|  | Conditions Treatments | Diabetes

Reasons for Being So Tired on Diabetic Medications

For people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, feeling exhausted is most likely caused by low blood sugar—or hypoglycemia. Many medications for diabetics can cause low blood sugar when taken alone or in combination with other medications. Medication, diet and exercise are key factors in causing tiredness.

  1. Hypoglycemia

    • Commonly known as low blood sugar or low blood glucose, hypoglycemia occurs when the body’s blood glucose level drops below normal. If you are taking medications to treat diabetes, this means that when your blood glucose levels drop, your body doesn’t have the ability to make the levels return to normal. Hypoglycemia can be a side effect of certain medications, including insulin, and oral medications that increase insulin production.

    Medication Types

    • Diabetes medications focus on different parts of the insulin-production system. Medications can affect the body’s sensitivity to insulin, or they can encourage the pancreas to make more insulin, or affect the liver’s glucose production.

    Interactions

    • It is important to learn the side effects of the medication you’re taking, and how they might interact with other medications. Certain medications will not cause hypoglycemia when taken by themselves. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse lists glucophage and glyset as examples of medications that will not cause low blood sugar when taken alone. But other medicinal combinations can cause low blood sugar, including glipzide and metformin.

    Regimen

    • Your doctor may speak to you about taking your medication at particular times of the day, in respect to when you eat. If you take your medication at the wrong time in conjunction with a meal, or you forget to eat a meal, it can cause tiredness. Taking insulin and skipping a meal can cause hypoglycemia.

    Prevention

    • Taking the recommended doses of medications at the recommended times, and adjusting if necessary as your schedule varies, is one way to prevent the tiredness associated with hypoglycemia. Pay particular attention to medication in relation to meals, physical activity and alcohol use.

Diabetes - Related Articles