How to maintain sugar levels with diet and medicine while fasting?

Question

Hi doctor,

My mother aged 65 is diabetic for the past 9 years. Her medications are as follows. Forxiga (Dapagliflozin) - 10 mg : 0- 1- 0 (one tablet after lunch); Glucobay 50 : 1 - 1 - 1; Jalra - M 50/850 (Vildagliptin 50 mg, Metformin HCl 850 mg) : 1 - 0 - 1 and Amlopres AT - 25 : 0 - 0 - 1. We need consultation for the diet. The patient is insisting on taking a small quantity of rice for lunch. Also, how to make the medicine and diet proper during fasting months, where we usually take a good meal at 3:30 AM (early morning) and strict fasting till 6:00 PM.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

In case her sugars are in control, there is no harm in giving her a little rice. I would recommend you buy a glucometer for her so that you can monitor her sugars at all times. Meet your local doctor, so that he can advise you on how to manage the dosages at the different sugar levels. This would come in handy during fasting as well. Because, in the case when your mother is not eating anything, not even water, that means she will not be able to take her medicines as well. So, you would have to check her sugars during that period and analyze if she can take her medications or not. You would have to understand; she would not be able to eat high-calorie food like the others when you break your fast. However, you can try and reverse her daily cycle in those days, and she can eat her dinner and breakfast and take her medicines accordingly to her sugar levels.