New meds on top of old

[AJRimmsey]

Ha, well, everything you mention practically is a diabetic no-no, but right now, if it's keeping you from going hypo, it's good.

I know...lol
i`m battling the pills and not the condition it seems.

hopefully this changes when i get to see a professional.
This place and people have been the best move i have made so far

I`d kiss every one of you if i could...even the hairy guys

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I know...lol
i`m battling the pills and not the condition it seems.

hopefully this changes when i get to see a professional.
This place and people have been the best move i have made so far

I`d kiss every one of you if i could...even the hairy guys

There's hope for you yet. Just takes a little time.

 

[EllieM]

Like the others, I am shocked, horrified and totally livid at the treatment that @AJRimmsey has been receiving. I honestly fear that this could turn into one of those articles you read on the bbc where an inquest decides that a combination of poor treatment by doctor and hospital causes a totally unnecessary death.

Do you know what your levels were like before the new medication? Honestly, a few weeks of running a bit high is way better than dying of a hypo caused by over medication.... (OK, I know we're not doctors, we can't recommend or advise on medication, but it really concerns me that the OP can't get an appointment to address this issue.) I would suggest ringing 111 to get advice, explain the hypo situation, tell them you won't see a diabetic specialist for a month and ask if you can cease the new pills, at least till the appointment.

Lots of hugs and moral support. Unfortunately the forum rules on language don't let me even partially express what I think of your medical team. Don't despair, your condition(s) are entirely treatable, it's just that they haven't been treated correctly. Good luck.

 

[Rose22]

Do you have a med review with a diabetes consultant? Rather than a gp? After such an experience and ending up in hospital I would ask the practice manager at the gp to refer you to consultant.
I took empagliflozin, and recently Gliclazide, I felt very unwell on Gliclazide as the dose was too high. Palpitations, weak, hypo risk is real. Especially if you eat too low carb on it (sadly). I was at home and droppped very fast to 3, had to eat jelly babies to feel human again. So 1.8 for you!!
I saw a consultant for med review as drs didn’t know what to do with me anymore. Much better experience! Far more knowledge! Tests done, new med and specialist diabetes nurse to review med in 3 months time.
Cpeptide GAD antibodies would tell if type 1. You are taking lots of hypo causing meds, if you are feeling unwell on them seek a second opinion from a specialist. Good luck and be firm to get the level of care you deserve.

 

[EllieM]

i was T2 for years,thats when the drugs got doubled each time i had a bad blood test,recently to T1 and sent to main hospital who put me on the EMPAGLIFLOZIN and sent out into the world totally ignorant.

You do have some of the symptoms of T1/LADA (weight loss and, presumably, high blood sugars). LADA (think of it as slow developing T1) can develop very slowly, but they normally treat it with insulin rather than yet another pill to extract more insulin out of an overworked pancreas. It's not uncommon for an initial T2 diagnosis to change to a T1/LADA one after the standard T2 meds fail to work. But I don't know whether a LADA sufferer would have enough insulin to get these extreme hypos??? And my googling of EMPAGLIFLOZIN states it's a treatment for T2 not T1.

And a single fingerprick test wouldn't diagnose T1, you'd need c-peptide and/or antibody GAD tests for that.

 

[Brunneria]

@AJRimmsey

Hi,
You are really going through the mill!

What were your blood glucose readings running at before they added the new medication?

I’ve read through your posts, and I haven’t seen you mention a food diary or any patterns of hypo times? Did I miss them?
If not, i strongly suggest you get that organised. Forgive me if you are already doing these things, but if you have a record of exactly what you have been eating (incl carb grams) and you know (by the clock) when you took your meds, and when the hypo struck, and what you needed to do to recover from it, then you will probably spot patterns very quickly.

do you know how to carb count? It really isn’t rocket science, but it doesn’t seem to be routinely suggested for T2s, which is a great pity, in my opinion. It is very informative, and allows us to see exactly where those carbs are all coming from. And how they are spread through the day.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/carbohydrate-counting.html

 

[AJRimmsey]

@AJRimmsey

Hi,
You are really going through the mill!

What were your blood glucose readings running at before they added the new medication?

I’ve read through your posts, and I haven’t seen you mention a food diary or any patterns of hypo times? Did I miss them?
If not, i strongly suggest you get that organised. Forgive me if you are already doing these things, but if you have a record of exactly what you have been eating (incl carb grams) and you know (by the clock) when you took your meds, and when the hypo struck, and what you needed to do to recover from it, then you will probably spot patterns very quickly.

do you know how to carb count? It really isn’t rocket science, but it doesn’t seem to be routinely suggested for T2s, which is a great pity, in my opinion. It is very informative, and allows us to see exactly where those carbs are all coming from. And how they are spread through the day.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/carbohydrate-counting.html

Most of what i know to do i have learned here from you good people,only recently got a meter again so using it right now to test what foods do what to me.

