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Can you go too low?

Inchindown

Well-Known Member
Messages
411
Location
Highlands
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
As I have become better at managing my diet, my BG has steadily fallen.

As of this evening my pre dinner reading was 4.5 and has been reducing almost every day. I'm concerned it might continue to fall.

I'm on 3 x 500 mg Metformin per day.

So my question is do I need to do something to stop my BG from falling too low. Is it a simple matter of eating more?
 
If you feel odd AND a reading shows that your blood sugar is below 4, you could consider eating something carby or slightly sweet as a quick boost. Maybe you should ask your doctor about reducing your Metformin. It is generally thought (though several members here do disagree strongly) that you cannot go too low on Metformin. Unless you are on insulin or a drug which stimulates your own insulin production, your body automatically corrects low blood sugars.
Sally
 
I agree with the above.. Armed with the data. See your doctor.
What are your figures 2 hours after the meals..??
 
Congratulations on managing to bring you BG down, you've done very well. I do agree with the suggstions already made that you should discuss this with your GP as if your BG falls much lower you could possibly be heading for a hypo.
 
Jaylee said:
According to the OP. " on 3 x 500 mg Metformin per day."

Hope this helps?!
Click to expand...

And according to the OP's avatar he doesn't have diabetes....

I always prefer to ask if there's any doubt as meds are often added or removed without the member getting a chance to update their profile.
 
azure said:
And according to the OP's avatar he doesn't have diabetes....

I always prefer to ask if there's any doubt as meds are often added or removed without the member getting a chance to update their profile.
Click to expand...
Hey, I'm just working with what I see.. A possible "oversight" on the profile (easy done.) & diabetic prescribed mets..

It's also great that George has his own meter too!
 
You can go low on metformin .. you need to eat what suits you ..
some people stay on metformin or other medications , in conjunction with GP or health practitioner .. and monitor eating and blood glucose levels
Afraid I can't support the suggestion of eating more , more like eating what's right for you .. best wishes Kat
 
Definitely go and see your GP to discuss your medication as I was the same as yourself 2 years ago and I ended up coming off my medication.
 
4ratbags said:
Definitely go and see your GP to discuss your medication as I was the same as yourself 2 years ago and I ended up coming off my medication.
Click to expand...
My T2 dad was pulled off the mets. He was going into the low 3s. After ajusting his carb intake.. (Mainly potatoes & fruit juice.)
 
Thanks for all the replies.

For the avoidance of doubt I was diagnosed with type 2 last month. This followed an Hba1c of over 100. I was put on metformin of 500 mg 3 times a day. Starting at one tab a day and building up to 3 a day.

I don't feel bad, in fact I feel better than I have done for some time.

I'm just curious about what happens if you go too low and what I should do to avoid that happening.

I'm very pleased that my BG has come down to normal levels. My pre dinner reading this evening of 4.5 was followed by a reading 2 hours after dinner of 6.3.

At the moment I am keeping my carb intake to less than 100 g.

I'll keep a close eye on my levels and go to my doctor if it gets too low.

George.
 
I would say provided you feel fine, don't worry about going low. The numbers you're quoting at the moment are lovely numbers, and as someone else has said, as T2s, our bodies tend to be pretty efficient with helping us out by not allowing us to go to medically worrying lows.

In your shoes, I'd want to ensure the medication query was covered in my next appointment, but Metformin is pretty usually gentle, once you've got used to it. As someone else has suggested, it usually makes sense to trim back the meds, rather than eat more to suit your tablets.

If at any time you feel "off" and believe yourself to be having a hypo, and your finger prick numbers back this up, the do have something to eat or drink. I'd urge you not to head for the Jelly Babies or Lucozade and they can be quite a hard hit, when you have been eating reduced carbs. something more gentle like a cup of tea is often enough just to lift your numbers a bit, without a big rise to an uncomfortably large number.

You seem to be doing very nicely.
 
If it was me I would go with 1 metformin with my biggest meal of the day and monitor closely for a week. I would tell the doc next time I went. In the first 12 months of keto I upped my meds then dropped my meds and did a couple of months with no meds all in the interests of science. I settled on 1 mainly to help with insulin resistance and to give my beta cells a rest. I'm staying on 1 also to protect the heart. but that's just me.
 
Cheers for coming back George. & those figures look great..
Though I would always advocate consultation with a specialist with regards to medication. I see a logic in ajusting the meds if there are systematic lows.. As opposed to force "feeding the beast" with more carbs..

As an insulin user as a kid in the 1970s? Lol there were only so many "snacks" I could handle...
 
Inchindown said:
I'm just curious about what happens if you go too low and what I should do to avoid that happening.
Click to expand...

The general symptoms of low glucose is drowsiness, heart palpitations, feeling jittery and of course loss of consciousness.

Generally a hypo condition occurs below 4.0mmol. But it really varies because each of us T2D have different level of insulin resistance and brain glucose uptake.

In this study T1D was lowered to 2.8 mmol for cognitive test. This suggest that in a controlled lab, we can still function at this low glucose level if our brain has adequate fuel (glucose/ketone bodies). Though it is likely unsafe to drive/operate heavy equipments.

http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/5/1237


So when glucose level is too low for our brain, we either increase the glucose level or increase ketone bodies. The mainstream approach is to increase glucose level.
 
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