August 19, 2004
Pills for Diabetes, Type 2
Question from Texas, USA:
I was recently told that I have diabetes. The symptoms started 10 days ago, yet my risk factors were zero. There is no family history. I exercise regularly, eat well, and am not overweight. I have been taking Avandia for five days, been very careful on my diet with carbohydrates, no sugars (almost afraid to eat), and am still exercising. My blood sugar is usually in the 150s mg/dl [8.3 to 8.8 mmol/L] when I wake up. It rises to the mid 200s mg/dl [around 13.9 mmol/L] after breakfast and stays there through much of the day, with rises in the evening to the mid to high 300s mg/dl [around 21.0 mmol/L]. Should I be concerned at having these high levels for this amount of time? At what point should I be concerned? I cannot get into to see an endocrinologist until October and need answers now.
Answer:
One of the problems with Avandia is that it may not work immediately. This leaves you waiting for the glucose-lowering effects of the medication to kick in. You need to speak to your physician about adding another medication or using one of the combination drugs where Avandia has been added to another drug in the same pill. The biggest problem is that you are likely to feel symptomatic with those high sugars.
JTL
