[Arkanin]

OK, trying to identify if I have diabetes as quickly as I can.

At certain points in the day I have illogical self-destructive thoughts, can't think clearly or get anything done and/or get rushed / panicky or shaky, dropping things. These behaviors go away once I'm feeling better.

Been seeing therapist and psychiatrist about this and it seems like unipolar mood swings, basically Bipolar minus the manic swing. I said, "Hey, could hypoglycemia explain it?" and my psych basically said "Actually yeah, let's get you tested".

So the day of my fast, before I had my blood drawn, I was in a bad mood and overate at 8PM that night. At about 8 AM next day when the blood was drawn I asked the nurse if that ruined the fast and she said it was OK. I came back negative for hypoglycemia after the fast.

Now here's the thing. I went on a mood stabilizer (abilify) that is not supposed to have this side effect, and changed something else. Some mood swings went away, but as I took the drug a sense of constant restlessness crept up on me until my work felt like torture and I couldn't enjoy anything. I blamed the abilify, stopped taking it. It's supposed to go 0out of your system in 3 days, instead, slowly over time the restlessness went away, now it is completely gone. Being antagonized this long after discontinuation is not a documented side effect of abilify, the point of trying it was that I could get off it fast if I needed to.

My doc has given me a mood stablizer scrip for a different drug and said, "Take it if you feel like I need it." I am a bit afraid to take another mood stabilizer because of how seriously the previous one hurt me.

Anyway, I'm actually very stable. Young, male, great job, management candidate, I try really hard to just not say much when my mood blows out but it is a huge burden on me and one day I could slip up and blow my whole life out (like say something just horrible to my girlfriend that I don't mean or feel at all once my mood is healthy again).

I'm thinking before I try another mood stabilizer, in light of my hypoglycemia test looking shady and how badly another mood stabilizer went, of buying a Glucose meter and checking my blood sugar when I feel bad.

It does seem like if my mood goes to crap eating something and taking a break helps a lot. And I get the sense that my mood tends to go bad at specific times of the day.

I have a few questions:

-I want to try to eat a "hypoglycemic diet" even if I dont have hypoglycemia to play it safe for now. It's probably better than what I'm doing anyway. But I just cant (due to time, energy, other constraints) cook for myself right now, but I can afford slightly expensive groceries and to eat out once a day. Can we pull something together with that?
-I'm going to get a cheap blood sugar meter and check my blood sugar regularly, especially when I crash mentally. Are the cheap meters reliable? If it's falling outside normal ranges I am going to take that to the doctor.
-Since I'm gonna do that, what is a decent way to prick your finger, will they sell you a needle? I have a high pain tolerance but prefer convenience and no mess...

Sorry for the wall of text. Thanks!

 

[Shanny]

The cheap meters are fine - I use the ReliOn one from Walmart and it's very consistent. The lancing device to prick your fingers will come with the meter, and a few test strips too. The test strips cost about half what most other brands cost, and they're sealed in foil, so they are less apt to be contaminated by humidity etc.

I have no experience with Abilify, but I have taken Prozac for years. My depression manifested itself in anger also. The minute I told my doctor that I was mad all the time at every little thing, he knew right away.

My husband takes Paxil and he also takes Zyprexa. His depression manifests less in anger then in sad and hopeless feelings. But he has been on these two meds for more than ten years, and he does well. It did take some time to find the right meds for him and to get the dosage just right. I hope you'll be able to work with your doctor to find the right combination for you, because you deserve so much more than to live in this uneasy state of mind.

Thank you for joining us, and I hope you'll visit often to keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

[Arkanin]

The cheap meters are fine - I use the ReliOn one from Walmart and it's very consistent. The lancing device to prick your fingers will come with the meter, and a few test strips too. The test strips cost about half what most other brands cost, and they're sealed in foil, so they are less apt to be contaminated by humidity etc.

I have no experience with Abilify, but I have taken Prozac for years. My depression manifested itself in anger also. The minute I told my doctor that I was mad all the time at every little thing, he knew right away.

My husband takes Paxil and he also takes Zyprexa. His depression manifests less in anger then in sad and hopeless feelings. But he has been on these two meds for more than ten years, and he does well. It did take some time to find the right meds for him and to get the dosage just right. I hope you'll be able to work with your doctor to find the right combination for you, because you deserve so much more than to live in this uneasy state of mind.

