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High blood glucose levels?

K

Kathryn B

Member
Messages
8
Hi, I recently went to see the nurse about my T2 diabetes as the doctor was concerned that it was 7.2.
When the nurse checked me it was 22.9. This alarmed me. Since then it has been up and down fluctuating between 10.6 & 19.2. This is after being perscribed Sitagliptin 100mg(Januvia) and being very careful about what I eat. Do you think they can put me on a higher dose or will i have to have insulin?
Thank you in advance,
Kathry
 
Hi, Kathryn B, and welcome!

Are you keeping a record of your BG readings and relating it to what food you are eating? In your place I would take your figures and your food diary back to a Health Care Professional and get them to discuss it with you.

Your high readings are too high, in my opinion (but I'm not an HCP). What did the nurse say about your 22.9? It would have alarmed me too! :shock:

Your readings shouldn't be swinging about like that - the first aim is to get them stable. I can't help you with Januvia because I've never taken it, I'm on Metformin and low-carb, so I hope someone comes along soon who knows more than me.

Meanwhile, keep testing, and if you start feeling ill with high readings, don't be afraid to go to A&E. Has your GP given you any ketone testing sticks? you can buy them at the chemist. If you have high BG readings, high ketones and feel ill, you need to get medical advice. I'm not intending to be alarmist, but it can be serious - talk to NHS Direct at the very least.

Let us know how you get on

Viv 8)
 
Hi, Kathryn B.
Wow... your story echoes mine!
Januvia only comes in this 'highest' dosage. I too watched what I ate, kept having high BG levels like yours and YES I ended up on insulin as nothing including sitagliptin could bring my BG levels down.
I was on tablets for over 2 years before they had no option but to start me on insulin.
It IS the best thing I have done, as its gradually kicked in and started to bring my high BG levels down.
Have more energy, get up and go now plus an improved sense of wellbeing that I truly thought I would never regain...!
How long have you been on the januvia for ?
Are you on anything else medication besides januvia.
If you do have to go onto insulin you might not be able to combine januvia with it.
Would you be okay with going onto insulin? no needle phobia etc?
I only ask as some people struggle with this one.
Any other questions just ask away !
Hope this helps? Anna.x :D
 
Hi Anna & Viv,
thanks for your response,
I have not been having sugar filled food. Usually I have a low carb high protein diet as I was diagnosed as being insulin resistant so I do understand. This week I had been eating bread from a bakery and not from the supermarket.
I did have a lot of stress on Friday this is when it rose to 19.2. It has come down to 11.2 but this is too high.
I have pain in my feet and in the night i have prickles in my legs and arms. Sometimes it is really bad.
Medication:
I have been taking Gabapentin 300mg for a year
Januvia 100mg for just over a week and half.
My old doctor told me I did not have diabetes when I did so I had it for 2 years without diagnosis now i have had it for more than 3 years.
Ketones are OK
Kind regards
Kathryn
 
How low carb and how much bread? I can eat only a very little bread - I had a Burgen bread chicken salad sandwich with mayonnaise about 3 hours ago and I'm still at 6.7 - which is high for me (sorry!). I cope with Tesco Multigrain much better, but I can't eat it very often, and I hate to think what white bread would do to me. :shock: .

I aim for no more than 50g of carb per day, preferably nearer 30g. But we are all different, and what suits one doesn't suit all. Anna knows much more than me about the effects of Januvia, so I'll bow out now - hope everything goes okay for you! :)

Viv 8)
 
I don' think you have given Januvia time to "kick in " yet Kathryn. Any side effects? I would say it might take anoher 2 weeks to start working properly.
Stress really affecs my levels too- in fact I think it had a lo to do wih my diagnosis.

Do you exercise much?
I have discovered that I can't even eat one half slice of bread. It varies a lot from individual to individual,

Januvia is very good wih spikes. If you find out if your levels spike at any time of the day it is worth taking it nearer to that time in my experience,
 
Thank you for your replies once again. I'm finding your replies very interesting. Am getting more information from this forum than the doctors/chemists. You've answered my question re how long the medication would take to kick in. Keep the information coming and thank you.
Kathryn
 
Hi. If you have been diagnosed or told by your GP that you are insulin resistant and are overweight then NICE guidelines would suggest Metformin as the first line medication as it helps with insulin resistance amongst other things. Sitagliptin, which I'm now on, I believe targets a specific DPP-4 enzyme that shuts off insulin production too early and therefore doesn't appear to be so relevant to insulin resistance? Yes, for me Sitagliptin is very good in reducing my spikes but I believe my problem is not insulin resistance but just lack of natural insulin when needed. My GP told me it would take 6 months for the Sitagliptin to kick in but in fact for me it only took 2 days! There is only one dose level for Sitagliptin. Have a look at the NICE diabetes guidelines and diagnostic flow chart on the NHS website and/or your local County NHS website; they make sense.
 
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