During a hospitalization In Feb. for essential hypertension, Doctor suspected that I might be a candidate for type 2. A1c came back as 6.5 and he started me on metformin HCL 500mg once daily. I've attended a nutrition session and take readings 4 times a day. The average before dinner is about 110-115 and 2 hrs later the readings run about 155-160. Yes, they are a bit high, but not too bad. I've cut out all the regualr pop during the day, changed my diet and lost 17 pounds in two months. The problem I have is that my waking numbers are often higher---not unusual to be in the 160's to 170's.

What causes readings to be that high first thing in the morning ? Seems strange when the last meal was maybe 6-8 hours previously. Is this a concern ? :confused:

The higest reading that I've ever had was about 225. Where does this fall on the "scale" ? I've seen postings here and heard of others being in the 300 and 400 range. Can I assume that as long as I don't have consistent readings in the 200's that I'm not too bad off ?

thanks for any help. I could use some guidance here.

my readings are also higher in the morning. my dr. called it the dawn phenomena. it is from fasting all night. a dietician told me to eat a low carb (15-20) carb grams before bed. this has truly helped. as always watch the carbs. some raise your glucose more than others. e.g. i can't eat white potatoes at all but pasta and good crabs don't bother me at all. i am not on diabetes meds. i have it controleled through diet for 2 1/2 years. last A1C was 5.7. i do cheat on occassion but try not to very often because it whacks my whole body out and takes around a week to get my levels down again. it's just not worth it. i was diagnosed the morning that my mother-in-law passed away from diabetic complications. she was on insulin and never educated about her eating habits.

Welcome to the board. Just to let you know , many people have higher readings in the early am possibly due to what is known as the"dawn phenomenen" . To put in in simple terms , when blood sugar gets very low such as several hours after not eating the liver kicks in and produces glucose causing levels to rise even though you havent eaten. This is one of the reasons it is important to eat regular small meals to prevent high and low spikes . Some people take meds at bedtime to help and some people ( like myself) eat a small snack before bed . my early readings tend to be lower when I do this . Talk to your doctor about this and he will help you with what to do . Congrats on taking care of yourself and the weight loss
:) Mizzy

I was having the same problems, but as of now I am not. My doctor changed my metformin from the normal 500mg in the am to 1000mg in am and 500mg in the evening, it seems to have worked. She had me checking my BS in the am to make sure I wasn't having hypo readings, and told me that if I was to stop the dose at night. I am no longer having the 200 readings any longer. I haven't seen over 155 in several weeks. Lucky me.

Part of the process of waking up is that our liver injects a good bit of glucose into the bloodstream which accounts for high numbers in the AM. The dr prescribed metformin for you with is a drug that targets the liver and slows its production of glucose. If your numbers remain high you might want to discuss with your dr a change in dosage.