Thank you for joining us, and I hope you'll visit often to keep us posted on how you're doing.

Shanny, thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I am headed to CVS now to see if I can get a glucose indicator.

I'm pretty stable but taking a bunch of powerful meds, and my reliance on them doesn't ease my mind. Luvox for Depression (! It's an anti OCD med !), Vyvanse to help me concentrate, and Xanax to keep me calm. There has got to be an underlying problem we're just not finding.

Thank you again. It's really cool that I got such a fast and thoughtful reply from somebody.

 

[Shanny]

You may be right about there being other factors at work here, and it sounds like your psychiatrist is a sensible doc, so keep pressing until you find answers. Getting a log of glucose readings can't hurt & sure might help. At first you might want to test first thing after waking, before you eat anything. Then you can test how foods affect you by testing before you eat it, then testing at 1 and/or 2 hours after your first bite. Just keep a log of what you eat and what your readings were, and show it to your doc when you discuss it.

The other thing that couldn't hurt, would be to avoid fast-acting carbohydrates in your meals. If it looks like bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, etc., are sending your glucose high, start cutting portions in half or if you choose, avoid them altogether.

Upon re-reading your original post, I'm having a faint recollection of my husband starting a drug years ago that caused restlessness like you describe. Neither of us can remember now what it was, and we're pretty sure it wasn't abilify, but he had to get off it. Zyprexa is in the same class of drugs, and has worked very well.

 

[Arkanin]

Just figured out how to do the testing with this kit I bought at the store. It took me a good hour to figure out exactly what to do from the instructions. I have not eaten in a good while and I am feeling slightly 'off' at the moment, a bit frazzled and hungry but pretty solid emotionally, so... after wasting a couple strips it looks like I need to jack the lancet applicator up to 5 and.. ouch!

85 mg/dl.

OK.

Sounds like time to eat a light meal and check again in the morning?

Before use the instructions told me to apply a "testing" solution to make sure the range is OK. I applied the test vial to a piece of plastic, then applied that to the strip and it read 45mg/dl (not my blood, testing solution). Instructions say to check the bottle with the test strips for the correct range on the test solution. This is a level 1 "testing" solution and all I can find on the bottle is this:

1 32 - 62 Mg/DL
2 90 - 123 mg/dl
3 248 - 336 mg/dl

It looks like they must mean level 1 testing solution should show up in a range of 32-62... and mine was 45... so it looks like my thing is ready to go?

 

[Shanny]

Y'know I've never had a meter that included control solution, so I don't have a clue. But from your explanation, I'd say yes, you're good to go! And very nice fasting reading too!

 

[breezeonby]

Hello Arkanin! Thanks for joining us. I think the inner restlessness that you are describing is called "akathisia". I have my share of anxiety problems along with treatment resistant depression. It seems that I have tried about every drug made for depression & insomnia. Last December, my doctor wanted me to try Seroquel for my depression. I got home with the meds and sat down with the prescribing information and I decided not to take it. Many anti-psychotic drugs including Seroquel can increase blood sugar. That class of drugs carries a black box warning required by the FDA warning the patient that the drug can cause diabetes and can increase the blood sugar of those who already have the disease. I take a mood stabilizer that is also used for diabetic nerve pain. I had to start out on a very low dose. I am in the process of increasing the "Gabapentin" aka Neurontin. I have had some relief from the medication. There are many side effects to mood stabilizers. Most of them have to be started at a very low dose and many drugs have a titration kit to get you started. I can understand the fact of not wanting anymore long lasting side effects, but you will probably need to try the drug to see if you are going to have side effects. I wish you luck and patience!

The control solution that comes with the glucose meter is merely to check to make sure your test strips are within range. You did the correct test and your test strips are good. Every time you start a new pack of test strips, run the control solution test and make sure the strip is in the range listed. Good job for a newbie! Have a good day!

