Effexor and Very High Blood Sugar Levels? Even off Effexor now?

[metsfan99]

Hello,

I started a low dose of Effexor for one week at (37.5mg daily).  Symptoms that I noticed only a couple of days after I started, included multiple hot flashes, one night sweat, fatigue and A LOT of Weakness in my legs and arms. On top of this, I decided to check my sugar during the week I was on Effexor and my sugar was higher than normal. I was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago and I'm on Humalog injections for it (only 1 unit per 30 carbs, my ratio changed to this back in September from my doctor and a week after the change, my sugars were normal when I checked religiously for a week. My sugars are usually well managed. Since mid Sept, I haven't checked sugars until I was on the effexor a month later and noticed the very high sugars.

Now, after being off of the Effexor for 8 days, my blood sugar readings have been higher than ever before (mostly high), and then dip low rarely.

1) Can these mostly high blood sugar readings (and low dips at times) be still related to being on the Effexor for one week and now off of it for 8 days?

2) Have you ever heard of this with the high/erratic blood sugar and effexor? Even being off it now for 8 days?

I had a CBC and my WBC is normal, not indicating an infection.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

[Paxiled]

Sorry, but there are no professionals on this site -- it's just folks sharing experiences.  But drugs for the brain are very odd as the brain is very complicated and little understood.  Any individual can have an odd reaction to a drug that few others have.  The side effects you got from Effexor are common ones, and it's a very difficult drug to take and even harder to stop taking once you've been on it for awhile.  But these drugs, although side effects start right away, take about 4-6 weeks to start working, and I just don't see it being likely the short time you were on it to be enough to cause your current problem, but who knows?  I don't think you'll ever find the answer.  

[metsfan99]

Hello? Can a professional please help me in answering the above?

[AnxiousNoMore]

High blood sugar is not a listed side effect of Effexor. You didn't test for over a month so your b.s. could have been up or on the rise when you started the Effexor. You don't have a baseline to compare against so it is impossible to isolate your b.s. cause.

The fact you have been off it for  days and your b.s. is even higher is another indication that it isn't related to Effexor. If concerned about your b.s. you need to see your doctor.

[metsfan99]

The fact is that Effexor is an anti-depressant, which in nature, throws off blood sugar. This could just be the b.s. trying to bounce back to what it was.

[metsfan99]

Stress doesn't help either

[Paxiled]

I'm a little confused -- why would an anti-depressant, in nature, affect blood sugar?  Certainly never has affected mine.  Some of these drugs do cause a much greater urge to eat and some do cause weight gain, but they don't directly affect the pancreas.

[metsfan99]

Can a professional please help me with the above? Thank you.