Dextrose

alisonhe

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hi,
I use dextro energy to balance lows or give me energy for activity but I'm never sure how many I need. The packet doesn't state what 1 tablet does to your blood sugar and I couldn't find the answer in dr bernsteins book, does anyone know?
I'm aware that it can differ from day to day with me, some days I need more, some less and at different times of year my insulin needs change but it would be good to know that generally speaking 1 dextro energy will raise my blood sugar by say 1mmol, or is it 2.
Do any of you T1's have a rule that you go by for taking dextro?
Thanks, Ali
 

noblehead

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Do any of you T1's have a rule that you go by for taking dextro?

No rule as such, but it all depends on how low the bg levels are and if any active insulin is board which determines how much glucose is needed.

TBH @alisonhe how much glucose is needed will vary from person to person.
 
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tim2000s

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To add to that, 1 tablet is 3g of glucose for Dextrosols. For glucotabs, it's 4g per tablet.


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alisonhe

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No rule as such, but it all depends on how low the bg levels are and if any active insulin is board which determines how much glucose is needed.

TBH @alisonhe how much glucose is needed will vary from person to person.
I'm kind of wondering how much 1 dextrose raises blood sugar, if anyone knows. I don't have any active insulin, I've been diabetic for 30 years, type 1. Is there a basic number, does 1 dextrose raise blood sugar by 1 unit. So if I need to raise my blood sugar by 4 units take 4 dextro? It would be helpful to know if anyone does, to help me better control my bloods as I have taken too many dextrose before as I just don't know how many I need .
 

noblehead

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I'm kind of wondering how much 1 dextrose raises blood sugar, if anyone knows.

Why don't you find out yourself when your not hypo and have no active IOB.
 

Bluemarine Josephine

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Type of diabetes
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Hello Alison he!
Good morning.
The following is only the theory. You have to make adjustments in order to find out what works for you:

The Theory:
According to the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating rules (DAFNE):
10 grams of carbs raise our blood sugar by 2-3 mmols
1 unit of insulin drops our blood sugar by 2-3 mmols.

Therefore, if each Dextrose tablet has 3 grams of carbs, basis DAFNE rules:
You need 3-4 tablets (3 grams each tablet x 3 tablets = 9 grams of carbs or 3 grams each tablet x 4 tablets = 12 grams of carbs) to raise your blood sugar from 4 mmols to 7 mmols.

So, if you want to raise your blood sugar by 1 unit, you need 3-4 Dextrose tablets.

In theory:
10 grams carbs raise your blood sugar by 2-3 mmols
20 grams of carbs raise your blood sugar by 4-6 mmols
30 grams carbs raise your blood sugar by 6-9 mmols

The Practice:
There are people whose body absorbs sugar like a sponge and they only need just 1-2 tablets to raise their bloog glucose by 3 mmols (1 unit) whereas other people need 6 or 8 or more tablets to raise their blood glucose by 3 mmols. Therefore, the theory above does not apply to everyone so, this is where you will have to figure out on your own how much you need but, you can start from the theoretical rules and see what applies in your case.

The tricky bits:
1. What time your hypo occurs:

Example: You had lunch at 13:00 and your next meal will be at 18:00.
If your hypo happens around 14:00-15:00 your stomach is in the middle of digestion and filled with food.

Please remember, food and sugar are not absorbed in your stomach; they are absorbed in your gut. Hence, you need to treat using something that will not stick to your food in your stomach but, will instead run through your stomach quickly, get into your gut quickly so as for the sugar to be absorbed there. As a result, in this case tablets will not act quickly, they will stick on your food in your stomach and will take some 45 minutes to start stabilizing your blood sugar while, in the meantime, your blood sugar will keep dropping for about 30-45 minutes.

In such a case, your solution is sugary liquids: Lucozade, Coca Cola, Glucose drink, orange juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar in water… anything that will run through your stomach quickly.

Other considerations:
If your food has a very low glycemic load it will reduce the ability of your tablets to treat quickly.
If your Quick acting insulin is peaking it will also reduce the ability of your tablets to treat quickly.
Therefore, you may need not only a faster acting treat but also more carbs than the estimated 3-4 tablets to counteracting the peaking Novorapid.

Note: Please remember that all the above are just sugars and will raise your blood sugar only temporarily which means for an hour or, at best, an hour and a half. Then, you will start dropping again. So, you need to follow the following rules:

a. If your next meal is within 1 hour (for example, if your hypo happens at 17:00 and your supper is at 18:00) then take 4-5 Dextrose tablets or 3-4 Glucotabs to treat (10-20 grams of quick acting)

b. If your next meal is 1-2 hours away (for example, if your hypo happens at 16:00 and your supper is at 18:00) then take again 4-5 Dextrose tablets or 3-4 Glucotabs (10-20 grams of quick acting) + 10 grams of slow acting like a digestive biscuit.

c. If your next meal is more than 2 hours away then take again 4-5 Dextrose tablets or 3-4 Glucotabs (10-20 grams of quick acting) + 20 grams of carbs like 2 digestive biscuits or 170 grams apple or 85 grams banana

It is usually better if your take the quick acting first, give it 10 minutes to start working and then add the slow acting, don’t mix them all together at once because the slow acting treat (for example the biscuit) will reduce the ability of the Dextrose tablets to act faster. Bruneria also gave me a good idea at my last post: keep a tablet under your tongue and let it melt there (like people with heart disease do to avoid a heart attack) because pills absorb faster under the tongue.

2. Activity:
For 1 hour of grocery shopping you need 15-25 grams carbs: 1-2+ biscuits (5-7 Dextrose tablets to treat) I know it sounds a lot but please remeber you are also pushing your cart and this takes more energy than just walking.
For 1 hour walking you need 10 grams carbs: 1-2 biscuits ( 4-5 Dextrose tablet to treat)
For 1 hour housework you need 10 grams carbs: 1-2 biscuits (4-5 Dextrose tablets to treat)
For 1 hour fast walking you need 25-35 grams carbs: 170 grams apple to 130 grams banana
For 1 hour jogging you need 35-45 grams carbs
For 1 hour cycling leisurely you need 35-45 grams carbs.
Etc.

Advise: On your next meal, do not use Novorapid to "correct your treat". Let it run its cycle and if your blood sugar is high then correct with Novorapid next time you eat.

I hope this helps.
Regards
Josephine.

P.S. Please let me remind you, again, that these are only in theory. Only you can find out what works best for you.
 
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alisonhe

Active Member
Messages
44
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Thank you Josephine, that is helpful. I eat a low carb diet however so I don't eat high carb foods like biscuits, and sugar
really hurts my system although I have found that raw honey is ok for me and does not spike my blood sugar. I will check next weekend when I am off as to how 1 dextrose affects my blood sugar over a 2 hour period maybe. I find the dextrose has an immediate effect on combatting hypos plus it doesn't hurt me like regular sugary foods do for some reason!