 

[Arkanin]

Hello Arkanin! Thanks for joining us. I think the inner restlessness that you are describing is called "akathisia". I have my share of anxiety problems along with treatment resistant depression. It seems that I have tried about every drug made for depression & insomnia. Last December, my doctor wanted me to try Seroquel for my depression. I got home with the meds and sat down with the prescribing information and I decided not to take it. Many anti-psychotic drugs including Seroquel can increase blood sugar. That class of drugs carries a black box warning required by the FDA warning the patient that the drug can cause diabetes and can increase the blood sugar of those who already have the disease. I take a mood stabilizer that is also used for diabetic nerve pain. I had to start out on a very low dose. I am in the process of increasing the "Gabapentin" aka Neurontin. I have had some relief from the medication. There are many side effects to mood stabilizers. Most of them have to be started at a very low dose and many drugs have a titration kit to get you started. I can understand the fact of not wanting anymore long lasting side effects, but you will probably need to try the drug to see if you are going to have side effects. I wish you luck and patience!

The control solution that comes with the glucose meter is merely to check to make sure your test strips are within range. You did the correct test and your test strips are good. Every time you start a new pack of test strips, run the control solution test and make sure the strip is in the range listed. Good job for a newbie! Have a good day!

Breezeonby, I just checked wikipedia for the article on wikipedia: "High-functioning patients have described the feeling as a sense of inner tension and torment or chemical torture."

That was how I felt on abilify. Exactly! Later in the article:
Akathisia is most often seen as a side effect of antipsychotic medications, but has other causes as well:

* Antipsychotics[7] such as haloperidol (Haldol), droperidol, pimozide, trifluoperazine, amisulpride, risperidone, aripiprazole (Abilify) and asenapine (Saphris). Less common in sedating antipsychotics such as zuclopenthixol (Cisordinol) or chlorpromazine where anticholinergic and antihistaminergic effects counteract akathisia to a degree.

I can handle my other problems but can't handle "Akathisia".

 

[Arkanin]

Tested again this morning: 95 mg/dl.

It seems weird that my 12-hour fast has a higher blood sugar (95) than I did 3-4 hours after a meal (85) but eh, we'll see.

Maybe I should have asked "Do I have Hypoglycemia" instead of "Do I have diabetes"? But its extremely rare for non diabetics to have hypoglycemia as I understand it...

 

[breezeonby]

Breezeonby, I just checked wikipedia for the article on wikipedia: "High-functioning patients have described the feeling as a sense of inner tension and torment or chemical torture."

That was how I felt on abilify. Exactly! Later in the article:
Akathisia is most often seen as a side effect of antipsychotic medications, but has other causes as well:

* Antipsychotics[7] such as haloperidol (Haldol), droperidol, pimozide, trifluoperazine, amisulpride, risperidone, aripiprazole (Abilify) and asenapine (Saphris). Less common in sedating antipsychotics such as zuclopenthixol (Cisordinol) or chlorpromazine where anticholinergic and antihistaminergic effects counteract akathisia to a degree.

I can handle my other problems but can't handle "Akathisia".

I totally understand! That inner restlessness is one reason why many people stop taking their medication. I hope that the "akathisia" is out of your system. There is a really good book out that you can get at the library called "Psychiatric Drugs" by Edward Drummond, M.D. It is very informative and easy to understand.

 

[breezeonby]

Tested again this morning: 95 mg/dl.

It seems weird that my 12-hour fast has a higher blood sugar (95) than I did 3-4 hours after a meal (85) but eh, we'll see.

Maybe I should have asked "Do I have Hypoglycemia" instead of "Do I have diabetes"? But its extremely rare for non diabetics to have hypoglycemia as I understand it...

There is a website that I think you could benefit from regarding non-diabetic blood sugar ranges as well as other information, please visit How to Lower Blood Sugar: Expert Diabetes Tips to Control Glucose Levels.

 

[Arkanin]

I totally understand! That inner restlessness is one reason why many people stop taking their medication. I hope that the "akathisia" is out of your system. There is a really good book out that you can get at the library called "Psychiatric Drugs" by Edward Drummond, M.D. It is very informative and easy to understand.

I took a look at that on google books, it looks worth reading on kindle..

I just took another reading, end of the day, haven't eaten much in about 3 hours and starting to get frazzled again. 75 mg/dl. Seems very low... I appreciate the link, but can't find normal ranges for non-diabetics..?

It seems like I'm not diabetic but I might have a hypoglycemia problem. Occasionally I get extremely emotional for no reason - often it seems related to whether I've eaten. Next time that happens I'm definitely going to check my blood sugar and see what we get.

 

[Emily]

normal blood sugar levels are 70-100