Experiences With Hypos, Alcohol, Other Medication And Health Conditions

[lovinglife]

Hi guys I know this sounds like a stupid question but if there’s alcohol in sauce can it affect BGs one time my family and I were out for dinner I got fried chicken mashed potatoes and brandy sauce that night I woke up feeling hypo (I posted this in the thread Hypo? Everyone said I had probably had a hypo while sleeping) could this have been to do with the brandy sauce?

I doubt very much it was the alcohol- most of the alcohol in cooking is evaporated leaving only the flavour - you can tell when you eat a sauce etc that hasn't had the alcohol cooked off properly as it will be sharp and not taste of much other than "fumes" - a good chef will always cook out their alcohol first - this gives the rounded and unctuous taste allowing you to taste everything else in the dish not just the alcohol

 

[JohnEGreen]

prednisolone also affected your liver in some way to stop or slow liver sugar release

Prednisolone I have read actually desensitises the livers reaction to insulin produced by the pancreas which would normally control the amount of glucose released by the liver so the liver will be giving out too much glucose, thus also helping to drive up IR.

One problem or so I have also read that this process is unstable and can randomly cease or fluctuate for short periods and that can cause the glucose being released from the liver to suddenly drop and can go low enough to give odd hypos.

BTW the desensitization also affects injected insulin as well preds will interfere in the same way with T1's and T2's injected insulin.

Any way thats what I am given to understand and see no particular reason to doubt it.

 

[Ziggy2017]

I doubt very much it was the alcohol- most of the alcohol in cooking is evaporated leaving only the flavour - you can tell when you eat a sauce etc that hasn't had the alcohol cooked off properly as it will be sharp and not taste of much other than "fumes" - a good chef will always cook out their alcohol first - this gives the rounded and unctuous taste allowing you to taste everything else in the dish not just the alcohol

Yeah I don’t know a lot about cooking or alcohol lol

 

[jlarsson]

Hi @jlarson,
Yes, you have a better idea but you are aware that alcohol is said to stop the liver's ability to release stored sugar during a hypo? So glycogen is unlikely to work as an emergency treatment.
So from my diabetes education, taking in glucose by mouth or injected iv are the ways to deal with a hypo in these conditions.
I guess the general advice to eat when drinking alcohol sounds wise

You're incorrectly assuming that I get a hypo after drinking, which was a problem I used to have due to bad basal regime but have since sorted out. Again, now since getting a Libre, I do not get hyper while drinking, or more accurately I can treat it with ease if I do become hyper, while not getting a hypo afterwards while in bed(or wherever I end up sleeping) like I used to before sorting myself out.

 

[alf_Josiah]

Prednisolone
I to am on prednisolone for life and during a clinic with the diabetic consultant he told me that it reaches its peak effect approximately 4 hours after taking.
I take my dose in the morning and always after breakfast, never never on an empty stomach.
Blood sugars
If my blood sugars are low 5's I know I am in for a rough day.
My medication, insulin and a raft of anti rejection drugs. Yes blood sugars are difficult to manage.
Good luck to fellow prednisolone swallowers.