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923105 tn?1341827649

Lactulose and MS

Hi,

This is my first time posting on 'this' Forum.

I was dx with MS 11 years ago, and due to the steroids that I have to take from time to time , I am now a pre-diabetic.

My concern is that I know very little about Diabetes, but my G I has prescribed me Lactulose for chronic constipation, - in all fairnesss he has tried me on several meds. with no results.

My sugar readings went quite high, apprix 180, and have taken 24 hours to come down (btw nothing real major happened)

So basically my question is should I keep on taking 'L' or not????

I know so very little about Diabetes, so any advice would be very welcome.

Thank you,

Debs ( from the MS Forum)
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
Congratulations on your upcoming birthday! A fasting blood sugar of 100 or less is not an impossible goal. Keep up the work on weight loss, lowering carbs, and some regular exercise; even just walking helps with blood sugar control. Keep up the good work!
Helpful - 0
603046 tn?1279159413
I was prescribed Lactulose to help with constipation - two teaspoons once a day. Coincidentally or not, my blood sugar had been creeping up and my A1c elevated. My doctor placed me on 30mg Actos daily to bring the levels down (140 fasting, A1c of 7.4). I discontinued using Lactulose because it made me go to the bathroom all of a sudden. Instead I switched to Metamucil with better results. I informed my doctor about the switch and he concurred. I was not told about the tendency to raise blood sugar as its side effect. I monitor my blood sugar daily upon waking up and in two weeks it has gone down to 123 fasting. I weighed 176 lbs. (5'6") on the buff at the beginning and lost a couple of pounds since then. I will be three quarter of a century old next month. I'm cutting down on my food intake particularly on carbs. I was told that it will take several weeks for Actos to take full effect. I hope to get my fasting blood sugar down to 100 or less (fasting). Is this wishful thinking?
Helpful - 0
141598 tn?1355671763
Lactulose is a synthetic sugar probably Rx'd to you counteract the constipation effects of opioids. It can raise your blood glucose levels. I normally hear of it being RX'd to liver disease patients not MS patients, but what do I know.

"So basically my question is should I keep on taking 'L' or not????"
Is it working? If yes, you're in a catch 22 and must pay careful attention to what you eat to help lessen your glucose elevation. Read through the posts on this forum as diabetes nutrition is discussed often.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
There are some drugs that raise blood sugar; you might look at the insert to see if Lactulose is one of them. If you continue to have this spiking when you take this medication, I would definitely talk to your doctor. I know chronic constipation is a problem you want relief from, but consistently high blood sugars can have longterm effects. Another option would be for your doctor to consider putting you on diabetes meds.
Helpful - 0
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