Do prescription drugs affect your BG?

[welshtony]

I've done a search, but can't seem to find this being asked before, so here it is!

I take 3 tablets first thing each morning (atorvastatin, atenolol and ramipril), I then, after 40 mins on a cross trainer and a shower, usually check my BG (about 60 mins after taking the tablets, before breakfast).

My morning readings are usually higher than I'd like, but not disasterous (low 7s; they tend to drop to around 5 by the evening), but this morning I decided to take them after exercise, but before the tablets, and they were 6.7, best for some while.

I appreciate that one reading isn't a trend, but I was just wondering if there was any info on whether or not these sorts of tablets could raise BG levels?

And I also know I'm supposed to take the statins at night; but if I tried to do that, I'd likely forget more than I'd remember, so I decided to fit them into my morning routine (and I typically still manage to miss one or two a month). I discussed this with my DN last visit, and she concurred that taking them more regularly would be more important than taking them at night (and, since I've been lower carbing, my cholesterol results are down to almost normal, now).

 

[cugila]

I take 3 tablets first thing each morning (atorvastatin, atenolol and ramipril), I then, after 40 mins on a cross trainer and a shower, usually check my BG (about 60 mins after taking the tablets, before breakfast).

Tony.

That is not the way to take your morning Bg reading. It is supposed to be a fasting reading. It should be taken when you get up prior to any tablets, food or exercise. Not some time after rising. Taking it after a shower is also not advised as that in itself can affect the readings. Taking them the way you are will give you an artificially false reading every time.

I don't think it is your tablets that are the problem here, just what YOU are doing.

Medication: Possible side effects. Along with many other effects these are the BNF results.
Atorvastatin.......hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, (Possible)
Atenelol............None listed
Ramipril............None listed

 

[sugarless sue]

If I have a shower before testing it puts my bg up at least a point and that is without exercise as well!

 

[Carol11]

Some do, some do not. I'm also taking Synthroid, that really pushes up the insulin needed. It doesn't seem to affect the BG as much as the insulin absorbtion. Try the drug interaction sites for other info. A good one I've found is iGuard.org. There is also MedWatch or PharmaWatch and also many more if you try a search engine. All the best, Carol

 

[welshtony]

I take 3 tablets first thing each morning (atorvastatin, atenolol and ramipril), I then, after 40 mins on a cross trainer and a shower, usually check my BG (about 60 mins after taking the tablets, before breakfast).

Tony.

That is not the way to take your morning Bg reading. It is supposed to be a fasting reading. It should be taken when you get up prior to any tablets, food or exercise. Not some time after rising. Taking it after a shower is also not advised as that in itself can affect the readings. Taking them the way you are will give you an artificially false reading every time.

I don't think it is your tablets that are the problem here, just what YOU are doing.

Medication: Possible side effects. Along with many other effects these are the BNF results.
Atorvastatin.......hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, (Possible)
Atenelol............None listed
Ramipril............None listed

Thanks for that. I thought fasting just meant "before any food". I didn't realise that it was far stricter than that. I thought I'd read quite a bit on how/when to test, and I hadn't realised that I wasn't doing it properly before. I'd be surprised if I were alone in that; it just goes to show - never assume!

I'll start testing myself on waking, and see what that gives me. As I said, I'm not unhappy with my readings generally, just the early ones.

 

[welshtony]

OK, and I know one test isn't a trend, but......

1 am last night, on going to bed.......................5.8
6:30 am, on waking......................................5.8
7:30 am, after exercise, shower and tablets.........7.3!

Glad I asked the question now! Thanks!!!

And I've just discovered that I have 2 boxes of strips to use before the end of this month, so 4 tests a day coming up from now on.......

 

[welshtony]

Just an update, for anyone interested.

I have tested on waking and after exercise/tablets 5 times now, and the results have always been higher, between 0.5 and 1.5 points. Today was 1.0 points (6.4 to 7.4, back to 6.4 2hrs after light breakfast of 100g blueberries and 100g low carb yoghurt).

My challenge now is to see how I can get the waking (true fasting) count down below 5! I managed it a couple of days last week, but don't know how. :?:

 

[Dipsy]

This is really interesting. I wonder why with the glucose tolerance test, I'm typically asked to turn up at 10am for the fasting test, having run myself silly for a few hours to sort the kids out etc first! It must alter the reading a lot from what it would have been when I rolled out of bed.

 

[welshtony]

Yes, I must say I was questioning the validity of the normal fasting blood tests, given these results.

Today (again, a sample of one), I tried testing before and after a shower, without doing any exercising or taking pills. The reult went up 1.0 points, 6.4 to 7.4 (as Sue said, above!); then, an hour after the pills and a breakfast of 1/2 grapefruit and 100g of low carb yoghurt, I'm 7.7.

I was diagnosed T2 after a GTT in Aug last year. I can't remember what I'd done beforehand, but would definitely have had a shower (and I'm now 2 stone lighter, too). Maybe I should ask for another one now!

 

[IanP]

Hi Welshtony

Today (again, a sample of one), I tried testing before and after a shower, without doing any exercising or taking pills. The reult went up 1.0 points, 6.4 to 7.4 (as Sue said, above!); then, an hour after the pills and a breakfast of 1/2 grapefruit and 100g of low carb yoghurt, I'm 7.7.

I've only just read you posts rerescription drugs, all very interesting. One thing I noticed in your last post - you mention having half a grapefruit. Are you aware that grapefruit in any form cancels out the effect of statins. I've been on simvastatin for a couple of years and was warned that eating grapefruit or drinking the juice was a definite No No!

Just thought I should mention this, good luck withn your regime.

IanP

 

[phoenix]

Are you aware that grapefruit in any form cancels out the effect of statins. I've been on simvastatin for a couple of years and was warned that eating grapefruit or drinking the juice was a definite No No!

you're right, a definite no, no, but it doesn't cancel the effect of the statin; it increases it and may make side effects more likely.

A single glass of grapefruit juice taken at the same time as 40mg of simvastatin can increase the levels of the drug in the bloodstream by about four-fold. Having a four-fold increase in the levels of simvastatin is a bit like taking 160mg

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...lets-is-it-safe-to-eat-grapefruit-775351.html

 

[welshtony]

Thanks! Something else I've learned. Maybe I should really make an effort to take the statins at night, cos I do like a half grapefruit for breakfast. :shock:

But I'm hoping that my cholesterol levels might be coming down enough to get off those, which would be better anyway.

I went for a checkup with the DN at the practice on Friday, and told her about the change in readings after a shower/exercise. She's diabetic also, and didn't know about that effect either! She wasn't interested in the book I was reading, though (Gretchen Becker's First Year with type 2 diabetes), which was disappointing. :roll:

And the results I've been getting in the morning have ranged from 0.4 to 1.5 higher after shower, tablets and exercise, with only one, last Friday, 0.2 lower (and that was after a high 7.1 first thing, which I'm putting down to a possible contaminated reading).