Type 2 meds advice gliclazide

[lmsk]

Hi. My hubby is type 2 and being a type 1 I'm unfamiliar with his meds. Can anyone tell me if it's absolutely necessary to take gliclazide with food or not? The reason being that he finds it very difficult to eat breakfast but has been told he must take one first thing in the morning. He usually gets up at 6 and eats for the first time around 11... TIA x

 

[Rachox]

I’m not familiar with Gliclazide, but how about he ask the pharmacist for advice?

 

[Antje77]

I have been on gliclazide for a very short time and I took it at bed time. What's the leaflet say?

 

[Resurgam]

Gliclazide is one of the medications which can cause hypos, and so should have been prescribed along with a meter and strips.
I have no personal experience of it, but would advise monitoring carefully if the tablet is taken early in the day with no food - if he is travelling to work it could be an essential safeguard.
It could be intended to deal with dawn phenomenon, which is not dependant on food - but as levels of blood glucose fall - hopefully but particularly if a low carb diet is being followed - so low levels could result easily and quickly. Why it was dictated that a tablet be taken first thing without explanation of the reasoning is rather concerning. Of course, there could be no reason for it, but I'm just rather cynical these days.
I believe that the DVLA needs to be informed if a driver is taking Gliclazide, and perhaps the insurer of the vehicle too.

 

[lmsk]

Hi thanks guys. I'm not sure why the morning dose but hba1c was 66 so i assume they want him to take two doses ie morning and evening to help bring that down. If there is a risk of hypo I reckon best to wait and take it when he does eat but will def check with pharmacist too.
Thanks xx

 

[Resurgam]

Hba1c of 66?
It seems strange that he was put onto Gliclazide.
I started off at 91 and was only prescribed Metformin, and a statin of course.
Low carb sorted out the blood glucose levels and I was no longer in the diabetic range, having Hba1c of 47 in 80 days. If your husband is newly diagnosed he must have a low carb sceptic dr or nurse who believes that type 2 diabetes is a progressive illness with no hope of remission.

 

[lmsk]

Hi sorry I wasn't very clear. He's not newly diagnosed, he just had a review today and was told he should be taking them twice a day not once as he had been taking them previously.

 

[lmsk]

Oh and he was put put on these as Metformin didn't agree with him and they said these would also help him lose weight as he is quite overweight.

 

[Resurgam]

Ah - so obviously the HCPs have no experience of a low carb diet approach.
When taking Gliclazide you need to be eating enough carbs to stop hypos, because it causes glucose to be peed out - there is a possible problem with thrush as that loves a sugary environment.
Eating fewer carbohydrate often results in easy weightloss because it gets the metabolism back in balance, and swaps the body over to burning fats.

 

[Petal55]

Hi. My hubby is type 2 and being a type 1 I'm unfamiliar with his meds. Can anyone tell me if it's absolutely necessary to take gliclazide with food or not? The reason being that he finds it very difficult to eat breakfast but has been told he must take one first thing in the morning. He usually gets up at 6 and eats for the first time around 11... TIA x

Hi , I take gliclazide and I was told by my consultant always take with food

 

[Dark Horse]

When taking Gliclazide you need to be eating enough carbs to stop hypos, because it causes glucose to be peed out

Gliclazide is a sulphonylurea and works by stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...iabetes/tablets-and-medication/sulphonylureas (Perhaps you were thinking of dapaglifozin which inhibits glucose reabsorption in the kidney.) I agree that there is a risk that it may cause hypoglycaemia if not enough carbs are eaten.

 

[Dark Horse]

Can anyone tell me if it's absolutely necessary to take gliclazide with food or not?

Information from a UK drug website:-

4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use
Hypoglycaemia

This treatment should be prescribed only if the patient is likely to have a regular food intake (including breakfast). It is important to have a regular carbohydrate intake due to the increased risk of hypoglycaemia if a meal is taken late, if an inadequate amount of food is consumed or if the food is low in carbohydrate. Hypoglycaemia is more likely to occur during low-calorie diets, following prolonged or strenuous exercise, alcohol intake or if a combination of hypoglycaemic agents is being used. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5883/smpc
​

I advise that your husband talk to his pharmacist. Consultation should be free and as they have detailed knowledge about the drug, they would be able to advise whether the timing (and the amount and content of his breakfast) would be OK for him to take it before his 11 am meal.

