• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Alternative to glucogel

L

Lisaspeake

Member
Messages
6
hi there, my son has been t1 for a year now. When he was first diagnosed we were given some tubes of glucogel for more serious hypos if sweets or coke didn't work. However carrying them around 2 of them have burst (messy!). When I went to the chemist to get replacements I was told I would be able to get them on prescription but also that there was an alternative "like a tiptop" that wasn't as messy as glucogel, she just didn't know what they were called. Does anyone know what these are?
 

Hi Lisapeake - I've just come across your post, here.

As I'm not a T1 myself, so don't have any personal experience of this, so am minded not to guess what your pharmacy was actually suggesting.

In the meantime, my post will have bumped your thread up the Recent Posts list. There are posts discussing this sort of thing, from time to time. so a quick forum search might turn up something useful.

You might also have more responses if your thread were in the T1 area. If you would like me, or any of the other mods, to move your thread, please let us know.
 
Hi there, im new to the forum, not sure how it all works really! If you could move my thread that would be great if it'll get more info, thanks
 
Lisaspeake said:
Hi there, im new to the forum, not sure how it all works really! If you could move my thread that would be great if it'll get more info, thanks
Click to expand...

No problem. It can be tricky to work out where to post initially, but I'll move your thread now.
 
You shouldn't need a doctor's prescription for Glucogel, I can buy it at the pharmacy here like chewing gum. There's something called Glucotabs people there use, I think it's a dry tablet that falls apart real easily in your mouth. Theoretically the reason these (somewhat expensive) products are "better" is because the low person doesn't have to mess around chewing them up a lot before they go down the hatch. I just use apple juice or Lifesavers myself. But some people can get a bit gorked out when they're really low so if you can manage to get some of this other stuff in their mouth they may end up OK.
 
Hi @Lisaspeake Two good alternatives are Dluotabs, which you can purchase online or Dextro Energy which you can buy from the chemist, both are easy to carry around and are good effective hypo treatments.
 
TheBigNewt said:
You shouldn't need a doctor's prescription for Glucogel
Click to expand...
Correct, @TheBigNewt , but as @Lisaspeake has said in her post, she would be able to get them on prescription, which for a type 1 in the UK would represent saving the (not insignificant) cost of buying it over the counter.

I have Glucogel within reach for if I have a sudden, hard-to-deal-with hypo, @Lisaspeake , but for general use I have Glucotabs, which I buy by the six-big-tub pack on Amazon and decant into smaller containers as necessary.

Glucogel is available in a different container, but it's not in convenient measured single doses. It's an 80g bottle - I've just done a quick search and found this:



But there's other stuff available - some people swear by Glucojuice, for instance. I like to have gel available for emergencies, but use Glucotabs for 'everyday'* hypo use.

Love Snapsy


*figure of speech! I don't have hypos every day.
 
Ive been given the glucogel tubes - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gluco-Gel-25-Dextrose-Tubes/dp/B0038WVHZ4 - I was on the other side of consciousness when I was given them, but I do recall them leaving the very strong impression that they are DISGUSTING.

I'm not aware of them coming in a more easily decantable container, or less easily decantible if you are trying to avoid mess. But I do have an old school hypostop gel that came in a small hard case, but that just sits in my bedside drawer being ignored, because it is gross.

The advantage of glucogel is that it can be bucally absorbed, so it can be given when you can't swallow. But I'm not sure it works better or faster than liquid hypo treatment, like Coke or glucojuice. I do carry glucojuice around with me for super fast acting hypo treatment and that's not actively unpleasant.
 
GlucoTabs are great for mild hypos, but the GlucoGel (while being quite disgusting and messy) is fantastic for severe hypos when the blood sugar needs to be raised as soon as possible. I don't know if there's any alternatives that are quite so fast acting. But for mild hypos I keep a can of coke or some lucozade near my bed. Be careful with lucozade though - there isn't as much sugar in it any more, so you need more for the same effect. It still works though!
 
Thanks everyone for your replies, as some of you have said I keep glucogel for more serious hypos (luckily my son hasn't experienced one as yet!) he uses coke and sweets as his hypo treatment usually. He doesn't like glucotabs but as you say if he's that bad he might not realise!
Thanks againx
 
You can get it in individual serving size plastic tubes here. I remember using a few years ago. It is pretty nasty tasting stuff as I vaguely recall. But it makes you salivate and probably stimulates you to swallow the stuff, because if you were halfway conscious you'd surely spit it out lol.
 
You can buy a hypo kit around a tenner which has glucojuice glocotabs and glucogel in it and a card. This would be fine for taking in the car or having in the house for emergencies but also to give your son a taste of them all. Personally I find the glucogel taste is awful and it can be messy. I usually use glucotabs myself . You can get several flavours the come in a tube which means they don’t break up in your pocket and you can buy them from amazon or even Sainsbury’s at around £1 - £2 a tube.
 
I used to get an injection kit on prescription which is useful if you're in a state where you can't take something by mouth, and there is someone who can administer it.

I don't bother anymore as never used it over the years.
 
I have the Glucagon inject (hypo kit) but thankfully never had to use it. In the absence of glucose tablet etc. a simple tin of coca cola will do the trick. It has a whopping 8 or 9 sugar cubes of sugar in a can. As it is liquid it will get absorbed very fast.
 
Just be wary of Coke and Sweets, as it''s hard to gauge the amount of sugar being consumed and result in a hyper. Plus, they are usually full of **** ingredients too
When I last visited my diabetic doctor/nurses, I had a hypo in the waiting room. The treatment was 5 dextrose tablets. IT's fast acting and gets through your system quick. Resulting in quick recovery, and you can judge the exact amount to take. Best to take 4 or 5 dextrose tablets than a can of pop and a bunch of sweets.
(though to be fair kids prefer sweets to dextrose, even if I find them quite nice)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…