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Do antibiotics affect glucose levels?

Jude

Jude

Well-Known Member
Messages
430
Location
Tenerife
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
I have been struggling for over 3 months now - end of September I had an extremely bad throat which required 10day dose of strong Penicillin. 3/4 weeks later realised I had developed thrush in my mouth and was given Nystatin drops. It improved somewhat but just did not go away. Nurse, GP & dentist all said I did not have thrush !! but 10 days ago my GP took a throat swab and guess what - still got thrush - so am now on another course of antibiotics - flucloxacillin. Do these medications affect the glucose figures?

many thanks. Jude :roll:
 
Hi Jude,
When taken according to the dosage recommendations, flucloxacillin contains 6.188g of
sucrose per 10ml adult dose. So the answer is yes, it will have an effect on your blood sugar, but not a terribly large effect.
 
Hi Jude,what are your blood sugar levels like? If they are high it makes getting thrush more likely,that and the fact that you have been on a lot of antibiotics lately.I'm confused as to why they are giving you Flucloxaccilin for thrush,or have I miss-read your post?
 
If the flucloxacillin you ae taking contains sugar, it will raise your BG, however an infection will do that too and the best way to rid yourself of a fungal infection,longterm, is to keep those BGs down in the 4s and 5s. Yeasts ( thrush is a yeast) love sugar. Are you on medication? A short spell on insulin for very tight control might be the answer.
 
.....and a broad spectrum antibiotic is not a treatment for thrush.
My sympathies, it's an awful thing to have. Has your doctor suggested you take a systemic anti-fungal? Have a chat with a pharmacist. You may get more info from them,

wiflib
 
Thank you one and all for your replies.
SugarlessSue - I developed the thrush because of the very strong penicillin given for my throat infection - have never had thrush in mouth before. I have also been given another course of Nystatin mouth drops and I too do not understand why the flucloxacillin - maybe the swab showed something else as well.
As far as insulin goes, I started on Lantus 3 weeks ago and am hoping this will help but so far my morning numbers are still not improving. I take Metformin 2g s/r in the morning and take the Lantus at bedtime. Have just stopped gliclazide totally yesterday so there have been a lot of changes alongside the throat infections/thrush etc. And just to confuse things more, 2 weeks ago I had gastric flu.
Can anyone reassure me that I will get there eventually??? Having spent 6/7 years with high blood pressure I now have some control with that but the sugar is refusing to budge!! :x :roll:
 
What are you eating?
Even intransigent sugars usually respond to a low carb diet. Even if you are not convinced it's for you, Isn't it worth a try?
 
Hanadr

This is where it gets more tricky and difficult for me. I have lived with chronic IBS for over 35 years now and the best foods for that are carbs and fruit & vegs are not so good. So presently if I cut out carbs I would be eating no breakfast, 1 egg/slice meat for lunch and 3oz portion meat for my evening meal - I do not think this would be helpful. Falling between a rock and a hard place is where I am.
What do you eat each day?
Thanks. Jude :roll:
 
You're trapped in a loop. :(

AFAIK there should be no direct effect on BG from the drugs but the infection may well be driving your BG up and the high BG feeds the infection.

The antibiotics kill the benevolent bacteria along with the dangerous ones, some of which eat the thrush, and in their absence you can get a thrush overgrowth, not uncommon.

Some people recommend yogurts like Activia to reintroduce the benevolent bacteria into your digestive system and rebalance the intestinal and other flora after a course of antibiotics. Oral antifungal may help but these tend to be hard on the liver so best to seek professional advice.

Sometimes a course of antibiotics can improve IBS but sometimes worsen it.

Sympathies anyway, there seem to be a few nasty infections doing the rounds this winter. Wash your hands after touching a doctor.
 
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