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Friend changing dosages

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Friend with diabetes

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Hi
I have an elderly friend 84 with diabetes who is prescribed 2 x 500mg metformin and 2x 80mg gliclazide she has taken herself off the metformin (as she has very itchy skin and thinks it could be due to this( and upped her dose of gliclaside to 4x 80mg a day. She has done this for the past week, and the past few nights has been very hot.
I don't know anything about diabetes drugs and have told her to see the doctor before she changes drugs or dosage she's not seeing him till Tuesday morning so she said she'll go back on the dosage he prescribed till she see's him. We don't live near other so it's difficult but I am concerned as she live on her own that she might get unwell, is it best that she goes back on the prescribed meds or what?

She had been on the glucophage and said the doctor changed if to metformin, now i've looked it up and it seems its the same drug, I think from what i can gather that the main thing she didn't like was the metallic taste,
I had told her initially to ring nhs direct for advice but she said she can't hear them very well on the phone,
Hope this isn't too rambly,

Jo
 
Hi Jo.
Welcome to the Forum. :)

First of all, she should not change the dose or timings etc without first discussing it with the GP who knows her full medical background.

I wonder does she self monitor her blood glucose levels at all ?

She is on the maximum dose of both Metformin and Gliclazide which would appear to indicate poor control of blood glucose levels ? Have you any idea what her BG levels are throughout the day especially 2 hrs after meals ?

The itching could be symptomatic of high levels, as well as many other things. Some, not Diabetes related. Again, this should be discussed with the GP
 
Hi thanks for the reply, I don't think she monitors her own levels as she's never mentioned that.

I shall ask her about it I have told her to speak to the doctor about the itching and really to try and get her point across, like alot of older people she dosen't like to say if she dosen't understand something or hasn't got a proper reply from a doctor.
So for the time being have I done the right thing by saying she should go back on what the doctor prescribed and not take double the gliclaside?
Thanks again Jo
 
Most definitely go back to what was prescribed........self prescribing is not an option unless agreed first with the GP. It can have many adverse effects ! Not a good idea. Doubling a dose does not always make it more effective.......it can sometimes have the opposite effect if it is not required.

Not knowing her Bg levels is a problem as we don't know if her levels are high or not ......?

Is there a chance that you could go with her and maybe get her point over more clearly to the GP ? It isn't just older people who have difficulty with understanding things, many who are not confident in asking or challenging a GP have the same problem.
 
Thanks again for replying would love to go with her but she's 80 miles away and I'm also at work, perhaps in the new year if it's still not sorted out I can visit her on a day off and make an apt to go with her then.
At least I feel better knowing she's doing the right thing at the moment.

Thanks again,
Jo
 
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