Increase of glyclazide

[Erin]

I was able to get an increase of glyclazide (40mg) now 160mg after discussing the symptoms of hyperglycemia with my doctor. Yeah! I was really unwell the past year on lower. I definitely feel much better; not falling asleep all the time, fatigued, cognitively challenged etc. I think that even a higher dose would not go over the normal bg range.

One thing I should have asked her, was whether the pancreatic degeneration leading to a need of higher glyclazide accelerates over the years. The max of this diabetic drug is 325mg so I wonder how many more years I have after the 9th year now and whether insulin will be necessary.

Cheers!

 

[badcat]

I was able to get an increase of glyclazide (40mg) now 160mg after discussing the symptoms of hyperglycemia with my doctor. Yeah! I was really unwell the past year on lower. I definitely feel much better; not falling asleep all the time, fatigued, cognitively challenged etc. I think that even a higher dose would not go over the normal bg range.

One thing I should have asked her, was whether the pancreatic degeneration leading to a need of higher glyclazide accelerates over the years. The max of this diabetic drug is 325mg so I wonder how many more years I have after the 9th year now and whether insulin will be necessary.

Cheers!

Dunno the answer for everyone but in my own experience Ive been on the same dose of gliclazide (60mg) for over 20 years - I have progressively dropped my carb intake (now to under 25g a day) to stave off any reccomended increases / changes to meds

 

[PNJB]

As T2, I successfully overcame the need for prescribed Gliclazide, as well as reducing my Metformin by half, by reducing my daily carbs to 30 gm a day. The biggest "downside"I found to Gliclazide (verified by my GP), was its side effect of increasing weight, which took me up to a BMI of 41 before I recogned the benefits of LCHF. and reduced to my new svelte 32 BMI (which I hope to reduce still further, after a period of stabilisation!)

 

[Erin]

Dunno the answer for everyone but in my own experience Ive been on the same dose of gliclazide (60mg) for over 20 years - I have progressively dropped my carb intake (now to under 25g a day) to stave off any reccomended increases / changes to meds

 

[Erin]

20 yrs!!!! That's odd;

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

after discussing the symptoms of hyperglycemia

I would have thought elevated BG and HbA1c were a clue.

Good to hear you're feeling better on an increased amount of gliclazide.

I had taken gliclazide for several years when I discussed going on to insulin, something I was prepared for because I have watched this disease progress in my type II father. I had always followed my GP's advice not to cut my carbs and my condition was slowly progressing as advised by my GP.

It was only because I desperately wanted to lose weight and the standard less calories, more exercise paradigm was not working that I took the advise of a Nutritional Therapist and cut out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, cutting my carb intake to about 40gms per day. I started to hypo within days and eventually stopped gliclazide, januvia and atorvastatin all together. Betters still, I lost 4 stone, I hadn't increased fat intake and therefore my calorie intake was restricted by a further 700 calories.

Since then I have had a c-peptide test so I know my pancreas is still working and producing what's considered normal amounts of insulin. I expect we're all different so unless you have a c-pep test, it's difficult to say with any certainty how the pancreas is doing.

 

[Erin]

I would have thought elevated BG and HbA1c were a clue.

Good to hear you're feeling better on an increased amount of gliclazide.

I had taken gliclazide for several years when I discussed going on to insulin, something I was prepared for because I have watched this disease progress in my type II father. I had always followed my GP's advice not to cut my carbs and my condition was slowly progressing as advised by my GP.

It was only because I desperately wanted to lose weight and the standard less calories, more exercise paradigm was not working that I took the advise of a Nutritional Therapist and cut out bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, cutting my carb intake to about 40gms per day. I started to hypo within days and eventually stopped gliclazide, januvia and atorvastatin all together. Betters still, I lost 4 stone, I hadn't increased fat intake and therefore my calorie intake was restricted by a further 700 calories.

Since then I have had a c-peptide test so I know my pancreas is still working and producing what's considered normal amounts of insulin. I expect we're all different so unless you have a c-pep test, it's difficult to say with any certainty how the pancreas is doing.

Hi David,

The future may be insulin for all Diabetic 2's. I don't look forward to that as I have read of the risks of inections through hyperdermics and the hypoglycemia. As for weight, I would guess that the lower the weight, the lower the need for diabetic drugs. I think you doctor is smart.

 

[Hammer1964]

I was able to get an increase of glyclazide (40mg) now 160mg after discussing the symptoms of hyperglycemia with my doctor. Yeah! I was really unwell the past year on lower. I definitely feel much better; not falling asleep all the time, fatigued, cognitively challenged etc. I think that even a higher dose would not go over the normal bg range.

One thing I should have asked her, was whether the pancreatic degeneration leading to a need of higher glyclazide accelerates over the years. The max of this diabetic drug is 325mg so I wonder how many more years I have after the 9th year now and whether insulin will be necessary.

Cheers!

Hi Erin, I read your post with interest as 11 weeks ago I was diagnosed T2 (HbA1c - 78) and prescribed 80mg of Gliclazide, after 2 months I was having hypos and another test and HbA1c had reduced to 60 so Gliclazide reduced to 40mg, my DN has said she wants me off it and on Metformin. I have lost 4lb and now 9st but 1st of that is boobs. Feeling lots better now the meds have been reduced.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

The future may be insulin for all Diabetic 2's.

Probably using a sledge hammer to crack open a nut. Hopefully not inevitable.

I think you doctor is smart.

That's the doctor who wanted me to continue eating 1/3 of my calories as carbs. Incidentally, when I went to that doctor and told him that I had been following a calorie controlled diet (500 cals less, then 1000 cals less than BMR) and exercising 6 days a week (Swimming - 5 days, gym - 3 days, and golf - 1 day) and lost no weight, he just said "Rome wasn't built in a day". Smart isn't the word I used, I now go to a different surgery where they at least listen to me. They also support my efforts to use diet rather than take more and more medication. It might be necessary eventually, just not yet.

I'm now trying something akin to the Newcastle diet, very low calories, very low carb and very low protein. It's straightened BG out and has allowed some protein without BG being all over the place and it has allowed some weight loss. Still work in progress.