Hi all, im really struggling. Been T2 for nearly 2 years. My last few Hbca1 results have been really good. I was on 3 metformin a day. A few weeks ago started having hypos. I contacted my DN who dropped me down to 1 metformin. The problem still carried on. This time my GP stopped my metformin. Ive been getting really anxious about this. Im testing to keep my eye on my levels. At least once a day my levels have been spiking up to 12mmol. This has been a jump of upto 7mmol. Ive just spoke to Gp, and he said its nothing too bad, but is going to put me on a SR metformin once a day with evening meal. He also told me i dont need to test. Im getting myself in a right state as feel im back at the start. Depending on who i speak to, i get conflicting advise. Thoughts please
Very confused
- Thread starter Rodders60
- Start Date
JoKalsbeek
Expert
- Messages
- 6,210
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Advice is often conflicting, which is why you should just -more often than not, anyway- go by what your meter tells you. It's not going by 30 year old textbooks based on disproved research, nor hyping some fad diet. It'll just tell you what is happening, without any bias towards an amount of likes it'll get for it on Facebook or something. Also, docs usually say not to test because there is no way the NHS can afford to give every T2 a meter and strips, so that's what the bulk of us hear... And most of us who have achieved remission, I feel confident to say, have and use a meter. How else are you going to know what's happening in your body? Your HbA1c was pretty decent at 42, so.... You're already doing pretty good. It could well be you don't need as much metformin as you used to, so it's fine to search for what the right dosage may be now.
So to start at the beginning here: you say you had hypo's. What were the numbers for those? Because there are hypo's and there are false hypo's. Which feel exactly the same as the real thing and will mess you up quite thoroughly for a bit, though they don't have the actual numbers to back it up. Were you ever well under 4, or 3,5? Because on metformin you're not supposed to hypo, but there'll always be exceptions to the rule. It can happen, it's just not the usual way of things if you're not on certain other meds as well.
A false hypo, like I said, feels exactly like a real one. Mainly because your body is thoroughly convinced it is hypo, as it is used to being higher than on the lower end of the normal range, and it freaks out, making all the alarms go off. Ergo, sweats, headaches, racing heart, wobbly legs, confusion, what have you. Everything that feels like the real McCoy, but it isn't. If you're having a false hypo, and you're not actually low, just in the normal range, your body needs to get used to being in the normal range. That's not going to happen if you throw carbs at it and make yourself higher again. But if it happens, you could have some protein and fats, so the alarm bells knock it off and you feel better. Say, have some cheese or cold cuts, olives, nuts, whatever's at hand in a hurry without you having to make an entire meal while you're feeling unwell. Just something that could be popped into your mouth fast, so your body stops panicking.
Now, if they really are hypo's, then do grab a sugary drink like an orange juice or something, a spoonful of honey, whatever, to get your numbers back up. Real hypo's are nothing to be trifled with, after all.
I do think adjusting your metformin dosage was a good idea from your GP, I'd just keep testing for a bit to see how it agrees with you. And always test when you're feeling unwell, whether you suspect a hypo or are dealing with a virus or something. It's good to stay on top of things, usually.
Hope that helps some.
Jo
Hi Jo, thanks for the help. It was definately hypos i was getting as i tested with each one. I was testing 3.2 and 3.4. The Gp said because on 3 a day and my diet, the metformin was pushing me too low. Which i do agree with. It upset me that the DN's first words were, "why are you testing". I tested because i couldnt see properly, my legs had gone and i started shaking. I felt really poorly. I shall carry on testing for a while, as when i start the SR metformin tomorrow, i want to see whats happening. The nurse did do another Hba1c and that has just come back at 47. So while its not too bad, it def climbing back up .
