Scratching my head over this medical mystery. Any theories?

I've been sick for two weeks with a sinus infection. It's been going around & takes a while to get over. For the first week, I toughed it out because antibiotics make me ill. For the last week, I've been on Clarithromycin 500 mg twice a day.

Since being ill, my BG has plummeted with lows of 30-50's, mostly mid-30's, including waking up low. I've lowered my bolus dose & basal (MDI) & still am low. I correct with glucose & am still low. I changed meters thinking it was kaput, but that didn't make a difference. Insulin isn't brand-new regarding being more potent. Haven't found anything about the antibiotic prescribed causing hypos.

Last night I didn't take a dinner injection & never got higher than 98. 98?! Made me want to rush out & eat pizza:) I've never had persistent lows when sick.

If the bug I caught is a gift that increases insulin sensitivity, I'll be happy to send vials of germs to the Tu D family:)

The only thing I can think of is maybe increased metabolism while your body is trying to heal itself? Weird, that you aren’t high, but maybe your metabolism is so ramped up to fight the infection that your basal and meal needs are lower? No idea other than that? However after typing this, I did look up clarithromycin in my med reference and hypoglycemia is listed as an adverse reaction on it.

Maybe the antibiotic makes the Insulin more powerful. It sounds a little scary to me. Like what if it goes really low at night.

I experienced the same anomoly about two and a half years ago when I was sick. I stopped taking insulin completely for about a week, and after I finished the antibiotic I was back on the needle again!

After my experience I spoke with my Endo, and she said; “well you can’t stay on antibiotics your whole life”…

Since that time I have taken that same antibiotic without the same effect…Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts!

Hurry, go get crusty french bread, fettucini alfredo and a big huge piece of cake or pie, heck both!! EAT. Then send me the germs and antibiotic.

Gerri, seriously…this is really strange. I had lows on an antibiotic many years ago, but I cant remember the name of it. Hmmm, maybe something in the antibiotic could be a cure for diabetes!

Thanks, Jennifer. I obviously didn’t search far enough to find a reference about hypos. Appreciate it!

Had me worried last night, so ate before I went to sleep. Woke up low anyway, so good thing I indulged my peanut butter addiction.

If you had an ongoing chronic infection, then you may have an increased insulin dosing based on offsetting that chronic inflammation. For instance, if you had gum disease, that ongoing infection can cause an inflammation load on your system. Taking an antibiotic would clamp down the infection immediately causing a drop in insulin demand.

Is it possible that you had some sort of ongoing infection? A UTI? Gum inflammation?

Interesting. Wonder what it is exactly about the actions of antibiotics that causes this. We must have more insulin production than we think. Or, do some antibiotics help generate new baby beta cells for a short time until our antibodies knock them out again? Couldn’t just be increased sensitivity since you didn’t take any insulin for a week.

I don’t think I’ve been on this particular antibiotic before. Haven’t had this effect on others.

Know someone who’s been T1 for 40+ years. He had a bad infection that wasn’t responding & was given gamma globulin by an infectious disease specialist. He barely needed any insulin during that time. His doctor said he had witnessed the same in other T1 patients. He wrote researchers begging them to investigate gamma globulin, with letters of support from his doctor. Of course, no one replied.

Honey, will send you a loaf of crusty bread, fettucini alfredo & the biggest piece of chocolate cake in existence, along with antibiotics & my cooties. I’m tempted to try a carb fest, but my luck I’ll be at 500. Oops sorry, antibiotics only work this way for 6 days.

I’m intrigued by the antibiotic reaction. Imagine if there was something in antibiotics for a cure or at least for much reduced doses!

Gamma Globulin…My Mother said that I had to have that as a baby because I had chicken pox and whooping cough very close together. After i received the GG, my Mom said I wasn’t sick for many many years. Not even a cold. Interesting.

Nothing that I’m aware of. I wasn’t taking more insulin or having higher numbers before the sinus infection took over that indicated anything, but it’s possible I had some low-grade type infection. I haven’t had any real fever with this sinus crud either, which is odd given how awful I feel.

Gamma globulin is powerful. Don’t know what the downside is to it, sure there’s something, but it’s potent. The person I mentioned was sure he was on to something. After 40+ years as T1, it showed that he had some beta cells. That’s encouraging for all of us.

Very interesting! Recently I experienced a weekend of severe lows for no apparent reason at all? I wasn’t on antibiotics though, and can only try to blame it on…hormones? Though this has NEVER, EVER happened to me. Ever. I mean, I’m usually high, and never low. For two and a half days, I kept testing and eating, with NO bolus at all and had to keep eating to keep from going low. What the heck? I, for one tiny second, thought it was a miracle. Then reality hit :slight_smile: Would be nice if they could figure out what exactly the antibiotics do to have this side effect!

Your liver is metabolizing the drug. Since its spending time getting it out of your body its spending less time releasing sugar into your blood stream. However its unlikely that its doing so good of a job that you can it like a maniac(although pizza would be wonderful:)). You may have lost a couple of pounds being sick and its quite suprising what a little weight loss can do for sensitivity…

If I double the antibiotics, can I have pizza:)

Good point about the liver being occupied with another job.

Thanks!

Time for a C-peptide test? See if you can convince your doctor to prescribe it.

I had one shortly after being diagnosed. Would be interesting if there’s been a change for the better.

whatever ever it is we are bottling it,selling it, becoming millionaires while all the other companies go out of business :slight_smile:

I’m all for that! Think of a cool name for our product.