Hypoglycemia—Avoiding the Lows of Insulin Therapy

• Take your insulin as directed and learn how to adjust it based on your activities and food intake.
• Check your blood sugar levels during long periods of physical activity, such as hiking, working in the garden or even a marathon shopping trip.  
• Avoid alcohol. It can trigger hypoglycemia even a day or two after drinking because it triggers increased insulin production. If you do drink, make sure you eat a snack or meal at the same time.
• Check your glucose levels before driving if you're at risk for hypoglycemia. During long trips, check your levels frequently and stop for a snack if levels drop below 70 mg/dL.

Treating Hypoglycemia

If you start to feel lightheaded or have any of the other symptoms of hypoglycemia, grab 4 ounces of juice, 6 ounces of regular (not diet!) soft drink, 8 ounces of skim milk, four to six pieces of hard candy or three or four glucose tablets—all of which will get sugar into your system quickly. Avoid anything with fat, which slows sugar absorption. Ideally, you should keep glucose tablets or glucose gel with you at all times.

The goal is to get your blood sugar level back to normal as quickly as possible. If it doesn't return to normal after 15 minutes, you need another 15 grams of carbohydrate. After levels return to normal, eat a meal or snack to further stabilize your blood sugar. If you are unconscious or too confused to swallow, you need an emergency injection of glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that tells your liver to release glucose. You can get a prescription for a kit from your doctor, and then train the people around you at work and home to use it. If you are prone to severe hypoglycemia, you should have a glucagon kit with you at all times.

Also wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace just in case. That way, if you get hypoglycemia and are confused or unconscious, someone will know that you have diabetes.

This content was developed with the support of sanofi-aventis.