Samuel Grossman, BS Pharm, Pharm.D, CDE Answered 4/6/2015

When you are not feeling well and not eating, fingersticks before meals have to be evaluated to determine if to take the medication at a regular dose, reduced dose, or not at all. It also depends on your condition and it is long term or only short term. When a patient does not eat, the fingersticks are not necessarily low. It is recommended for a patient with diabetes that is not feeling well to drink plenty of fluids. If the sick patient cannot tolerate solid food, regular soda, apple sauce, or soup could be consumed. Fingersticks in the 200’s may require medication therapy; however, it also depends how long you have been sick and the illness you are suffering from. Consider consulting with your provider whether or not to take medication at this time and also consider doing fingersticks before every meal to evaluate the value of your blood sugar.