Gliclazide & Steroids!!

[carry on Ken]

Good morning all,
Since joining the forum i have read many very interesting things about type 2 diabetes. As ive only recently been diagnosed with this creature, i do look for help and advice on how you all cope and manage your diabetes. Q. Is there anyone on Gliclazide? and if so has it worked in bringing down blood sugars?. ive been on them for a week 40mg before breakfast, and like most newly diagnosed, have changed my diet and eating habits, which may i add has depressed me, as love all the things that are bad for me. Also i would like to ask if anyone is on Gliclazide PLUS steroids? Ive been on long term steroids to control another illness myasthenia gravis and for me the meds for this and the steroid (only 5mg Prednisilone) has managed my illness. Trouble is my doctor and diabetic nurse both say thd steroids cause my blood glucose to rise, yet my neorologist says it should not increase levels. Although the steroid is only 5mg i have been on them for two years so they are in my system.
So its a difficult one to try and juggle both my mg and diabetes. Gliclazide should lower my levels yet the steroids increase the levels.
Im currently keeping a record of my blood sugar levels 2nd week now using a jazz wavesense monitor to prick my fingers 4 times a day. Incidently the diabetic nurse who i have been seeing at my practice has been fantastic loaning me the blood glucose monitor and i got a prescription for plenty of strips and lancets. Again im not sure exactly what my targets should be i know a normal reading is around 4.7 I however have never been normal and readings fluctuate during the day from 6.0 (the lowest reading) to 10.9( highest) and thats maintaing what i believe is a masive improvement on my diet prior to my diagnosis. Some days its so disheartening. when my result starts fairly low then come lunchtime my levels have spiked after having a breakfast of 1 boiled egg and a coffee with soya milk.

 

[lessci]

Hi Ken

There's actually a type of Diabetes that's caused by steroids, but I would think that medications will be the same (or similar) to T2 ones. Gliclazide works by making your pancreas produce more insulin, which if yours in steriod induced could be a really help (I'm on it, but as a T2 with high insulin resistance it's not always the best option). Did your DN explain that if you're a driver in the UK on Glic (or similar) you MUST test you're BG's before you get behind the wheel. I was taught don't drive below 5. The meter won't be a loan, but yours

 

[Oldvatr]

I am on glic but not steroids. There was a time when I was on max dose (4x80mg) plus max dose Metformin, plus Actos, and my sugars were stratospheric to the point where my bgl meter greeted me with a HI almost every day. I changed my diet to Low Carb, and the rest is history (But I am not yet history!!!) I have reduced almost everything (meds, weight, waist size) and am currently on minimum dose of Glic and no Metformin or Actos. My HbA1c last month was 46. So the diet and the Glic are working well for me, But when I was in hospital for another matter they put me on an insulin pump, which did nothing for me, thus proving that I was severely insulin resistant.

So the diet was necesssary for me to reduce the IR to the point where the Glic became effective, It was obviously working before but without result seven years ago, but now my one 40 mg tab a day drops my BGL by up to 4 mmol/l which covers most of my meals. I do not hypo any more, but I did while I was reducing my other meds. I still drive, and DVLA has just renewed my licence.

Using the Glic enables me to eat a low(ish) carb diet without needing to be too restricted. For example, last night I had a jumbo battered cod from the chippy, and my bgl only went up by 1.5 mmol/l and dropped back quite nicely to baseline at the 4 hr reading. So I know for certain that I am producing my own insulin, and that I am able to use it when needed. I am still diabetic, which allows me to claim exemption from prescription charges ( mind you, I am at an age when that happens anyway) BUT it also means that my GP will be able to supply me with test strips while I am a driver using Glic.