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AM BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS

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LINDA A posted on Mon, Oct 19 2009 7:17 PM

MY A1C HAS BEEN GREAT FOR 3 YEARS....7 OR BELOW FOR TYPE 2.  I TAKE 2 METFORMIN AND 1 GLIPZIDE PER DAY.  I QUESTION WHY I AM HIGH IN THE AM....140-160... BUT STILL DO OK W/ MY A1C OVER THE LONG TERM.  DOC SAYS STOP TESTING WHEN I WAKE UP.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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Simi_Papa replied on Mon, Oct 19 2009 9:59 PM

I think I would get another doctor with advice like that.  Below 7 is the accepted "standard", but below 6 should be your true goal (the closer to "normal" the less likely to have diabetes complications, in my opinion.)  You may have a condition called "the Dawn Effect", in which your body dumps glucose into your system to help you wake up in the morning.  The only way to tell for sure is to do a 72 hr. continuous glucose monitoring.  This gives the doctor a reading for your bg over several 24 hr. periods to show how your body is working.  I take my glimepiride (Amaryl) before I go to bed and eat a 10 to 15 carb snack with some fat (peanut butter crackers or something like that).  The fat helps delay the release of bg from the carbs.  That combination brought my fasting bg levels from the same 140-160 range to the 90-110 range.

Bill

"May the Force be with you!"

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Ron AKA replied on Tue, Oct 20 2009 10:54 AM

I had similar issues, and it is most likely the dawn effect. It is very common especially in those who have insulin resistance. I found that exercise late at night helps, and a small but high glycemic snack (10-15 grams of carbs) at bedtime helped too. But, in the end I asked my doctor to prescribe insulin. So now I take a shot of Levemir insulin at bedtime, and most days I am under 100 in the am.

Ron

Not a med prof. Just diabetic type 2 on Prandin, Levemir, ramipril, indapamide, Crestor, & ASA. Diag. Feb/01.

"I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don't work." - Thomas Edison

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JoyceL replied on Tue, Oct 20 2009 4:25 PM

What was your last A1c?  What other times of the day do you test? 

Joyce

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Answered (Not Verified) kat replied on Tue, Oct 20 2009 6:11 PM
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Hi, Linda,

My reaction was exactly the same as Simi Papa's:  You need a new doc. 

While your glucose level over time is o.k. (as reflected in an AlC of less than 7), your reading of 140 - 160 in the morning is a bit high.  Ignoring this (if this is what your doc is suggesting) means you may be ignoring potential damage to your body.  Others have suggested good ways of lowering your morning numbers.  Be sure to give them a try.  If they don't do the trick, there are other meds.  No one wants to have to take more meds -- but it sure beats risking damage from diabetes.

Good luck -- and let us know how it goes.

T2, diagnosed 12/98.  Diet and exercise 2/03 - 11/08.  Now back on metformin 500 ER.

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