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Type 2 Diabetes: Living With the Disease - Symptoms
High blood sugar
Because you have type 2 diabetes, you should learn to recognize and treat symptoms of high blood sugar, which include increased thirst, frequent urination, and blurred vision. High blood sugar usually develops slowly over hours or days, so you can treat your symptoms before they become severe and require medical attention.
Low blood sugar
If you take insulin or oral diabetes medicines, such as glipizide (Glucotrol), glimepiride (Amaryl), or glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase, or Micronase) you may experience low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Glyburide stays in the body longer, so it is more likely than other medicines to cause low blood sugar.
Learn to recognize symptoms of low blood sugar, which include sweating, weakness, and hunger. Treating low blood sugar promptly will help avoid loss of consciousness, which can occur with severe low blood sugar.
Symptoms of complications
Symptoms of diabetic complications include:
- Chest pain; shortness of breath with exercise or other exertion; heart attack; stroke; or tight or squeezing pain in the calf, foot, thigh, or buttock that occurs during exercise and causes changes in skin color, decreased sensation, and leg cramps. These are symptoms of large blood vessel complications, or macrovascular disease.
- Burning pain, numbness, or swelling in your feet or hands, which may indicate nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy). When only one nerve is involved (focal neuropathy), you may have symptoms in one part of your body. An example is double vision, which can happen when diabetes affects the nerves that control your eye muscles.
- A wound that won't heal or that looks infected, which may indicate damage to the blood vessels that supply that area.
- Blurred or distorted vision; seeing floaters or flashes of light, large floating red or black spots, or large areas that look like floating hair, cotton fibers, or spiderwebs; or pain in your eyes. These may indicate diabetic retinopathy.
- Frequent bloating, belching, constipation, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, which may indicate gastroparesis related to diabetic autonomic neuropathy.
- Profuse sweating or reduced sweating, feeling dizzy or weak when you sit or stand up suddenly, difficulty sensing when your bladder is full or difficulty emptying your bladder completely, erection problems or vaginal dryness, or hypoglycemia unawareness. These also may indicate diabetic neuropathy.
You will not have any symptoms of kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy) until the condition is severe. Then you may notice swelling in your feet, legs, and throughout your body. Having regular tests for protein in the urine is the only way to detect diabetic nephropathy before symptoms develop.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Type 2 Diabetes: Living With the Disease Topics
Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
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