Newly Diagnosed - think having hypos

Hi sandra and welcome to the forum

Only your GP or nurse can advise what meds and on what dose you should be on i'm afraid. Do you have a meter so you can check your own levels? It could be that you are having hypo like symptoms but not actually having a hypo. This can happen if your levels have been high for awhile and then go lower.

Here is some information for newly diagnosed diabetics that maybe useful to you

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like. There is always someone to help

Hi, Sandra,
Metformin on its own will not cause hypos, because it works not by increasing insulin production, but by reducing insulin resistance. If you were also taking, say, Gliclazide, then hypos would be a possibility as this drug squeezes more insulin from the pancreas and you could end up with more insulin in your blood than your blood glucose level required. As has been said, your symptoms may well be your body's response to lower, but acceptable blood glucose levels. As you have a meter, next time you feel bad, test your BG level. 4.0 or below is hypo, so above that there's no need to worry.... but if you continue to feel bad, take a second reading half an hour later and see if its still OK.
Its most unlikely, but if you ARE very close to 4 or below, then you need to take some fast acting glucose.... three or four glucose tablets, a small glass of orange juice, some Lucozade, even a glass of milk. This will lift your GB level quickly into the safety zone. Follow up with a small snack. You should feel much better quite soon if the problem was hypoglycaemia.
And remember that not every bad feeling is caused by diabetes! If the problem persists despite the above, see your doctor...it might be something completely different and unconnected.

Hi SandraW

It may be that the metformin is already reducing your insulin resistance, and that after your meals your blood glucose (BG) is going quite high amd then dropping quite quickly, which could give you hypo-like symptoms.

We are all different, and all react differently to different foods, but your diet seems to have a lot of carbs in it (Weetabix, 2 rounds of sandwiches). I couldn't eat that, it would send my BG too high.
If you want to lose weight, have a look at Viv's Modified Atkins Diet, which is a sticky thread at the top of the Low Carb Diabetes Diet forum on this site. This is the diet I use all the time, when I haven't fallen of the wagon, which happens to all of us occasionally - I'm just climbing back on! :lol:

It is a very low-carb diet, but I find it easy to stick to, and it will certainly reduce your weight and your BGs. You need never be hungry on it, and it gives me at least lots of energy. I have a lot of weight to lose, and also have the shortness of breath problem when walking, which I think is due to my obesity.

If the diet is a bit extreme for you, buy yourself a carb counter book and add a few more daily grams from the lowest carb/low GI foods. I try never to go over 70g of carb a day even if I'm treating myself. You should still show improvement in weight/BGs if you stick to this amount. Eventually it becomes second nature - you will soon know what you can and can't eat.

Test your blood just before and 2 hours after every meal. The readings should be about the same. If the second one is too high, you've eaten something that spikes your blood glucose. Reduce the portion or eliminate it altogether.

Not every Type 2 needs to avoid carbs, but many of us do, and get very good control by doing so (which equals less chance of complications later on in life).

It can all seem a bit daunting when you're newly diagnosed, but you're among friends. We've all been there, and we're here to help. It's not the end of the world - promise!

Viv 8)