What would cause a sudden sustained low blood sugar in spite of the cessation of medication after one week in a 71 year old male who has had type�2 diabetes for 15 years? He is showing no symptoms, and testing materials check out to be reliable.

If the patient has any problems with getting rid of the medication from his system, it can make the medication hang around for a long time. For instance, kidney or liver problems can do this. Similarly, there are a few medications that hang around a long time as part of their normal behavior. It would help to know which medication you are referring to.

JTL

[Editor’s comment: It’s a bit of a long shot, but two other thoughts that would explain what you describe. If the person’s medications have had major adjustments, perhaps someone has added another diabetes drug without your knowledge. There are also documented reports of pharmacists giving out prescriptions that erroneously contained diabetes pills instead of another prescribed medication.

WWQ]