Dextrose

[skeg]

Hi there, for as long as i have had diabetes i have used chocolate to get over hypo's. I have got to the point now where i'm eating chocolate when i shouldn't. I want to try and use dextrose tablets instead. I have used them before but always had chocolate too.
I would like to know from other people if they use dextrose and if so how many do you usually take and how long does it take to get over a hypo.

Thanks in advance.

 

[josie38]

Hi skeg,

I usually use Glucotabs which give you 4grams of carb per tablet. On average i need to take about 4-6 of them when having a hypo and it takes about 15 mins to be fully recovered.

Josie

 

[Snodger]

personally I hate dextrose tablets - the horrible cold way they dissolve on the tongue.
I normally eat 2-3 fruit pastilles. Easy to carry and don't go all crumbly, unlike dextrose. If I'm near to eating a meal, I'll leave it at that. If the next meal is some way away, I'll eat a fruesli bar to give me some longer acting carbs.

I would have thought that 2-3 dextrose tablets would be the equivalent of my fruit pastilles but try it and see how it works for you. Test after 10 mins and see if you are okay or if you need more/less.

Are you trying to avoid choc coz you just eat too much in general, or because you end up with really high bgs after a hypo, or because you've been told not to eat choc to treat a hypo as it is too slow to act? Personally I strongly disagree with the last one - choc being too slow to act - sometimes I would eat 2-3 squares of milk choc rather than fruit pastilles. It's really a question of STOPPING eating before you send yourself too high, I reckon.

 

[skeg]

Trying to stop using choc because i eat it just cos it's in the house or in my bag. Never had a sweet tooth before i was diagnosed 11yrs ago but can't resist it now. If i stop using choc to get over hypo's then i won't need it in the house tempting me.

 

[wendy_doncaster]

I am just the same... we cannot keep sweets or chocolate in the house because I will eat them!! I keep glucotabs in the house because of the fact that I hate eating them! They are not nice, but they do the job. I agree, about 4 is normally enough for the initial boost followed by a cereal bar containing about 15g carbs. This would give about 30g of carbs overall, which normally sends me up about 9mmol (from a bg of 2 to about 11). This increase in blood sugars of course differs depending on time of day, activity levels, cause of hypo etc!!