DVLA what is considered hypo?

Lemonie said:

I recently lost a lot of weight and have put a little back on which I want to get off again. I am diet controlled and tend to run at round 4 - 5 as normal. I am now trying to retrain myself to stop overeating and am using an app and not eating until I am hungry and my food intake has reduced drastically. I am feeling no different than I normally do but when I tested the other day I was 3.1. I am now going between 3 - 4. Somebody told me that under 3.9 was considered hypo and I couldn't drive at that so have been eating to bring my figures up before I drive which is sort of going against the not eating unless I am hungry theory.

Is there a set hypo range in the UK and what is it?

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4mmol is the bottom limit. Below this level and you must not drive. The guidance is to be above 5mmol at the start of your journey and test every 2 hours.

But if you're not taking medication that can give hypo's ( insulin or sulfonylureas like gliclazide) then you are not bound by the same rules.

For an unmedicated Type 2 on diet only so far as I am aware there is no need to test at all when driving. How do you feel when you get into the threes? I have only been there a few times when on an extended fast the first time felt odd the others I felt fine and if I hadn't been testing would never had known I was at that level (probably like the rest of the driving population) .

urbanracer said:

4mmol is the bottom limit. Below this level and you must not drive. The guidance is to be above 5mmol at the start of your journey.

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You might want to reconsider that statement..? Normoglycemics should not be driving unless they test?

bulkbiker said:

You might want to reconsider that statement..? Normoglycemics should not be driving unless they test?

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I was typing whilst you were !

urbanracer said:

I was typing whilst you were !

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No worries..x

@Lemonie

Check this link out.
https://www.gov.uk/driving-medical-conditions
And
https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving
There are many different medical conditions which prohibit or place conditions on driving (I have 2. The DVLA know about them and have not imposed any conditions on me when driving)

Non medicated type 2 diabetics are not required to inform the DVLA, and do not have required blood glucose levels in order to drive.

If medicated for T2D, then requirements for driving depend on the type of medication.

People who experience hypos, whether diabetic or not, should always inform the DVLA. This is the tricky one. Most people only discover they have hypos when they get nasty enough symptoms to go to the doc and be diagnosed with reactive hypoglycaemia, or insulinoma, or whatever. So if someone doesn’t realise that their symptoms are hypos, then they could be making unsound decisions when driving without having a clue about what is happening.

Meanwhile (as said above) many non diabetics experience time below 4mmol/l with no hypo symptoms and no loss of decision making capacity.

Hope that clarifies.

Any insulin diabetic who applied or renewed their licence, usually is asked a) if they ever have hypos, b) if they have symptom awareness, c) what are those symptoms & d) have you ever needed help from another person when you were having a hypo.
Other questions are asked but the above, I believe, are the pertinent ones.

You DO have to present 3 months worth of bm readings and your bm machine.

Anyone who says they never have hypos is either amazingly well-controlled or lying.

I am a blue light C1 licence holder and my licence needs renewing annually. I believe for just a category B car licence, the verbal renewal period is 3 years.

The renewal process is very convoluted and at times has taken over 4 months in my experience. I have had to get my MP involved over the delay - in the past. DVLA has their internal "ministerial complaints" team which I believe speaks volumes about the speed of service you can sometimes expect.

Andy

Have a read of
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ed-by-non-insulin-medication-diet-or-both.pdf

This is the phrase you need to look at

Severe hypoglycaemia means the assistance of another person is required.

Lemonie said:

I feel absolutely normal but will try to up my carbs at meals to try and raise them a little.

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@Lemonie There is no need to eat extra carbs. Unless you have a medical condition or are taking drugs which prevent it, your very clever body will release sugars as needed to stop you going dangerously low. If you feel fine, you are fine.
Sally

english said:

You DO have to present 3 months worth of bm readings and your bm machine.

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Is this not for what used to be termed Vocational Drivers? Or other professional drivers? As an ordinary insulin controlled type 2 car driver, I've never been asked to present 3 months of readings or my glucometer.