 

[Rose22]

Hi. My hubby is type 2 and being a type 1 I'm unfamiliar with his meds. Can anyone tell me if it's absolutely necessary to take gliclazide with food or not? The reason being that he finds it very difficult to eat breakfast but has been told he must take one first thing in the morning. He usually gets up at 6 and eats for the first time around 11... TIA x

I used to take Gliclazide, I had it with my breakfast and it would work during the day. There is a risk of hypo, so hopefully they also prescribed your husband with test strips and a metre! As he will need to do this, especially before driving.
I was swapped to Repaglinide which is a short acting med you take with each meal and it makes the pancreas push out insulin for the food...until it can’t any more! I loved Repaglinide for me it was the best out of all the meds they put me on.
Gliclazide is a newer med class and it is long acting, I can’t remember fully but it is about 6 hours I think..my memory’s not so good! Worth having a chat with the gp or nurse who prescribed it and when they will review it. Always good with new meds it check after 3 months whether it’s working/suiting you.

 

[KK123]

4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use
Hypoglycaemia

This treatment should be prescribed only if the patient is likely to have a regular food intake (including breakfast). It is important to have a regular carbohydrate intake due to the increased risk of hypoglycaemia if a meal is taken late, if an inadequate amount of food is consumed or if the food is low in carbohydrate. Hypoglycaemia is more likely to occur during low-calorie diets, following prolonged or strenuous exercise, alcohol intake or if a combination of hypoglycaemic agents is being used. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5883/smpc

Now this is what I cannot understand. They dish out a drug (to those with high glucose) that lowers glucose levels that have been caused by an inability to process carbs....and tell you that you must take it with carbs or you may suffer, wait for it, 'low glucose'? I know it's the same principle in its usage as insulin but I know for a fact, IF I didn't have to take insulin I wouldn't. When there are alternatives, why don't they explain them to people?

 

[xfieldok]

Now this is what I cannot understand. They dish out a drug (to those with high glucose) that lowers glucose levels that have been caused by an inability to process carbs....and tell you that you must take it with carbs or you may suffer, wait for it, 'low glucose'? I know it's the same principle in its usage as insulin but I know for a fact, IF I didn't have to take insulin I wouldn't. When there are alternatives, why don't they explain them to people?

Because most of them don't know or understand.

 

[annmcs]

I too was put on Gliclazide due to SR Metformin and Constipation. I do mot like them at all i am so light headed and off Balance. Going to phone Dic in morning to get changed to something else

 

[annmcs]

Oh sorry Doc

 

[Lamont D]

It will probably be the Glicizide, this thread is quite old and you are correct, phone the doctors, the symptoms you describe are because your blood sugar levels are usually high, what the Glicizide does is bring your blood sugar levels down, if you read the drug leaflet, it does say be wary of Hypoglycaemia or symptoms of hypoglycaemia.

Oh sorry Doc

I too was put on Gliclazide due to SR Metformin and Constipation. I do mot like them at all i am so light headed and off Balance. Going to phone Dic in morning to get changed to something else

Keep safe

 

[Craig20]

Gliclazide is the only thing that works for me, couldn’t take metformin due to the side effects. I take it with dinner on an evening, it took a bit of getting used to, had a couple of hypo’s before I changed the timings of my meals throughout the day and it’s finally settled down. Surprisingly mornings were fine it was lunchtime that was the issue as my sugar seemed to drop more then than any other time of the day.
It’s all diet and timings. I’m happy it works for me.

 

[Oldvatr]

From what I understand Gliclazide reacts to food being eaten. It works by getting the pancreas to increase its output of insulin. Ergo - it is the action of the eating that is needed to trigger glic into action. It does not work if you take it during a fasting period even if your bgl levels are sky high it will ignore until it is trigered again, It has a half life of around 4 hours after which it loses its charm and has no realistic effect. So I have mine about 20 mins before I eat a meal so it is metabolized and ready to go when the carb rush starts. I have not tried this but sugary snacks will probably be enough to trigger an insulin surge, so that eating a sweet may be enough, but I am low carbing so this is against my current glucose religion.