• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Type 2 Various readings.

Please talk to you doctor about your lower readings and how they make you feel. Also your evening routine of testing and jelly babies. There might be a solution.
 
I had to translate your levels: 5 mmol/L (90 mg/dL), 4.4 mmol/L (79.2 mg/dL). What you're describing are known as "false hypos". Read more here... http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2007/07/type-2s-understanding-false-hypos.html

I had hypoglycemia in the 80's so I know how awful a hypo feels. Not long after I started the low carb diet, I started experiencing what I thought were hypos. The symptoms were the same, but, like you, my glucose level was within the normal range. As my body got used to glucose levels much closer to the normal range, the false hypos eventually stopped. It's a transient problem. No need to treat it with sugar, just have a small, low carb snack. Some nuts, half an avocado. You'll be fine.

When your body thinks your glucose is too low when it really isn't, as in a "false hypo", the adrenals release cortisol to signal your liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. That cortisol surge is what's causing the symptoms. You're in no danger. :)
 
pleinster said:
It is possible your carbs get too low.
Click to expand...

Interesting observation. :)

Recently I got a call from someone eating 20 to 30 carbs a day split between two meals on the low carb ketogenic diet (LCKD) combined with intermittent fasting (IF). One day, her glucose level dropped to 68 mg/dL (3.8 mmol/L). She wasn't taking any medications or injecting insulin, and had no symptoms. We weren't sure if this was exciting or concerning. I loaned her Jason Fung's fasting book to sort it out.

I should add that previously, when she was bringing her glucose levels down from 400 mg/dL (22.2 mmol/L) levels, she was having "false hypo" symptoms when her glucose levels dropped to 130 mg/dL (7.2 mmol/L). Not fun.
 
Winnie53 said:
Interesting observation. :)

Recently I got a call from someone eating 20 to 30 carbs a day split between two meals on the low carb ketogenic diet (LCKD) combined with intermittent fasting (IF). One day, her glucose level dropped to 68 mg/dL (3.8 mmol/L). She wasn't taking any medications or injecting insulin, and had no symptoms. We weren't sure if this was exciting or concerning. I loaned her Jason Fung's fasting book to sort it out.

I should add that previously, when she was bringing her glucose levels down from 400 mg/dL (22.2 mmol/L) levels, she was having "false hypo" symptoms when her glucose levels dropped to 130 mg/dL (7.2 mmol/L). Not fun.
Click to expand...

I manage by levels purely though low carbs. While I have made good progress and brought my average down below 7mmols, I rarely get below 5...but I did feel a bit wobbly two or three times when I got down to about 30g per day while I was on Gliclazide. At those times my levels had gone under 4.5 but never lower than 3.8 (my lowest two or three readings). Problems stopped as soon as I came off Gliclazide. I'm thinking that a dramatic drop in carbs combined with the Metformin could explain the OP's "false hypos".
 
Yes @pleinster, I agree.

With the low carb diet, it's often possible to reduce the medication, sometimes discontinue it after glucose levels come down or normalize.

Eric Westman, MD in the US, who heads up a clinic that helps patients with weight loss and reducing their glucose levels (and insulin levels) using the low carb diet, often halves his patient's medication the day they start the diet. I believe he starts them at 20 carbs a day, so glucose levels drop quickly.

These days, my fasting glucose level is typically 110 mg/dL (6.1 mmol/L). I'm still overweight though. At 5'3", I wiegh 143 pounds. My lean body weight is probably 100 pounds. If I lose that weight, my hope is that my glucose levels will drop into the normal range. I would really love that. :)
 
Back
Top