Can oral iron supplements cause an increase in blood sugar in a person with diabetes?
49-year-old woman
I am a type 2 diabetic. My diabetes was very well controlled for the past two years thanks to a very healthy diet and a significant weight loss. I take Metformin (1 tablet of 500 mg at breakfast and dinner). I have had a three month average of between 5.9 and 6.3 at all my follow-up blood tests since diagnosis. The last one was done at the end of June - result of 5.9. My doctor diagnosed me with anemia of unknown origin last June and since September I have been taking oral iron supplements. For the past few weeks, I have noticed that my morning fasting blood sugar levels tend to be too high - between 7.0 and 8.3. I'm worried about this and I don't understand it: I haven't changed the way I eat, on the contrary, I seem to be eating better and better. Since I started COVID, I have stopped going out to restaurants and I cook more at home. So, I'm wondering: can iron supplements cause a spike in blood sugar? I also have hypothyroidism (for over 10 years), which is well controlled with Synthroid. I take the Synthroid in the morning when I get up, the Metformin at breakfast and supper, and the iron tablets between meals, around 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thank you for your help!
0 like
26 views
an hour
Response time
Martin Payer · 3 years ago
Hello ma'am,
Thank you for your detailed question - it helps tremendously in the process :)
That said, the short answer to your question is, most likely not. I say "probably" because depending on the iron tablet you are taking (the type) it may contain a small amount of "sugar" and affect your blood sugar. However, this amount should only be minimal, if any, and not enough to affect your blood sugar drastically...
Basically it is difficult to know exactly why morning blood sugars are a little higher. Blood sugar levels can be affected by many factors including diet (in this case, what you had for dinner or in the evening), exercise, stress level, etc. Even though, since diabetes is a chronic disease, it is possible that it is simply the condition that deteriorates... Unfortunately, even if we do everything we can, diabetes is a disease that will progress over time. That's what makes this disease so complex
In short, I don't believe that your iron is the cause of the spike in blood sugar and it's hard to explain the spike without having a better idea of your history. If you want we could look at this in more detail but for now this rise seems minimal to me - I wouldn't worry until I see the average result on your next blood tests :)
I hope this answers your question. Don't hesitate if you want to talk about it in more detail!
49-year-old woman · 3 years ago
Hello,
Thank you very much for the very detailed answer! This is my first time using this service and I wasn't sure what to expect. My doctor is very nice but he's always on the run, so it's hard to talk to him for more than a couple of minutes and get answers. Plus, he has a strong tendency to just want to overmedicate me, even though he's starting to trust me to manage things more by starting to change my habits now
I need to make an appointment with him to discuss the results of my most recent blood test (for anemia). I will ask him to send me for a blood test for diabetes so I can get the facts straight.
Background: diagnosed with diabetes in March 2019. I was very suspicious - I'd had a dry throat for two months to the point of not being able to speak, I was always thirsty, I urinated a lot, so I went to my doctor and asked for a diabetes test. He thought I was worried about nothing, but I hadn't had a routine blood test in a few years, so he gave me a request. No family history - at least as far as I know, but we don't go to the doctor that much in my family and we don't talk about these things. I wish it wasn't that, but I wasn't surprised at the diagnosis (blood sugar 14). I felt really guilty - type 2 diabetes, you still have to chase it to develop it. My doctor had initially prescribed Diabeta in addition to the Metformin, but after a month I started having hypoglycemia (every day!), so that was stopped and I refused to start taking anything else until I got the results of the follow-up blood test after three months, which was excellent.
Anyway, I immediately started educating myself and changing my eating habits. I also had a few meetings with a nutritionist. At the first follow-up blood test, three or four months after my diagnosis, my blood sugar was back to normal. And it has stayed that way ever since until recently. Normally, in the morning, my blood sugar is somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5
I'm going to try to control my diet more. I may eat a little too much fruit - 4 servings a day (which nutritionists say is a bit of a stretch), but never in the evening. I'm also eating late - my nutritionist has already suggested that this could be a problem for me one day. For the rest, I still count the carbs in every meal and snack and eat really super healthy. It's getting hard to find things to improve! I haven't gained any weight back either. I've been a little more stressed for the past few months, due to changes at work. I'm also going to try to see if I can increase the exercise too, a bit, now that the weather is better.
To keep things from getting worse, anemia-wise, I've also switched from black tea to herbal teas. This is probably a dumb question, but can herbal teas, which taste sweet anyway, contribute to my blood sugar problem? I'm going to start drinking less of it soon, but in the winter, I drink a lot of it to keep warm. And to be honest, it helps control sugar cravings.
As for medication, I also take an antihistamine tablet every morning when I get up, along with the Synthroid. I guess that's not it either?
Thanks again for the detailed answer! I didn't really think iron supplements were involved, but you never know. I hope the diabetes hasn't gotten worse already - I'd love to live as long as possible without complications.
Geneviève
49-year-old woman · 3 years ago
For antihistamines, I take Reactine (or a generic with the same active ingredient)
Martin Payer · 3 years ago
Hello again ma'am!
I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad you are satisfied with the platform =)
I congratulate you for your motivation and for taking charge of your health! Not everyone is ready to make the changes (and sacrifices) necessary to manage their disease well. Don't be discouraged... Diabetes is a multifactorial disease and sometimes it's the little things that can make a difference. It's great that you're seeing a nutritionist. It is often a part that is neglected by people because they are looking for simple solutions (e.g.: miracle drug!)...
Moreover, pharmacists now have a broader role in the care of our patients and if you are interested, your pharmacist can surely take charge of your follow-up and help your doctor
That said, in regards to your questions:
- It may be that fruit servings and mealtime are involved.
- Herbal teas can sometimes contain sugar, yes, especially some of the more "complex" types such as David's Tea. Otherwise, they may contain sweeteners (e.g. aspartame) which have no effect on blood sugar levels. As for any other food, even if they contain sugar, it is not necessary to eliminate them completely. It is important to consume them in moderation. It's always better to have herbal teas with a minimal amount of sugar than to have soft drinks! =)
- The antihistamine does not affect blood sugar
I hope this answers your questions. Don't give up, I'm sure that with the right follow-ups and your motivation you will continue to take good control of your health =)
49-year-old woman · 3 years ago
Thank you so much!
I'll check out the herbal teas, and I'll try to reduce the fruit portions. That shouldn't be too hard: I used to eat fruit to satisfy my sugar and crunch cravings (e.g., a sliced apple instead of chips and a cup of frozen blueberries instead of chocolate), but I'm doing better now, so I should be able to rely a little less on that crutch. I find that sugar begets sugar - when you use very little of it, after a while you feel the need for it much less!
I gave up soda for good the day I was diagnosed and have only made exceptions twice since! :-) And it's been much easier than I thought: I don't even miss it.
Diabetes is especially hard to deal with at first. Once you've got everything figured out (I wrote down everything I ate for 3 months, including the carbohydrate content), adjusted your recipes and learned new ones, and managed to find healthy foods that you enjoy as much as junk food (in my case, it's apples and frozen berries - I never thought I'd like apples so much one day!), it goes pretty well. I'm surprised that more people don't manage to change their habits - it's not that hard, and it's not like you have a choice anyway! I'm sure quitting smoking is harder!
In a way, I feel almost lucky that diabetes forced me to take charge - it takes motivation to change and that's what it takes!
I will keep in mind the idea of follow-up with the pharmacist!
Have a great weekend! You are really great!
Geneviève
Martin Payer · 3 years ago
Have a good weekend too Geneviève :)
Looking for reliable answers?
Explore questions answered by real health professionals!
Health topics
