Gliclazide is it that bad?

Re:Gliclazide is it that bad ?

Hi Chrissie. I hope this isn't too scary...... :wink:

I have been on Gliclazide for years and the only thing that happened to me was that I put some weight on, probably due to the so called 'healthy' diet more so than the Gliclazide. I eventually came off Glic completely earlier this year.....that helped with weight loss in some small way. Now my Pancreas hasn't given up, it's still kicking in when it's needed. It hasn't burned out !

Now since that time, I have had to go back on Glic, on an as and when I need it basis. What I have found is that for me it is a lifesaver. Without the Glic forcing my Pancreas to produce Insulin I would be in big trouble with high Bg levels. So as far as I am concerned, the scare stories are just that, stories.

I have seen no actual evidence that it is harming me.....on the contrary it is helping me when I need help the most. Once my problem is fixed than I will be back hopefully to no more Glic ? It certainly doesn't scare me. I did my own research and I am satisfied that for most people it can be a very useful tool.....it doesn't have to be for life. I saw that.

One other thing I noticed was that the most vociferous opponents of Gliclazide are the ones who either aren't on it or have never been on it. There will always be some who will rubbish a drug because it didn't work for them. Well, it **** well worked and is still working for me !!

So, I'm a believer as they say......this is MY personal opinion. What other's think is their business, not mine. :|

OH, I corrected the spelling BTW.....

I'm on it just now.
Needing the dose adjusted, I think, as it seems to be working too well.
I'd take with confidence.

Hi Chrissie.

Hate to be a 'party pooper'......if you'll pardon the expression.

These are some of the known side effects of most sulphonylureas including Gliclazide. They are generally mild and infrequent and can include gastro-intestinal disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.

On the up side I never suffered a single one. :wink:

chrissieworne said:

Thanks guys, feel a bit better now. Am doing well on diet alone but not well enough to eat a lot of stuff in reasonable quantities so its so restrictive to keep good numbers. The Metformin made me soooooooo ill I couldn't stand it. The weight things a worry as I am overweight but p'raps I can work on that. The DN said its not just the glic that gains weight but an appetite thing?

Anyway, am going to try not to get too stressed about it and see what happens.

By the way, does Glic upset yr gut the way M'fmin does? If so gawd help me!! :!:

Keep well
Chrissie. x

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Hi Chrissie

When you say you are "doing well on diet alone, but not well enough to eat a lot of stuff in reasonable quantities", what sorts of numbers are you getting, on what sort of general diet? (I'm just curious!)

Hi Chrissie

I've been on Gliclazide for around 3 years and am currently on the maximum dose. I've had no apparent side effects whatsoever. I've looked at various articles on this business about pancreas burn-out and I can find no evidence for the claim. Although Gliclazide commonly causes weight gain, for me I'm still losing weight! Were you on slow release Metformin (Metformin SR)? It causes lower side effects but does cost the NHS a bit more. I started on the SR form so don't know what the standard variety would have done for me but the SR has caused no side efefcts whatsoever. Good luck with the Glic!

Hi Chrissie,

I was diagnosed as diabetic 2 years ago, at the age of 40. I had blood sugar levels hitting 12-14 mmol just before I went to bed.

I managed to get my HBA1C down to around 7.5, mmol of 7-9 before bed by following a low carb diet and exercising more regularly (although not as much as I would like as I have had a back problem).

My GP wanted to get my HBA1C down further, and I tried Metformim. I have ulcerative colitis, and the Metformim made me very ill. So ill that I had to go on steroids. Which made my blood sugar shoot up to 12-14 mmol before bed, and I had real trouble getting it down below 10, even weeks after finishing the course.

At this point, my GP wanted me to go on Gliclazide. I had heard horror stories too (Dr. Bernstein's low carb book doesn't recommend them) about burning out the pancreas, so I asked to see a specialist. The specialist impressed me, and I had confidence in his advice. He told me that any risk to my pancreas as a result of taking Gliclazide was small, however, the risk to me of not getting my blood sugar down was high, that increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and all the other bad things far outweighed any harm Gliclazide *might* cause.

I am on a very low dose (40mg/day) and have had no side effects. My blood sugar in the morning and before bed is typically 6-7 mol, and I've even managed to get 5.1 on occasion. I am still following a low carb diet, and still *trying* to exercise regularly. I am due an HBA1C soon, and I think the results will be a great improvement.

One thing I've noticed is that my blood sugar seems to be more stable - there seems to be less spikes than I used to get. Getting my blood sugar down further seems to make me feel less tired too.

Hope this helps,

Mike.

Hi Chrissie

Thanks for the info. I sympathize, as I'm still on diet only and think I must have been caught at an early enough stage for me to make relatively moderate changes in my diet and exercise and achieve good results.

Shortly after diagnosis I found this forum and decided to give low carbing a go (I'd never tried it before, and when I realised I'd have to drop bread and potatoes, I didn't think I'd manage it, but I have, generally).

Your waking and post meal nos aren't far off mine (I occasionally wake at under 6, and usually peak in the 9s after a meal), yet I've managed to somehow bring my HbA1c down into the target range, so medication isn't being discussed at all, yet. As I'm already on 3 tablets a day, I'm very keen to stay off more (personal opinion, not medical advice!). I'm also interested to hear that your reactions to low/higher readings match mine. I wondered if this was common!

