Prescription Medication causing issues with Ketosis?

(Crystal Kirkwood) #1

I had been keto for five years and was doing great but then my husband passed away and I took a break. After gaining weight and feeling awful I decided to go back to Keto. This time I have noticed that I am in really low numbers, even in fasting stages. The only thing I can think of is I am now taking Omezapral for prescription meds that I wasn’t before. I have been religious about avoiding all the things I should. Has anyone heard of adverse affects of this?

(Bob M) #2

That’s certainly a possibility. What levels are you getting for ketones?

Also, you don’t necessarily need high ketones, though it’s possible these might help with certain medical conditions. Or at least I see people who are recommending keto for depression, bipolar, ADHD, etc., recommending higher ketone levels. But I’m not sure what happens if you don’t have higher ketone levels.

(Crystal Kirkwood) #3

My numbers are never above .5 ketones and even my fasting sugar levels are always above 100 to 140. It doesn’t make sense to me. I have a hiatal hernia which is why I’m taking the meds to reduce acid but don’t know if it is just slowing my digestion or what. Wondering if I should reduce my dosage

(Joey) #4

A number of things to unpack here …

Ketone serum levels (blood test) of 0.5 are not an indication of being out of ketosis. (Mine were incredibly high when starting out 5 yrs ago … then settled down to not much, because that’s how a self-calibrating human body works :wink: )

If you’re eating minimal carbs (no fooling, but for real), then you are in ketosis. End of story. Otherwise you’d be dead.

Blood glucose for many (most?) folks tends to rise after an extended adherence to carb-restriction. That’s because (a) your body is making it through gluconeogenesis as demanded by activity/awakeness/etc and (b) your insulin levels (especially spikes) eventually ease as your tissues become fat-adapted and less insulin-resistant. These are both good things for your long term health.

My morning glucose levels are right around 100 - they were 70-80 pre-keto 5 yrs ago. But even after eating a full (carb-restricted) dinner, they never wander much beyond 120 before settling back down.

It’s those super high insulin levels that destroy tissue and cause so much damage throughout the body/heart/brain. By keeping your carbs low (for real, i.e., not self-delusion) over time your lowest serum glucose level will often be slightly higher than your lowest when inviting insulin spikes (from carbs) AND your ketones will be at a low/steadier level since your body is supplying what’s demanded - not wasting ketones through over-production beyond that point.

Hope some of this helps. :vulcan_salute:

BTW, Welcome to the forum! Sorry to learn of your loss. Good to have you with us :+1:

(Crystal Kirkwood) #5

I think where the confusion started is my meter that checks for ketones and sugar says my levels mean I am not in ketosis. (Keto mojo). Yes I am avoiding true carbs but this reply makes me feel some better. I am 43 yrs old now so I understand my body may react differently than before but I also understand that cortisol levels may also be affecting my body as well. (Higher stress levels, etc) Thank you for your help

(Joey) #6

I guess the point I was trying to convey is that, since you’re avoiding carbs (about 20-30 dietary grams/day?), you’re in ketosis. Keto Mojo is a great device as far as it goes; it’s the one I own. But even if it measures “0” you are still in ketosis if you’re not eating carbohydrates.

Your body needs a certain amount of glucose to function. It will produce what you need (from protein and fat) if you don’t ingest carbs. We are all born in ketosis - it’s our original natural state.

Women, especially those experiencing meaningful hormonal changes, will respond uniquely to carb-restriction for a more extended period of time than men. My (post-menopausal) wife’s experience with keto followed a very different trajectory than mine. But the benefits for us both have been remarkable over these years.

Hang in there!

(Bob M) #7

Ok, so they (researchers) originally started with “ketosis” being >0.5 mmol/l. But many of us (including me) have ketones below 0.5 mmol/l. My ketones are below 0.5mmol/l except at night or if I’m fasting a while.

Fasting blood sugar is more problematic. How long ago did you switch back to keto? It might take some time to get those back down.

Now, there are those who say that higher fat, lower protein is better from a ketone perspective. I have never tested that, so I’m not sure.

Could prescription meds change your blood sugar level? I believe so. Can you change your prescription amount to test this? Or would that be bad?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

This is clearly not true for everyone. If you read the research on which the RDA for protein was calculated, people’s protein needs varied across a really broad range. I’m convinced that’s why so many people find it more satiating to eat more protein and comparatively less fat.