Dizziness

Glitch615

Hello!

I just started low carb, low sugar last Tuesday after my dr diagnosed me as pre-diabetic. I've been changing my eating habits this year and lost 30 pounds already before the diagnosis on my own, but flucuated 10 lbs for about a month, so I needed a change.

I started the low carb/low sugar thing the same day that I started taking Metformin. By Friday, I started feeling dizzy throughout the day, but nothing drastic, However, on Monday morning, I became so dizzy and foggy and my vision blurred so much that I just started crying at my desk because I felt so weird. I nearly went home, but stuck it out and it eventually got better, but I've been in a constant state of slight dizziness since then.

I have reached out to my dr and while he doesn't think it's the Metformin, he instructed me to stop taking it Tues-Thursday and let him know how I feel on Friday.

Question is - has anyone else experienced this? Is this what happens when you don't have enough sugar? I'm very new to all of this, but I know I didn't care for it!

baconslave

Did you also increase your salt intake? If not, skim through this post.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10358179/low-sodium-and-keto-flu-electrolyte-imbalance-may-be-your-problem#latest

Glitch615

baconslave wrote: »

Did you also increase your salt intake? If not, skim through this post.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10358179/low-sodium-and-keto-flu-electrolyte-imbalance-may-be-your-problem#latest

If I did, I didn't do on purpose! haha I will take a look at that - thank you!

Update: so, I read that post (thank you!), and went back through my sodium the last week. It looks like last week I averaged about 3k per day, except for Sunday, which was at 1200, hence probably while I felt like crap on Monday!

I will definitely be keeping an eye on this now! Thanks for your help!!!

GaleHawkins

Check out the link baconslave posted for sure.

If one cuts out the source of foods that convert to glucose often that alone can reverse a prediabetic condition or at least it did in my case. I remember without taking any meds my fasting blood glucose levels dropped as low as 65 in the very early keto days but they did recover back into the low 90's when my ketone levels dropped back down some.

I expect your system is resetting along with a ton of other things. We are reading Type 2 Diabetes may be in part due to inflammation due to our gut microbiome and we are learning Keto WOE for many people shifts our gut microbiome in a more health direction.

My first 2 months on keto starting back in 2014 was just plain weird for a lack of better words at the moment. At the age of 68 I am coming upon 5 years of keto Way Of Eating with better health and health markers than at the age of 38.

Best of success with the weird part of Keto early on.

tcunbeliever

Low blood sugar is not a common side effect of metformin, but it is a possible one.

retirehappy

tcunbeliever wrote: »

Low blood sugar is not a common side effect of metformin, but it is a possible one.

Yes, it can be a side effect and not that uncommon. The Kaiser class for new diabetics, they nag you to stop eating low carb if you are on Metformin. No lower than 90 grams PER MEAL is the recommendation. So do be careful that way. Cut back the meds, instead of upping your carbs, since the combo is what is pushing you too low.

I was getting borderline pre diabetic numbers before starting keto, went over the cut off one time, part of the reason I searched around for an alternative and found keto. My husband is DXed as diabetic but he is staying well within the prediabetic range without metformin.

For newbies to lc eating electrolytes are very important to watch. Sodium, potassium, and magnesium are all very important especially when switching from sugars to fat for energy source.

Glad he told you to stop metformin and not the low carb healthy fats.

Sunny_Bunny_

How much sodium are you supplementing each day?
I’m guessing this idea is probably news to you.
Low carb diets are sodium wasting and on top of that you aren’t eating high sodium packaged foods like you once were.
Aim to get 2tsp salt a day, every day, IN ADDITION to salting food to taste.

Fit2_T

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

How much sodium are you supplementing each day?
I’m guessing this idea is probably news to you.
Low carb diets are sodium wasting and on top of that you aren’t eating high sodium packaged foods like you once were.
Aim to get 2tsp salt a day, every day, IN ADDITION to salting food to taste.

I saw Sports Salts (Pure Planet brand) at the health food store. Is this something you would recommend or is it to be avoided?

Sunny_Bunny_

Fit2_T wrote: »

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

How much sodium are you supplementing each day?
I’m guessing this idea is probably news to you.
Low carb diets are sodium wasting and on top of that you aren’t eating high sodium packaged foods like you once were.
Aim to get 2tsp salt a day, every day, IN ADDITION to salting food to taste.

I saw Sports Salts (Pure Planet brand) at the health food store. Is this something you would recommend or is it to be avoided?

I am not familiar with them but honestly nothing on the market is better than simple and ordinary sea salt of some kind.
Each teaspoon of fine ground salt is 2300mg of sodium. 2000mg for each tsp of coarse ground salt. The highest pill form I’ve ever found is just under 400mg per pill. You’d have to take 10 or more pills a day that way. Most electrolyte supplements are only around 200-250mg of sodium. You’d need to take like 25 of those.
I just swallow 1/2 tsp of coarse salt a few times a day. You can even dissolve it in water if you want. Just know that the more water you drink the more sodium you need also.
You really don’t need to buy anything special. Just use salt.