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Gliclazide query please?

T

trudy16608

Member
Messages
9
Good afternoon everyone... 1st post so go gentle
My readings were gradually going up and up and up and my GP has now out me on gliclazide.... but, having read about this I am wondering if this is a good idea?..

I have been trying really hard to eat low carb and I am now 3 weeks in and am chuffed I haven't had any potatoes bread or rice and have done really well.. I am keen to try to get my levels under control by low carb eating.. more walking and losing weight... I don't really want to take these tablets....

I am convinced I can achieve this goal or am I deluded??? T2 has been lingering for a good few years and about 5yrs ago I put it nicely into remission and got smug and here I am again!!!!

I read so much stuff and the low carb woe is my preference i think .... i am desperate to be healthy and am so positive but just need any tips/advice/stories from other lovely forum members who have been successful please and that I am on the right track????

Many thanks for anyone who takes the time to reply??

T xx
 
Hi. I was on Gliclazide for several years and full dose but had no problems. I was never overweight so not a typical T2 and needed the Glic to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin which it did for a while. Following Low-carb may well enable you to stop the Gliclazide if your BS comes back into a good range. If you are a slim T2 then you may be towards LADA and need the Gliclazide to produce more insulin as I did.
 
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply... I really appreciate it... sadly I am not thin lol
 
Like @Daibell I'm a slim diabetic and had actually lost a fair bit of weight when first diagnosed. I was prescribed Gliclazide and in combination with a low carb diet managed to get my BG to almost 'in remission' level. However my BG started to climb very high again and Gliclazide was discontinued and I commenced insulin therapy which has brought my BG down to an acceptable level again.
 
Ah thanks for your update ... appreciate that !! Glad you have sorted your levels out..
 
When i was first put on it, I was having hypos pretty much every after day on low-carb, so watch out for that. It kept my BSG low for about a year and a half, and then it seemed to not work much, so I was put on insulin.
 
markpj31 said:
When i was first put on it, I was having hypos pretty much every after day on low-carb, so watch out for that. It kept my BSG low for about a year and a half, and then it seemed to not work much, so I was put on insulin.
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Thanks so much for replying... I will be conscious of that ...thanks again
 

Hi Trudy, what did you do 5yrs ago to get into (temporary) remission before you 'got smug'?
If it was a crash diet, then you may have lowered your resting metabolic rate - which would make doing the same thing again much harder.

There are plenty of people who have achieved remission using Low Carb and most of these have 'fallen off the wagon' a few times. Some find it harder the second time, but others find it easier since they have total confidence that it will work for them because it worked before. Unfortunately we are all different, so there are no guarantees.

My advice is to 'eat to your meter' if you can. Checking how much a meal spiked my BG when I know I pushed the carbs a bit high helps keep me form getting overconfident, though time will tell.
 
Hi there .. Reading back through my diaries I was doing the Newcastle diet and using shakes... I loved it at the time but its not for me now.... I am loving low carb and after trying unsuccessfully so many times before I am in the zone and am chuffed to report i haven't eaten bread, potatoes, pasta or rice for 3 whole weeks!! I knew once I got going I would be ok.. my levels are def dropping... its interesting eating to my meter as some days the same thing will raise it.. I am not keen on taking the Gliclazide so am delaying it in the hope my low carb woe will alleviate the need!!! I can but hope!!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to reply... much appreciated
 
If your BG rise from before a meal to 2hrs after first bite is 2.0 mmol or less, then I can't see that you should need to take the Glic unless your fasting BG is high and not coming down. But 3 weeks isn't long enough for lowering fasting BG if you suffer from the 'Dawn Phenomenon' my FBG is still between 5.8 and 6.9 even after being in remission.
 
Thanks Ian!!! I am working on it and so determined... i want to pleasantly shock my lovely GP!!!! I am eating to my meter but haven't tested 1st thing in morning as yet??? Should I be doing that too??
 
The Fasting BG first thing in the morning is usually the slowest and last to reduce. So at present it's much more important for you to get your meals sorted so that you aren't eating more carbs than your body can currently handle.

For the most part there isn't much you can do about fasting BG so far as diet is concerned because if your last meal of the prior day was OK then there is only the additional glucose that may be released by your liver overnight/very early morning and you have no direct control over that (though Metformin if you are taking it) is supposed to reduce liver dumps of glucose.
 
That's so useful and I will as you say moniyor my food intake ... so grateful for your reply and info.....
 
I think you’re making some very smart choices. Try the side effect free options first and reassess once you see the results.

Gliclazide (and later insulin) are incredibly useful, beneficial and usually essential for someone who struggles to produce insulin themselves. Eg type 1, LADA and 3c. However for a type 2 it can more often be counterproductive to increase insulin in a body that likely is already overproducing it and thus adding to the underlying issues of insulin resistance and long term difficulty in maintaining normal levels even if temporarily reducing blood glucose, thus masking the problem.

The difficulty lies in that many LADA are initially misdiagnosed type 2 in the early years, or rarely a type 2 might after many years cease producing even normal amounts of insulin (as opposed to not being able to produce the mega huge amounts their resistance now requires, which is a different problem)

serious attempts to reduce blood glucose and insulin resistance via diet will yield great results in a true type 2 in almost all cases. If it doesn’t then you then should be asking more questions about the accuracy of your diagnosis as you may be one of those initially misdiagnosed and/or the extent of your dietary efforts as you may just need to go harder to overcome your resistance if low carb hasn’t actually been as low as some of us need.
 
Wow what a great reply and really inspiring for me in my journey!!!! I am so determined to do this and this time to keep up the good work... obviously I am older this time so hope I can still succeed... I really hope I can continue at the rate I am at ... I was seeing really out of control worrying readings and have reduced them drastically in these 3xweeks but still have a way to go... again. Thank you so much for your knowledge and kindness and encouragement!!!!
 
trudy16608 said:
obviously I am older this time so hope I can still succeed...
Click to expand...

Speaking of being older, my UK dad became T210 or 15 years ago in his 70s. He started on metformin and moved to gliclzide., not overweight though carrying a small amount of extra round his middle. As my mum was T1 and fairly low carb, he probably didn't have masses of carbs but he certainly ate bread etc.

4 or 5 years ago (late eighties) he tried low carb when staying with my family in New Zealand for 3 months over the UK winter. His doctor took him off the gliclazide when he got back and he has stayed off the meds and the carbs since then (now 91). While his hba1c is in the mid 50s his team are happy because with his age and his other meds they don't want to risk any hypos. So he is proof that there is there is no hard age limit on low carb and reducing/avoiding/eliminating meds.

Edited to add: I don't remember him having any side effects or hypos from the gliclazide.
 
Wow that's a great story and how fantastic to hear that diet and low carbs way of eating can make such a difference and remain successful too.. you've given me more hope I can beat this!!! Thank you so much
 
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