Gliclazide?

[tulip87]

Hi all,

I now have a probable diagnosis of MODY (HN1 or something) and have been started on gliclizide MR once a day. A few questions though that have come up since leaving clinic:

- Apparently one of the side effects is weight gain... I know this is vain but this really really freaks me out. I don't mind gaining back the weight I've lost but gaining it for no reason for the rest of my life, ugh. Have any of you had experience with gliclazide? Did you gain weight? How can I prevent this?

- One of the potential downsides is that hypos can apparently occur. Are these likely to be frequent? Or pretty much a non-occurrence?

- I can get my prescription free the pharmacist said? How do I go about this?!

Thanks so much for all your help. I'm relieved to be nearer an actual answer, even if it does dash my hopes that actually this isn't diabetes at all. But I have learnt from this board that diabetes isn't a death sentence

Fleur

 

[Dennis]

Hi Fleur,

Here's a link to the Diabetes.co.uk section that explains MODY

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_mody.html

Gliclazide is one of a family of drugs called sulphonylureas. Unfortunately they do encourage weight gain. In fact just about the only diabetes treatments that don't add weight are metformin and Byetta. One way that you can counter the weight gain, and potentially reduce the amount of gliclazide, is to cut out as many starchy carbohydrates from your diet as you can. These are cereals, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.

Gliclazide forces your pancreas to produce insulin. The reason why your pancreas needs to produce insulin is to deal with the sugar in your blood. Blood sugar comes from the carbohydrates that you eat. So, it follows that if you eat less carbs, this will result in lower blood sugar. Lower blood sugar will need less insulin to deal with it, so your pancreas won't need to produce as much insulin. Not rocket science is it!

These starchy carbs are also responsible for weight gain, so by eating a lower carb diet, getting your carbs from other vegetable, dairy products and fruit, you should be able to counteract any weight gain that the gliclazide would give you.

 

[sofaraway]

If you have got a probable MODY diagnosis are they going to do the official testing?

I was previously on gliclazide, I gained and lost weight on it, My weight was more largely influenced by other factors.

I did experience some hypos on it, but they were generally not too severe and were generally after missing a meal.

If they suspect MODY then they should start you on a MODY dose; as a normal type 2 dose would be too much. i started on 20mg (1/4 of a tablet).

I asked my doctors surgery for the form for free prescriptions,they then sign it and send it off and you get an exemption card sent to you. means you get all prescriptions free, even those not related to diabetes.

 

[hanadr]

BEfore you get your exemption card, you can probably just sign the back of the prescription. the pharmacy will recognise the medicine and know you should be exempt.

 

[tulip87]

Yes, I have to have an ultrasound scan and a urine sample, and then the consultant said she would take some blood for genetics tests when I go back in December. I am on gliclazide 30mg which I presume is a MODY dose? I hpe so!

Thanks for the information about the exemption card, I will go to my GPs to find out about it.

 

[SilverAndEbony]

Metformin isn't only prescribed for diabetes. I believe it's used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome, and possibly other things. So just by looking at the prescription the pharmacist won't be able to tell you're entitled to free prescriptions. The only way they can know is by seeing proof you're entitled to free prescriptions.

You can claim the payments back - you'll be applying for a medical exemption certificate which will have tell them when you first were prescribed medication for diabetes. You're entitled to free prescriptions from then on. The pharmacy may make a note that you say you're entitled to free prescriptions, but haven't been able to check. That means the NHS are more like to check, which will be easy enough to prove that you are entitled to free prescriptions. The system came into being because so many people who were claiming they were entitled to free prescriptions actually weren't. And it was a huge task to check that huge number. So now you prove it, the pharmacist says they have seen proof and we all save loads of money by not having to go through checking process every time we pick up a prescription.

 

[chocoholic]

I was on Gliclazide before I went on insulin.I never had any other tablets. I had lost roughly one and half stones before diagnosis and put back on a stone after diagnosis over the following year but I just put that down to me getting back to "normal" and didn't suspect the Gliclazide.

 

[Thirsty]

I lost a huge four stones after beginning treatment with gliclazide. The last stone I need to lose is still wobbling around my midriff and refuses to leave.

 

[Trinkwasser]

[a] the doses for MODY are usually pretty small

someone elsewhere made the point that just like insulin the insulin stimulating drugs have to put the excess BG from your blood somewhere which is how they *may* cause weight gain, however if you don't eat so many carbs that you have excess BG in the first place there's nothing to stash as fat.

Good to see some data points to back this up.

 

[sofaraway]

is the 30mg a modified release dose? because the regular gliclazide comes in 80mg tablets.