Are glucometer readings accurate for monitoring blood glucose?

Q: I am a 32 years old male suffering from diabetes from the past one year. It came under control three months back. Before taking medicines my sugar levels were (Fasting-217; PP-312). After taking medicines it has come to (Fasting between 60-90; PP between 120-160). I have lost weight from 62 kg to 53 kg. I gained 1-1.5 kg last month, but the gain is very slow. Is my diabetes under control? I don't take fat or alcohol and normally adhere to the diet for diabetics. I keep in mind that how much of sugar, fats, carbohydrates I have taken and then control accordingly. How can I find out whether my glucometer is giving the correct reading or not? Once I got it checked clinically and at the same time by the meter and found some difference.

A:Your blood sugars are very well controlled. The targets of control as per American Diabetes Association (ADA) are: Fasting 80-120, PP 140-160 mg/dl and HbA1C <7%.Glucometer readings are good enough for self monitoring of blood sugars (SMBG). A difference of 5-10% is acceptable between glucometer and lab values. Glucometer readings are not taken into account for diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM). In my clinical experience after initial diagnosis and sugar control I have been able to take off most of the patients from tablets if these patients adhere to strict diet and exercise. So my suggestion to you will be to start withdrawing medications. You can stop glubay and pio from now onward and repeat your F and PP after 15 days, if under control then stop glimepride as well and monitor at an interval of 15 days.