• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Help??

A

adele83

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Looking for help/advice. Newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 4 weeks ago (HBa1c of 50). I have been slowly increasing my Metformin dosage as advised by doc. Started at 500mg, and have been increasing by 500mg a time. Yesterday was the first day at 2000mg. Last night about 2.5 hours after my evening meal I started feeling really rotten, shaky, extreme tiredness, nausea. I took my bloods and they were at 4.4. I believe under 4 is classed as hypo? Prior to being diagnosed with diabetes, I did have quite a few occasions where following meals I would get light headed, palpitations and general feeling rubbish, especially if I was active followong meals. I ate a few sweets last night, which brought my bloods back upto 5.6 and I did feel a bit better. Is this normal? Is my dosage too high? My bloods this morning were 6.4, yesterday morning tested at 9.6 . I wasn't given any testing equipment or advice on what my bloods should be, I bought my own glucose tester. I am making changes to my diet, although I am currently on holiday, I am trying to be mindful of what I eat/drink. Apologies for the long post, feeling a bit worried and lost....
 
Hello, welcome. I'm almost exactly the same except my general practice won't see me about it until July. So I got nearly all my advice here (and from reading).
I would ease off on the worrying to be honest.

I was HbA1c 49. Hopefully that's dropped a bit now. Some people here report readings as high as 112 so hopefully that's a little perspective. Like me, you are, most likely, on the cusp of diabetes - reversible with work.

I've reduced my blood sugar readings by diet so far. Just cut out chips, bread, potatoes and other carbohydrate high foods, or drastically reduce them from your diet and you'll be fine.

I can't comment on metformin as I'm not on it (yet). But I think my GP surgery are likely to try and put me on it. I am intending to refuse it as the diet is working great so far (2-3 weeks in here).

4.4 is fine. I got a reading of 4.4 a few days ago but it depends on pre-settings on your meter. Mine red flagged it but I asked here and people were like..... meh. If it goes below 4.0 then eat a sweet or two.

I haven't really got any outward obvious diabetic symptoms. I'd seek further medical advice on the rest but the worry and stress probably doesn't help.

You'll be fine . Enjoy your holiday!
 
If your blood sugar has been running high then you may just be reacting to feeling low as the numbers drop into the normal range. I had this a few times in the early weeks but every time my BS was fine. I would just have some water or coffee and let the symptoms settle rather than eat carbs.
T2s usually do not have hypos unless on medication other than metformin.
Once you are home check into eating a low carb diet, and if you get your numbers consistently in the normal range check the metformin dosage with your diabetic team.

This is the page I checked about the normal range.

Normal and Diabetic Blood Sugar Level Ranges

Normal blood sugar ranges and blood sugar ranges for adults and children with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and blood sugar ranges to determine diabetes.
www.diabetes.co.uk

the early morning BS is the last to resolve.
 
At an Hba1c of 50, i cannot understand why Metformin was immediately prescribed, without the chance for "lifestyle change", let alone at the maximum dose. Metformin does not actively reduce your Glucose levels, and as type 2 Hypos are almost impossible. A false hypo is uncomfortable and if you don't understand them frightening. You are in no danger. You did the right thing buying your own Glucometer, they are essential to know just whats going on.
Lower carbs is the way to go, and with the numbers you're seeing you won't have to be too drastic, as to the false hypos, the best way is i'm afraid grin and bear it. Your body has to learn that the levels you were running at, were too high, and the lower levels are the right ones. Try to do the absolute minimum to feel better, if you can't cope waiting for your body to sort out the false hypo.
 
T2s in general on diet and/or metformin do not need to worry about hypos. My bg has fallen well below 3 numerous times and my system will push it back up fairly quickly. However, if you've been used to running at much higher BG concentrations any reduction in BG (eg from 9ish to 5ish) is interpreted by your body as a problem, because it detects a drop from what it has come to expect as "normal". It can feel unpleasant, and it does take a few days for the body to adjust to a "new normal" lower level. Unfortunately if you eat sugar/carb to cope with the unpleasant feelings you reinforce the "high level is normal" approach.

You're exactly where I was when diagnosed. I refused metformin and was able to get to low-normal levels very quickly - other people on this forum have made much bigger reductions from much higher levels.

For me, it is all about reducing carbs. Carbs are digested to glucose and high levels of glucose are what we don't want, because as T2s we have problems handling it. Our insulin should be moving glucose out of the bloodstream into muscle cells, but if that isn't happening properly, the glucose gets converted to bodyfat and hangs around in higher concentrations in the blood.

High blood glucose levels over time can do physical damage to nerves and capillaries. Best to avoid that if you can.
 
Thank you all so much for the advice, has definitely put my mind at ease. Makes sense that if my body isn't used to the lower blood sugar, it would maybe throw a wobbler. I am waiting on a diabetes education course that I have been referred for, and have joined a weight management course. Although, they seem to be concentrating on just weight loss, and haven't really offered any advice regarding low carbs. I have made changes like wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and brown rice, all in moderation. I am not a big sweet/chocolate/ cake eater and generally drink water 90% of the time anyway (gin and diet lemonade occasionally). Waiting until I return from holiday to sit down and properly meal plan and work out what works best. Advice has been much appreciated!
 
2000mg of Metformin seems a lot given an hb1ac of 50. I was diagnosed at 106 and was only put on 2 x 500mg (after an initial couple of weeks at 1 x 500mg) and I know someone else that was diagnosed at 80 and not medicated at all.

I don't think feeling light headed is all that unusual as your body adapts - I've had that a few times when reducing my own blood sugar level (including fainting once).
 
Last edited:
You need to be aware that "wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and brown rice" are as carb heavy as standard bread, rice and pasta. For some people who find that GI has an effect (it doesn't for me) it is possible that carb digestion will be slowed: but the carb is still ultimately turned to glucose.

Unfortunately you may need to recalibrate what "healthy eating" means fro you. My definition excludes all rice, bread, pasta, root vegetables, sugar, and almost all fruit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…