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Beer and BG

J

jimmysword

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was thinking the other day about BG spikes after eating and what the differences are between people with diabetes and those without

When anyone eats carbohydrates there is a spike, whether diabetic or not. So it's perfectly normal to have a period of time where BG is raised after eating.

It seems that the general consensus for beer is that the first one is OK, the carbs in it will raise one's BG before the alcohol brings it back down. Again it is normal to have this raise in BG for a short period of time. Now if you go on to have another beer or 4, one's BG will raise quite a bit. I have been advised that it is good to give 1 unit of Insulin for every 2 beers after the first. The problem I see with this is that you run the risk of going too low once the alcohol reduces BG again so the advise it so make sure you eat something at the end of your drinking session when you've been giving Insulin.

I tend not to give Insulin if I'm drinking beers. During the session there will obviously be a period of time where BG is quite high, I have tested and found mine to be around 14 for example. I usually wake up the morning after with a lower BG than on a morning when I have not been drinking the night before. So my question is, should I give Insulin while enjoying a few ales or not? How damaging is a couple of hours with raised BG? If someone who is not diabetic drinks a load of syrup for example, they are going to have a pretty mean spike in BG for a while before it comes back down. Do the complications associated with diabetes come after extended periods of time with high BG or is any period of time with high BG just as damaging when accumulated?
 
I am not diagnosed diabetic but tested above 15 after drinking grape juice, postprandial reading anywhere between 6.7 and 12 but after a bottle of cider or two I stay stable at 5s which is good! *confused* I feel low but that's because I'm usually mid-upper 6s between meals

I worry about drinking too much because I drink VERY very rarely but have always been able to down frighteningly large quantities for my size. Until about 6 months ago :/ 4-5 hours AFTER drinking booze and sugar I was dizzy shaky and ill but I'd never actully been drunk, so I don't know if I was drunk but it was hours after I drank... I'm wondering now if it was a hypo (didn't have a meter then)

But like 4 units of alcohol seems to keep my levels in the normal range (steady between 4s and 5s) for like 24 hours after! Maybe the other incident was a hypo but like with hypos after eating, I only get one after I cross a certain threshold.

I'm not diagnosed so not on insulin or metformin. But after booze is like the only time I'm in the 5 range for long.


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How do you get a hypo after eating if you're not on Insulin/Metformin? I doubt the dizzy/shaky you had after drinking booze/sugar was a hypo, more likely high BG It could have been that your sugars were high? I was getting dizzy spells and it turned out I'd had high BG for months.

Can anyone answer my question; should I give Insulin while enjoying a few ales or not?
 
I don't inject for beer. That was advice from my nurse. I was advised to test before bed and to have a snack. Initially, BG will rise but the alcohol drops this later. If you inject, you run the risk of a hypo in the night.


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Regading Beer/Cider/Lager etc I was advised no more than 2 in any 1 session as the alcohol would cause too bigger drop in my BS after the spike and taking extra insulin might not be the right way to combat it. Better to test before bed and as long as it was higher than 8 then I wouldnt have a hypo during the night. Its served me well in 7 years on insulin. In the main 5-6 on morning after. That works for ME but for you ??? Better to see Diabetic specialist as we're all different!!!

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I drink 4 or 5 beers quite happily and just take a couple to 4 units extra with the preceding meal and have a snack when i come in.

As for running a few units high, so long as you can cope with it then its not a massive issue. High levels can cause long term problems but moreso if you are living 20% plus of your life high. I assume you're not intending to be on the ale 20% of your time ;-)

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jimmysword said:
How do you get a hypo after eating if you're not on Insulin/Metformin? I doubt the dizzy/shaky you had after drinking booze/sugar was a hypo, more likely high BG It could have been that your sugars were high? I was getting dizzy spells and it turned out I'd had high BG for months.

Can anyone answer my question; should I give Insulin while enjoying a few ales or not?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing it was reactive hypoglycaemia. It only happens every couple weeks (the the point I am a shaky, vomiting, cold sweating, dizzy wreck) the only time it's been really bad and I was able to test after much puking I was 3.1. I have a feeling most of the time I feel weird is when I'm running high (9s upward) but a reactive hypo only happens when I really go high. Don't know what the threshhold is yet because I didn't hypo after the 15.4 but did during the night after fried japanese/chinese takeout and sushi before bed.

When I'm hyper I get heart racing, feeling really hot, anxious but it's not the same feeling. Can't quite describe the headspace. The last time I felt like that was when I tested 12.6 (pizza)

I repeatedly read Metformin does not cause hypos. Just got MODY suggested to me as MODY sufferers can have swings. Haven't a clue until I can get tested.

I can't give any advice on insulin but Id be more afraid of hypoing than anything else..



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Also maybe the dizzy after booze was me not being used to being in the low 5s (but that's good isn't it!!) and after a drink it stays lower for quite a long time, where after a big spike, fasting will be higher the next day and stays high over the day regardless of what I eat (or don't eat... I can fast up to 20 hours if distracted by work)


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Thank you so much for all the replies and I'm so sorry I've not been able to get on and respond yet.

Some interesting reading, the part about keeping out of high BG for at least 20% of the time is really confidence boosting since I generally have quite good control. I've come to realise that the odd high isn't too bad rather than stressing about it.

My nurse advised not to give Insulin with beer as well but the Dietitian advised otherwise. I was fearful of hypos in my sleep but I don't want to be fearful of Diabetes so I thought I should confront it.

I didn't get a chance to come back and read the responses on here before I went out for a pretty long session (4pm to 5am or something). I took a pen with me and marked down on my hand every time I had a beer. After the third beer I gave 1 unit Insulin and continued to do this after every two beers. I should note that 1 unit for me is actually more like 2 units because I give 0.5 units per 10g CHO.

I probably had a dozen or so beers (it was a long session), plus some whiskey which I didn't mark down. I had to keep going over the pen after washing my hands as it the marks would fade quite a bit and I must admit it got a little bit hazy by 2am and I'd missed a couple of doses so had to give extra Insulin. For this I found the marks on my hand to be invaluable. I was also making a separate mark in between the beers to signify when I'd had an injection so I could check at a glance and know where I was. If I'd tried to just remember it would have been a nightmare, I'd have been constantly stressing and probably would have got it wrong due to inebriation.

I tested my BG at about 3:30am and it was 7.4! I was so excited, a real milestone compared to the 14-17 I'd experienced on nights out before! Before I went to bed I ate what looked to me like 15g CHO in some potato salad. I didn't get much sleep that night (morning), maybe 4 hours between 6am and 10am. When I woke up and tested I was still on 7.4... what a result!

So while it took a bit of planning and monitoring on my part I had a much better time drinking with Insulin than without because my BG was in a reasonable range all night. I'll definitely be doing it again :D
 
Nice one Jimmy !
well controlled, by the sound of it. As a T2 I try to do the same, I use alcohol to control my BG levels, with testing.

I expect that the naysayers will be along in droves after your post !

Good luck and keep tipping the wrist !

Superchip
 
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