This forum saved my life.

That's great news face, hope you will start feeling better now you are on the right treatment.Hope we can help you some more,keep us up to date on how you are doing.

Good that you are now on the right road. Hope that doctor got a scare and will think things through more for his next patient.
They do tend to think anyone, not a child, presenting with diabetes, must be T2

face990 said:

I Have finally been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after over a month, was initially told i was type 2 . . . . glicazide was sending me into constant hypos.

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Hi Andy,
I am a little confused by what you wrote because it doesn't make sense that you can be type-1 and yet gliclazide gave you hypos. Gliclazide works by forcing your pancreas to produce insulin. But a type-1's pancreas is not capable of producing insulin, so gliclazide should have absolutely no effect. It is possible that you could be type-1 and be in the "honeymoon period" between type-1 and type-2, where your pancreas is still able to produce some insulin, but not enough. But usually that would also mean not enough to create a hypo either!

Perhaps you should see your DSN or the hospital people again and ask why they believe you are type-1 when your pancreas must still be producing insulin in response to gliclazide.

Hi Andy,
That's a relief - I was a bit worried for you because we have seen a number of cases of misdiagnosis, and therefore the wrong meds being prescribed, but your hospital team and DSN seem to be on the ball.

Hi Andy,

Dennis made a great point because gliclazide is the very last thing you should be prescribed. If your insulin production has been hit by T1 sometimes quite a bit of function can remain. This manifests itself as a honeymoon period. The remaining function can be preserved (Bernstein), but not if the pancreas is stressed by a drug which encourages it to work even harder to keep up with blood sugar levels. That way it will burn out completely.
Bernstein has a number of patients whose honeymoon period has continued indefinitely by being prescribed insulin from the get go.

All the best,

fergus

I don't know how old you are, or for how long you have had symptoms but it is possible that you have LADA, latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood, a form of type 1. This often confuses GPS. Initially, it may look like Type 2, primarily because of age ( having read several accounts on forums, most people seem to experience weight loss, which doesn't seem to ring bells with many GPs). It may respond initially to oral drugs and sometimes when diagnosed early to diet and exercise. However, the persons body is suffering an autoimmune reaction,the bodies own cells are destroying the beta cells which make insulin. Sooner or later the beta cells cannot produce enough insulin and the person becomes insulin dependent. Some research seems to show that the later in life of onset , the longer the period to true insulin dependence.( happened with me as I was in my 50s). This is where LADA differs to childhood onset Type 1 which usualy progresses extremely quickly.

As Fergus said, evidence so far suggests that sulfonylureas are not the best form of medication. . A Cochrane review (2007) said there was little evidence available (as to the best treatments)
' However there does seem to be evidence from this review that the drug sulphonylurea could make patients insulin dependent sooner and does not give better blood sugar control than other possible therapies.'


website about LADA http://www.locallada.swan.ac.uk/what.html

sorry to have confused you.
There have been lots of people that have been misdiagnosed as type 2 by their GPs and subsequenly discovered that they had LADA, thats what I thought had possibly happened to you.

With your history, and you're still relatively young, I'm surprised that your doctor didn't investigate Type 1 from the outset..
It is (to me) interesting that you have signs over some time.
Sorry again

Whatever the reasons, at least you will have a lot of family support and help.

I too seemed to have a slower than typical onset of type 1, but aged 8. Complicated cos I'd been busy with concussion, road accident, then glandular fever which wouldn't seem to shift. GP tested for glandular fever (negative but said I could still have it), then after a few weeks insisted it was all in my mum's head, so no more tests. Hard to tell when the diabetes kicked in, but I certainly had classic symptoms of diabetes for a few months before diagnosis. I often wonder if the "glandular fever" was really a minor transient virus along with gradual onset of diabetes - otherwise I'd expect to have been in big trouble far quicker.

I think there are many more types than we currently have names for. More like subtle shades of grey than distinct black and white.

phoenix said:

I don't know how old you are, or for how long you have had symptoms but it is possible that you have LADA, latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood, a form of type 1. This often confuses GPS. Initially, it may look like Type 2, primarily because of age ( having read several accounts on forums, most people seem to experience weight loss, which doesn't seem to ring bells with many GPs). It may respond initially to oral drugs and sometimes when diagnosed early to diet and exercise. However, the persons body is suffering an autoimmune reaction,the bodies own cells are destroying the beta cells which make insulin. Sooner or later the beta cells cannot produce enough insulin and the person becomes insulin dependent. Some research seems to show that the later in life of onset , the longer the period to true insulin dependence.( happened with me as I was in my 50s). This is where LADA differs to childhood onset Type 1 which usualy progresses extremely quickly.

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Yes this is where it gets difficult, a child with Type 1 will generally go from "normal" to "die without insulin" within days. For some LADAs it can take weeks or even months and there are cases of Type 2 that progress faster. Some Type 1s still have measurable insulin output after years.

Apparently adult onset Type 1 is about twice as common as childhood onset. Not a lot of people know that.

LittleSue said:

I too seemed to have a slower than typical onset of type 1, but aged 8. Complicated cos I'd been busy with concussion, road accident, then glandular fever which wouldn't seem to shift. GP tested for glandular fever (negative but said I could still have it), then after a few weeks insisted it was all in my mum's head, so no more tests. Hard to tell when the diabetes kicked in, but I certainly had classic symptoms of diabetes for a few months before diagnosis. I often wonder if the "glandular fever" was really a minor transient virus along with gradual onset of diabetes - otherwise I'd expect to have been in big trouble far quicker.

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Not a few Type 1s report some virus infection, often fairly trivial, just before the diabetes onset. That may be what sets off the autoimmune reaction.

I think there are many more types than we currently have names for. More like subtle shades of grey than distinct black and white.

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This is undoubtedly true.