I have read a lot on diet,but what seems to be happening is heart meds and diabetes meds are at war inside me,so the reading most people get from certain foods are not happening with me.

once its all sorted and settled i will start a complete diary,but as of now the readings are all over the place,they dont match at any time even when eating or drinking the same things.

last night i broke out in a cold sweat and got woozy when levels were 5.8 mmol,which didnt make sense,but as soon as it went to 7.6 mmol after glucose tabs i felt fine,i know i am supposed to feel fine at 5 to 6 mmol,but as said i think this bucket of pills is at war.

all this was triggered by the latest pill > EMPAGLIFLOZIN 10MG - ONE DAILY
before that i was managing fine,until GP did a finger prick and sent me as T1 to the main hospital who prescribed this pill without any information other than a thrush risk.

 

[ziggy_w]

Most of what i know to do i have learned here from you good people,only recently got a meter again so using it right now to test what foods do what to me.

I have read a lot on diet,but what seems to be happening is heart meds and diabetes meds are at war inside me,so the reading most people get from certain foods are not happening with me.

once its all sorted and settled i will start a complete diary,but as of now the readings are all over the place,they dont match at any time even when eating or drinking the same things.

last night i broke out in a cold sweat and got woozy when levels were 5.8 mmol,which didnt make sense,but as soon as it went to 7.6 mmol after glucose tabs i felt fine,i know i am supposed to feel fine at 5 to 6 mmol,but as said i think this bucket of pills is at war.

all this was triggered by the latest pill > EMPAGLIFLOZIN 10MG - ONE DAILY
before that i was managing fine,until GP did a finger prick and sent me as T1 to the main hospital who prescribed this pill without any information other than a thrush risk.

Hi @AJRimmsey,

Welcome to the forum. As those that posted before me, I would like to give you a hug for all you've gone through. This just shouldn't have happened at all.

Do you usually see higher levels when you felt wozzy and sweaty at 5.6 mmol/l? Then this could be a "false" hypo. In other words, your body has gotten used to these higher levels and considers them now normal. If your blood sugars fall below these levels, it tries to bring these levels up again, leading to the same feelings normal people experience, when there is a real hypo. So, what you've been experiencing is absolutely normal. It will take some time, for your body to get used to lower levels of blood sugars.

There is also some new thinking about diet and heart disease. If you are interested, you might want to google Dr. Assem Malhotra, Dr. Nadir Ali and Dr. Bret Scher, all of whom are cardiologists.

Good luck on your journey. You are off to a great start. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

 

[AJRimmsey]

Hi @AJRimmsey,

Welcome to the forum. As those that posted before me, I would like to give you a hug for all you've gone through. This just shouldn't have happened at all.

Do you usually see higher levels when you felt wozzy and sweaty at 5.6 mmol/l? Then this could be a "false" hypo. In other words, your body has gotten used to these higher levels and considers them now normal. If your blood sugars fall below these levels, it tries to bring these levels up again, leading to the same feelings normal people experience, when there is a real hypo. So, what you've been experiencing is absolutely normal. It will take some time, for your body to get used to lower levels of blood sugars.

There is also some new thinking about diet and heart disease. If you are interested, you might want to google Dr. Assem Malhotra, Dr. Nadir Ali and Dr. Bret Scher, all of whom are cardiologists.

Good luck on your journey. You are off to a great start. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Thanks..thats tonight reading material sorted then.

so far anything lower than 5 is causing issues,below 4 and i am well into a hypo like state,this is when panic sets in and makes the whole thing worse and have seen it drop to 2.8 mmol in a matter of minutes,literally minutes.
this is when i start to become a moron,when my brain just refuses to process anything.
chugging lucozade and glucose tabs helps quickly,if i can get to them quick enough,bedside table looks like a pharmacy and pockets always full.

i see what you mean about the body being used to high levels,i feel like a plate spinner at times juggling the levels.

 

[ziggy_w]

Thanks..thats tonight reading material sorted then.

so far anything lower than 5 is causing issues,below 4 and i am well into a hypo like state,this is when panic sets in and makes the whole thing worse and have seen it drop to 2.8 mmol in a matter of minutes,literally minutes.
this is when i start to become a moron,when my brain just refuses to process anything.
chugging lucozade and glucose tabs helps quickly,if i can get to them quick enough,bedside table looks like a pharmacy and pockets always full.

i see what you mean about the body being used to high levels,i feel like a plate spinner at times juggling the levels.

Understandably, a "false hypo" doesn't mean that it doesn't feel like a real hypo, only that people with normal blood sugar levels wouldn't feel this when levels are in the 5s. Also given the huge amount of medication you are on at the moment, it is probably better to stay at somewhat higher levels just to be sure.

I really empathize with you on this, going hypo must really be horrible, and totally see why would be scared going there again.

Agree with the others, who have posted before, get your medication sorted first and then worry about everything else.