins after it reaches 5mmol before driving.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...vers-with-diabetes-treated-by-non-insulin.pdf. Other meds and diet managed makes no mention of lower limits (despite some meds being glucose lowering to my confusion).

I am not advocating driving with numbers to low, just repeating the legal advice given by the .gov portal.

There is not a terse or laconic answer to this question.
Having said that, this is as concise an answer I would propound, 'LCHF'

Eat as few carbs as you can and enjoy butter, cheese, double cream, steak, chicken, salmon, tuna...
There are so many great sites to learn about what you can eat with impunity and those you should avoid like the plague

Forget about bread, potatoes, (chips, crisps, mash, roasted, etc,) rice, cereals, pulses, pizza, take a-ways, most ready meals, cakes biscuits. Sounds like there is nothing you CAN eat. Trust me Laconic, there is a whole new world of great, healthy, tasty, filling foods waiting for you to discover.

Read the labels on everything you buy and choose wisely what suits you.

How low is low carb? That's entirely up to you. Start off at say 100g a day and see how you go.
Beware of any diet foods and all sauces, if it is low fat the chances are it is full of sugar to make it taste nice.
Cream is better for you than milk, full fat, semi OR skimmed.

Butter is your friend.

Others here will be happy to point you in the right direction I'm sure.

Po

HSSS said:

For clarity. “5 to drive” is nice and catchy and often quoted but isn’t strictly what the law says.

https://www.gov.uk/diabetes-driving general advice

https://assets.publishing.service.g...e-to-insulin-treated-diabetes-and-driving.pdf. For insulin users it states to have a snack under 5mmol and not to drive if under 4mmol or feel hypo. If you Do hypo then snack and wait 45mins after it reaches 5mmol before driving.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...vers-with-diabetes-treated-by-non-insulin.pdf. Other meds and diet managed makes no mention of lower limits (despite some meds being glucose lowering to my confusion).

I am not advocating driving with numbers to low, just repeating the legal advice given by the .gov portal.

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You are 100% correct HSSS. I drive over 1000 miles a week every week. When I was put on insulin I tested every 2 hours and was amazed how much certain foods raised my BS in minutes.
In fact because of having test results 8 9 10 times a day allowed me to give my consultant a very accurate account of how my body was responding. As soon as I started on a LCHF diet the numbers dropped like a stone. He discharged me saying he had never seen such a drop in levels in such a short time span in all his 12 years as a consultant.

Laconic said:

Am on Metformin and Gliclazide, just used my gluco meter for the first time a reading of 5.0 mmol 2 hours after eating.
I am low carbing and want to come off Gliclazide which I will discuss with my doctor on Monday, how much should my mmol be in the morning and how low is dangerous mmol?

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5.0 mmol is an excellent result, @Laconic. Just be careful, it doesn't drop way lower than this as long as you are still on gliclazide. Officially, hypo territory starts at 3.9 mmol.

Great to see that low carb has already yielded good results for you. Let us know what your GP says. Keeping my fingers crossed.

4.6 after main meal of the day (depending on how long after) is an ideal reading.

It could indicate the amount of meds you are taking does not match the diet you are eating if you drop significantly lower later after the meal though. I’d do a few more checks into the evening. If you regularly drop low (below 4 or close to that) you may want to get the dr to reduce the glic to avoid hypos. (Assuming you mean to continue the new way of eating anyway.)

Low carb and a glucose lowering medication do not mix - and can be dangerous.
You will go hypo if you continue with low carb and Gliclazide - perhaps you could contact your GP if there is a Saturday morning clinic in order to get confirmation, but if you are going to continue taking it, you must eat more carbs to counteract its effects - which might seem crazy, but low carb is a very effective way to lower blood glucose and adding in Gliclazide will push it even lower.

Resurgam said:

Low carb and a glucose lowering medication do not mix - and can be dangerous.
You will go hypo if you continue with low carb and Gliclazide - perhaps you could contact your GP if there is a Saturday morning clinic in order to get confirmation, but if you are going to continue taking it, you must eat more carbs to counteract its effects - which might seem crazy, but low carb is a very effective way to lower blood glucose and adding in Gliclazide will push it even lower.

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Agree. Be careful. In my opinion it is a matter of urgency to get a lower dose approved if hypos are a realistic possibility, much more preferable than increasing carbs as the only other option to stay safe. In my non medical opinion, increasing carbs is crazy if it’s just to negate side effects of no longer required or excessive meds!

as a side issue are there any recognised side effects of stopping gliclazide other than potentially raised blood glucose that I am not aware of? Eg I know some medications require a reducing level before stopping entirely

I am guessing a few posters will decline to answer your question "is it safe....."
We must be very careful what we write to other posters.

I will say, some have, some never would, some ask their doctors and follow there advice. some ask their doctors and ignore everything they were told. Some want to ask, but are afraid of the repercussions.
Some read as much as they can about the pros and cons and make an informed decision themselves
Some just stop
Some just stop and monitor their levels meticulously throughout the day and adjust what they eat (if possible) to maintain their (already comfortable) levels.
Some just stop and note an increase in their numbers and decide they need the help that certain drugs provided them (perhaps just for now until they are told by the medical professionals, now, they can reduce their meds)

There are several other permutations' I'm sure

Which one is right for you?

If you want to know my character just look up how Aries is described in a horoscope book - I do not believe that the time of year or the position of the planets when one is born can possibly have any influence - but I have to admit, I am the typical Aries personality.
Those low readings are not desirable - and your breakfast was ideal for reducing glucose levels quickly - if you go on taking the Gliclazide I am totally certain that you will hypo - so I'd advise that you are safer stopping taking it than going on doing so - particularly as it is the weekend, and you do have an appointment on Monday.
You might by now be feeling a bit wobbly - tea and biscuits might be a good idea, and more carbs than you were planning on for dinner.