Help me not have hypoglicemic symptoms (while my sugar is normal 4.5 to 5.7)

Hello,
33 male weight 125 kg. Dx with high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus T2 (FBG was 7.3), fatty liver (ASP and ALP elevated). Started diabetic diet and Glimepiride for 10 days. FBG was 6 or under but after 10 days I had hypoglicemic episode. I was shaking, cold, lost all my strength. The whole time my BG was 6. I ate few things. Bread and fruit. Shaking stopped.

Doc said FBG of 6 and HbA1c of 6.3 should be managed with diet and exercise. On my insisting that I am still shaking and wery weak he said to take Metformin (500mg with lunch). I was better. I could walk and all.

I did Glucose tolerance test. IRI test - insulin resistance index. I am waiting for results (20 days). She said no drugs since I have normal BG(4.7-5.7).

I tried to not take metformin for 3 days. To make it without shaking I drank sugared fruit juices and ate honey (Before I started the diet I was taking a lot of extra sugared drinks: Juice after breakfast. Coke with lunch. Juice with dinner. And I ate cakes and candies.) Now with the diet, I am forcing myself to drink sugar drinks just to have enough power to go home after work. (I am NOT starving my self : I eat plenty for breakfast. Lunch is meat, veggies and sidedish(carbs) and dinner is bread and some spread or fruits and veggies. Also I have fruit and cracker snacks in the meantimes)

I was very tired after 3 days without metformin so I started again (500mg). Three days later I am still tired - I just read on these forums to take Vitamin B12 - so I will ) I also take cinnamon and Chromium Piccolinate.

I am perfectly happy to eat the diabetic diet. I have strong will. I wasnt even counting calories and I was loosing weight (8kg in 40 days). But now that loosing weight has slowed down. I am weak and cant exercise.
I dont know what to do.

Do I continue to drink sugared drinks in order to deliver sugar to the cells?

How do I convince the doctor that there is a problem?
Do you have any advice?

Thanks
Haris

[Anita Ramsetty, MD]

Hi,
It seems like you are doing two opposite things to feel better: take in high sugar foods at times, and at others take metformin which lowers blood sugars. So I think your approach now is not good.
I am afraid that unless blood sugars are quite low(less than 4mMol/L), it is never a good idea to keep eating high sugar foods.  I am not sure that low glucoses are the cause of your symptoms at all--have you kept a record of glucose levels and the times that you feel unwell? A pattern may emerge for you to see or there may be no relation whatsoever because this may be because of something unrelated to blood sugars.
Have a long discussion with your doctor about  this, and see if other aspects of your health have been checked--thyroid functions, cholesterol, blood counts, Vitamin D levels etc.  

Take care.

[Negatron]

Thanks for answering,

Just to clarify, I take high sugar foods OR I take metformin. Not both at the same time. I think metformin mostly helps with insulin resistance (and it doesnt lower the sugars since they are already normal). My sugars are OK even when I am not taking metformin. They get high from 5.5 to 8 when I eat, but they drop back to 6 or 5,  2 hours after eating.

The sugar levels during the shaking and weakness episodes are 4.5 to 5.5 all normal and  they get better if I drink more sugar drinks OR if I am on metformin. Metformin doesnt lower them any further. It just helps with the resistance.

Thanks for answering. I will check with the doctor. (