Drinking beer with diabetes.

[Bandit03]

Im recently diagnosed and I've been drinking beer and I haven't noticed it to be goin to high no matter how much I drink. I would like to know if anyone else drinks much and how it affects them.

 

[sweetLea]

Are you on meds? If so, what kind?
Welcome.

 

[Bandit03]

Humalog and lantus

 

[AMBrennan]

Iirc advice is to not cover carbs from beer and such with bolus insulin.

 

[SAH154]

You have to be careful - beer contains carbs and if you don't correct this at some point your sugar will remain high - if you get the chance do the DAFNE course they cover beer/alcohol

I used to do a correction dose after beer but you need to be careful as alcohol can cause hypos many hours later and going to bed after a few beers and injecting insulin can be potentially dangerous - I did have it down to a fine art based on my insulin to carb ration so for instance mine was 1 unit to 10g carb or 1 unit to lower BG by 3mmol

Alcohol can be metabolized slowly as well

Beware drinking too much increases the risk of serious brain damage/death with T1D and you need to be careful

 

[Elc1112]

Yes, you drink beer. It will affect people differently so keep an eye on your sugars. Wine is my chosen poison and I sometimes find that my sugars drop after drinking it - just something to bear in mind.

As other have pointed out, some drinks are higher in carbs than others so just make sure you adjust and don't go on an all night bender each and every night.

Alcohol can increase your BP so it's something to be careful of if you do suffer from high BP

With regard to hypos, my hypo awareness is lower if I have been drinking. It's sometimes hard to distinguish that drunken feeling from a hypo - again, just something to watch out for.

I know a lot of people of here recommend the DAFNE course. Personally, I didn't see any value in it whatsoever. There is so much info online and everybody is different. I'm not saying carb counting and dose adjustment aren't important, but I don't think a five day course is the best way to learn about this. Not for me at least. Not sure about you, bit I can think of much better ways to spend five days of my hard-earned annual leave!!

Emma

 

[Kylie_Baker]

Hi Bandit, I'm a bit new to the whole T1 thing, but choose to drink Guinness. I have probably 2 pints a week, hardly anything I feel. I do love red wine, but it cause havoc with my levels. I also find that if i do drink i need to have something to balance it out. I feel safe drinking Guinness, but anything else and I am a wreck. Though if I eat a high carb meal, I find I can stomach a glass of red, but just need to lower my insulin dose. Bit of a guessing game really.

My attitude (subject to change!) is that everything is about moderation. A cheeky pint here and there is good for the mind body and soul

Kylie

 

[SAH154]

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/alcohol-and-blood-sugar.html

however they are a bit confused with this I assume they mean Diat Pils which is not the same as Pilsner

Pilsners are thought to have a relatively benign effect on blood sugar, however, just as with any drink amongst this list, it’s best if you can test to be sure what effect they’re having on your blood glucose levels.