I was told that I’m diabetic after they took a blood sample. They did not re-test me, just put me on 2 mg of Amaryl. I’ve been testing my blood sugar levels with and without taking the medicine. When I took it, my blood sugars range from 79mg/dl [4.4 mmol/L] to 136 mg/dl [7.5 mg/dl]. When I didn’t take it, my blood sugars were 123 mg/dl [6.9 mmol/L], 128 mg/dl [7/0 mmol/L], and 134 mg/dl [7.4 mmol/L]. Could I have been misdiagnosed? Will the medicine hurt me if I’m not diabetic? I really don’t know what the normal range should be. I’m currently on a weight loss plan. Should I seek a second opinion?

The criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes is a fasting blood sugar greater than 125 mg/dl on two separate occasions using a standard laboratory test on a blood draw from a vein. Not knowing what the blood result was, I cannot comment. However, it is standard practice to obtain a second blood draw to confirm the diagnosis. This is a big point, especially for insurance purposes. It also sounds like your sugars are too high without the medicine and satisfactory with the medicine. I think all that is necessary is a second blood draw. You can do this after withholding medication for a few days to make the test valid. Often, what happens is that the first test is high enough that there is no question it is high and some do not bother with the second test. Communication with your physician is what you need. I doubt it will require a lot of additional testing.

JTL