April 20, 2002
Other Medications
Question from San Diego, California, USA:
I am 39 years, and have type�2 diabetes treated with diet and exercise. I have been taking a diuretic (with added potassium) for the last four days because of Meniere’s syndrome (possibly autoimmune inner ear disease), and my fasting blood sugar is running 145-150 mg/dl [8.1-8.3 mmol/L] with two hour after meal blood sugars in the 180-195 mg/dl [10-10.8 mmol/L] range. I have major fatigue with no energy, but on the good side, the pressure seems to have left my ear, and my breathing seems easier. However, the ringing is now louder, and the hearing feels worse at times (like an echo hits my ear with certain sounds as I am talking) which I assume is because all that fluid (or salt or sugar) is flushed out of my ear. I was hoping to regain some lost hearing, but It does feel good to feel like I am at ground level again. I have several questions:
Is it a good idea to trade higher blood sugar for less ear pressure? What can I do to bring it back down?
I am trying to replace the fluid as fast as it goes out. Is this counteracting the intended use of the diuretic?
Will the diuretic damage my kidneys?
If I have autoimmune ear disease, is it likely my diabetes is autoimmune mediated as well? What test can determine this?
Answer:
It is true that the diuretic is used to decrease the pressure in the inner ear. One of the side effects of diuretics is low potassium. Even if you are taking potassium, the brisk diuresis may have still left you with a low potassium. This can be reflected in the higher blood sugars. I would recommend you have your potassium checked with your physician to make sure the level has been maintained in the normal range. If not, this is a treatable cause of higher sugars.
JTL
