Can I drink cocktails?

Tora1982 said:

Hi everyone ... Still struggling with the type 1 diagnosis but know this isn't going to control me .... The past couple of days I've been more active in the house doing bits and bobs and bloods have dropped to 4.6 and 3.6 where I've felt ok but just had some orange juice to get sugars up slightly ... I'm still on humilin m3 insulin twice a day and 2x 500mg metformin 2 a day but I know that's insulin type / etc gonna change at some point . You know how you can't drink sugary drinks - that's fine as I always have sugar free or diet however does anyone drink cocktails - and if so do you drink less sugary ones but still have them ? Xx

Click to expand...

I LOVE cocktails, I'm type 1 so if I have a few I give myself a couple of units of insulin to stop me going high from the fruit juice etc x

Is there a reason why you take Humulin instead of being on a basal/bolus regime?

As long as you account for the carbohydrate content there is no reason to not enjoy cocktails. However, you should be careful to understand how your body responds to the alcohol content as it can cause unexpected hypoglycaemia in some people. If that is the case, or you have not yet experimented with alcohol following your type 1 diagnosis, it would be worth being extra conservative and reducing your insulin dose accordingly until such time as you know the impact of alcohol on your levels.

Personally I think if you are drinking cocktails they are all quite high in sugar so I wouldn't have them as a regular drink, and when you do have one I would take insulin with it because fruit juice is high in natural sugar. Check your levels after having one, it's trial and error

Things like vodka & diet coke doesnt have an affect on my bg so I'm safer with that but if i want a cocktail I'll do a few units but keep testing and make sure I eat something before I sleep, I've been diagnosed since I was 3 so I've had plenty of time to get used to it and find what works for me, I've not seen people say to give less when drinking as most alcohol has sugar in but always test and make sure you have something to eat later x

Personally I avoid cocktails as I try and avoid sugar full stop when drinking alcohol. Vodka and diet coke is a good shout to avoid an affect on blood sugars, a glass or 2 of wine, or a spiced rum with diet mixer also go down nicely and generally (touch wood!) don't have an affect on blood sugars. The one drink which spikes my blood sugars is beer, but it normally comes down a few hours afterwards.

I wouldn't have less insulin when drinking, but I'm always more wary the next day (especially morning) of drops in blood sugars after drinking so try and check my levels more often and have a decent breakfast.

Tora1982 said:

Hi everyone ... Still struggling with the type 1 diagnosis but know this isn't going to control me .... The past couple of days I've been more active in the house doing bits and bobs and bloods have dropped to 4.6 and 3.6 where I've felt ok but just had some orange juice to get sugars up slightly ... I'm still on humilin m3 insulin twice a day and 2x 500mg metformin 2 a day but I know that's insulin type / etc gonna change at some point . You know how you can't drink sugary drinks - that's fine as I always have sugar free or diet however does anyone drink cocktails - and if so do you drink less sugary ones but still have them ? Xx

Click to expand...

Hi Tora. I also like a cocktail and I find it's a bit of a balancing act. Some alcohol lowers bloodsugars eg vodka, but a liqueur would have some carbohydrate in it. So you need to work out what is in your cocktails to try and gauge how to adjust for it. And you'll have to learn how alcohol affects you personally. It's not an easy answer but you will get there ☺ There is also a good app you can get called Carbs and Cals which has lots of food and drink on it including alcohol, no cocktails in there but it can be helpful for quick reference.

Hey @Tora1982 I don't drink but it's just about being careful and not going excessive. As you gain more confidence and how your body reacts to certain drinks then you can see what you can and cannot do. Trial and error again

The key thing with a regime like Humulin M3, is that it is a mixed insulin - 30% fast acting and 70% slow acting. Taking an extra couple of units to cover a particular drink or food in its short-term peak period, doesn't work with this insulin as you end up putting your slow acting insulin up more than your fast acting. This is therefore unlikely to deal with the early 'spike' from the sugars, but could potentially lead to a bigger drop in blood sugars later on.

I've been Diabetic for 26 years. When I was first diagnosed (10 years old) I was on a Human Mixtard insulin drawn into a syringe from a vial twice a day and injected. This was the same 30/70 mix as Humulin M3. As a teenager I was put onto a basal/bolus regime - 4 injections a day. 3 injections were NovoRapid (before each meal to provide fast-acting insulin to cope with the food being taken), and the 4th was an injection of the basal (slow-acting) insulin Lantus. I stayed on this regime for years, only changing the Lantus to Levemir (a similar insulin but one which suited me better). After a frightening incident in January, it was suggested I try Humulin M3 instead so I am currently on the same regime as you. My control is now not as tight, with more levels above 10.0mmol than I have ever had before. Humulin M3 just doesn't have the flexibility that a basal-bolus regime does for dealing with the day in hand, and the food/drink being taken. I'm going back on to basal-bolus very shortly with my Diabetes nurse's guidance, and feel it is much the better option.

I don't drink at all, as there is enough hassles with Type 1 Diabetes without introducing an additional one. However, some Diabetics do drink and manage it well, so if it is important to you seek the advice of your GP/Diabetes nurse/consultant about how to handle drinks like cocktails and other alcohol, and also discuss with them whether they feel Humulin M3 is going to be the right treatment for you.

It can also seem scary at first, and it does get complicated sometimes, but there is always a way forward!

I should have added to my reply that I am type 1 on basal/bolus which is quite flexible. It is probably worth discussing with a dietician/diabetic nurse if possible, as they will be able to help you get to grips with it. I think you will be able to relax, it will just take a little time because you're learning about new medication/diabetes on top of factoring in the effects of alcohol. It's a lot to take in all at once but it will get easier