glucose

so after getting a 97 reading the other before dinner, this morning i took a fasting reading and got 116, which was unexpected and higher than any report i've had before. so now i'm researching what can affect glucose levels.

apparently noradrenergic drugs can increase glucose levels, while serotonergic drugs can decrease them, so that's interesting. having recently starting augmenting my ssri with bupropion, that could be having an effect on my glucose regulation. also, the body secretes stimulating hormones before waking up so that there will be energy available first thing, and some people experience a "dawn phenomenon" in which this is exaggerated. i'd never thought before about stimulants having an effect on glucose, but it certainly makes sense!

also, carb restriction will increase insulin resistance in muscles and liver in order to spare glycogen for the brain. however, maintaining nutritional ketosis should supposedly normalize insulin levels and promote insulin sensitivity.

a combination or any of morning hormones, just this week adding a bedtime dose of bupropion, and just now entering ketosis could be a likely culprit for high fasting glucose. i'm interested now in doing a full day of testing, and we'll see if there is improvement after maintaining ketosis for a while.

more about glucose and insulin

oh hey, i'm dumb and totally forgot that i've also been taking pseudoephedrine at night to deal with the stupid phlegm factory in my sinuses. so yeah, multiple stimulants before bed could certainly explain high fasting glucose. ooh, i wonder if i'm actually going hypoglycemic at night, because i've been waking with night sweats. could be explained by drug induced insulin spike causing glucose crash with rebound (Somogyi effect)... i must learn more about insulin and glucose metabolism. most of the literature is related to diabetes, and i don't know how it might apply differently to someone who generally has just high normal glucose with possibly some insulin resistance. so far everything i know is from gary taubes' books and the art and science of low carbohydrate living.

edit:
just now i got a reading of 99 at about 2 hrs postprandial.