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Drugs affecting blood glucose

sue512

sue512

Well-Known Member
Messages
233
Location
Wales
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Rude people
I’m on medication for elevated bp, candesartan, bendroflumethiazide, amlodipine as well as my diabetic meds, gliclazide, metformin and trulicity. I’ve been spiking blood sugars every morning to 10-13 and they’ve stayed elevated for about 3-4 hours. Reading contents of at least the first two they contain ingredients like lactose. Has anyone noticed the same is happening to them and how did you deal with it?
 
Hi @sue512

To be honest, unless those pills are really huge, I am struggling to think how much carb the lactose in them can have. eg a 1g pill can't contain more than 1g of carbs.

However you are on a lot of medications, many of which state that they may raise blood sugars when you look up the side effects,
There is also the dawn phenomena which may be a factor?

What's your diet like? Would reducing carbs help?
 
EllieM said:
Hi @sue512

To be honest, unless those pills are really huge, I am struggling to think how much carb the lactose in them can have. eg a 1g pill can't contain more than 1g of carbs.

However you are on a lot of medications, many of which state that they may raise blood sugars when you look up the side effects,
There is also the dawn phenomena which may be a factor?

What's your diet like? Would reducing carbs help?
Click to expand...
I’m limiting my carbs to under 50g if I can with raised fats. The rest of the day they are about 4-6 mol. Just can’t stop this spike. Probably need a discussion about coming off some of these meds with surgery as bp is now right down and oedema I had has resolved. Dawn phenomena doesn’t seem to be an issue as fasting this morning was5.7.
 
Hi @sue512 Have I got this right: Your morning fasting BG is in the 4 to 6 range, yet after breakfast it spikes into the 10 to 12 range ?

Are you eating carbs such as grains or fruit (other than berries) for breakfast ? Or is that when you take a medicine know to raise blood glucose ?
 
ianf0ster said:
Hi @sue512 Have I got this right: Your morning fasting BG is in the 4 to 6 range, yet after breakfast it spikes into the 10 to 12 range ?

Are you eating carbs such as grains or fruit (other than berries) for breakfast ? Or is that when you take a medicine know to raise blood glucose ?
Click to expand...
Breakfast was Greek youghurt and 30g nuts coffee with cream. Even on days I haven’t had breakfast just coffee my glucose spikes The only constant is my drugs. Grains and fruits other than berries also spike my blood glucose so I’ve been avoiding them
 
sue512 said:
Dawn phenomena doesn’t seem to be an issue as fasting this morning was5.7.
Click to expand...
Many of experience 'foot on the floor', which is similar to the dawn phenomenon, except it happens as soon as we wake up and get out of bed. It's the helpful liver thinking you can use a nice energy boost to help get you going for the day with some extra glucose.
So this could be the issue.
 
If I miss my morning meds, then my readings for that day run 2 mmol/l lower than usual, and it is repeatable. Some research and experimentation showed that I have two medications that are raising my base level bgl. These I have identified as Furusomide and Tamsulosin. A check on the documentation confirm these meds as capable of affecting blood sugars. Both of these meds affect kidney function, and it is known that the kidneys do recycle blood glucose as a secondary function.
 
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