As well as diet, the big change I made was to do 40 mins, 3 times a week on a cross trainer, first thing in the morning, before a shower. That, and the diet, allowed me to drop 3 stone in less than a year (but I've put back 10 lbs, and am struggling to get back under a BMI of 35 at present).

My indulgence is beer, I probably do a week's low carb allowance on that alone, but it doesn't seem to be affecting my BG nos adversely (and I consciously manage not to snack whilst drinking). Also, the more I read about alcohol, the less concerned I am about its effect on me as a T2 diabetic (I have had one bad episode, but am old enough to know what I did wrong on that occasion, and have told all my friends, so they know what to do if I do go too low). Again, this is definitely NOT medical advice!

There are lots of posters on here who are willing to give the benefits of their experience and knowledge. You have done the right thing in asking the first question, and following up with more detailed information about yourself. Keep asking more, I'm sure there's someone here who can just give you a spark of knowledge or experience that will work for you.

Hi,

I have been on Metformin since diagnosis over a year and a half ago. This crept up to 6 x 500mg a day and Gliclazide was added a year ago.
Throughout this time I have had no sickness or side effects at all. Though it did little to control by Blood Sugar levels which often remained around 14-18 mmol. (BG and weight control made extra difficult because I'm on Steroids (prednisolone) for Sarcoidosis.
Just over a month ago I was put on Victoza (Liraglutide) injections (once a day)......This has caused me major nausea/sickness problems though these seem to be wearing off.......But the great news is that my Blood Sugar is down to 6-8 mmol. and I am already seeing some weight loss.
(The injection is less hassle and less painful than the Blood test!)

Mick

My view on diabetes drugs (for Type2) has been greatly influenced by Dr Jason Fung. (Gliclizideis a type of Sulphonylureas)

These are two of his articles that are a good starting point, there are also lots of his talks you can find with google.
https://healthcareinamerica.us/how-not-to-treat-type-2-diabetes-92a958446d5b
https://medium.com/@drjasonfung/medications-that-actually-help-with-type-2-diabetes-98839b815dde

(Added as this thread come up on the first page of google)

Sorry to say this but I could not control my bs on gliclazide. I was on a rollercoaster every hour. Hypo to hyper within an hour. It just randomly squeezes your already taxed pancreas. Eventually, it burned mine out.

If I were in your position I would try tightening the ropes on your diet before gliclazide. It's not like it allows you to eat. In fact it made me eat when I wasn't hungry to bring the hypos up. Then of course I'd hyper!!

Hi Chrissie
I am currently taking 160mg Gliclazide twice a day along with 15mg Pioglitazone once a day. I too was having problems with Metformin, started getting constant aches in leg muscles. Doctors then putg me on modified release Metformin but this didn't stop the aches so diabetic nurse has put me on the Pioglitazone. I have had no issues with Gliclazide, so as others have stated I think these are just scare stories. Good luck

I now take 160mg Gliclazide a day, alongside 1000 Metformin. Both doses were doubled recently when I caught the flu virus and my BS shot up to 24mmol. It slowly came down as I recovered, not sure if this was due to the increased meds. I am now constant at 11 - 13mmol. Still too high, so doctor is putting me on Bydureon weekly, and I am hoping I won't have to keep taking the pills too as they do upset my stomach.

Does anyone have experience with Bydureon / Byetta? My doctor wants to put me on this as my BS won't come down from 11mmol +. Weekly injections - is it on prescription in Australia? Yes, I do LCHF....

Gliclazide is known to make many people put weight on. Ask your doctor for Sitagliptin instead, much more expensive that's why some doctors can't / won't prescribe.

chrissieworne said:

I have basically been healthy eating, sugar free stuff, low fat and plenty of veg and salad. I eat lean meat and fish, eggs but have to admit I am struggling to lower my carbs so I have them but in very small amounts. However, I feel hungry a lot of the time.Chrissie

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If you are eating a low fat diet then you'll struggle - you need to eat what used to be the normal amounts of fat - they are essential, by the way, unlike carbs. On LCHF I am never hungry and have been losing weight gradually since diagnosis, there is awlays something to eat and it is usually delicious. I have lots of low carb foods to chose from - Most things are 10 percent carbs or less, with small portions of higher but mostly under 20 percent, anything higher is very rare indeed

Ive been Gliclizide for over 20 years - no side effects

chrissieworne said:

Am sure i have misspelt that!! If I can't get my HBAIC down for next time (in fEB 2010) the DN said we may try a very small dose of that as I cannot tolerate Metformin in any form at a level that makes any difference.

However, some posts on here have really scared me as they more or less state its nothing short of poison and buggers your Pancreas up.

Now, I don't know if that's the case or not but it isn't very helpful and puts the fear of god into fairly new bods like me.

Can anyone enlighten me without scary remarks?

Chrissie

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I'm on it - I've never had any problems with it. When I was briefly off it my HBAC1 was going up (my problem is steroid induced diabetes). Couldn't take metformin - the usual reasons! As I understand it Gliclizade basically kicks the pancreas into producing more insulin. The only thing you have to watch is that if you have had carbs it can quite significantly reduce your BS levels. I've been on it for the last year (I have lost 4 stone as well since diagnosis) with no problems.