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Fastest Things To Counter A Hypo

everway9

Well-Known Member
Messages
229
Location
Carlisle, Cumbria, UK
Type of diabetes
Type 3c
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Nothing springs to mind :)
Hey everyone. I hope y'all doing good today.

I'm interested to know what are the best and quickest things to treat a hypo are, and what are your favorites?

I'd be grateful for your input.

Thanks in advance.
 
A full sugar fizzy drink
Jelly babies
Gluco gel or tabs
Slice of bread with peanut butter and an apple my fav
 
I've not had a hypo yet. I was only diagnosed 3c a week ago. I'm thinking that I would like a mug of coffee with 3 sugars.
 
I'm Type 1, but I love Cake and Snack Bars but when my sugar is reeeeeeally low I have to drink juice
 
Lucozade , followed by coke .
 
everway9 said:
I've not had a hypo yet. I was only diagnosed 3c a week ago. I'm thinking that I would like a mug of coffee with 3 sugars.
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Sugary coffee is fine, but if it's a fierce hypo, you need something concentrated and quick.

For normal lows, cake can be ok
 
I find Glucojuice is very fast to bring you back from hypoland. Boots sell it about £1.55 per bottle, a bit pricey but it works really fast. Glucotabs are also quick and cheaper from Amazon.
 
Glucojuice. Dextrose tablets. Lucozade. Jelly babies. Orange juice.

I was told sugar that you would put in coffee wouldn't work as fast as dextrose tablets - apparently sugar isn't as high GI as dextrose. Anything that's adding fat in to the glucose (biscuits cake etc) ain't gonna work as fast (as you were asking about the quickest, but are fine for if you aren't too low and need something to top you up). But it is important to follow up the fast acting glucose with something more complex to make sure you don't fall again, biscuits are good for that
 
I'm less likely to over treat my hypo if I use Glucotabs because, though I know they are helping me when I'm hypo, I don't enjoy eating them (burning sweet, chalky texture) - I eat one, two or three depending on how shaky I feel, or, if I can work my meter, how low I've gone.. This works for me. In the past, my 'hypo treatment' was a panic binge, and I had to stop that.
 
Jellybeans, lemonade, whatever sweets/sugary drinks I can find. Tried glucogel once and it was disgusting.
 
My go-to for a fast rise is the orange flavour Lucozade energy (not sport) as it's packed with glucose.

Table sugar (sucrose) is a mixture of fructose and glucose so takes longer to digest than pure glucose.
 
Just glucose tablets. They dissolve in the mouth very quickly and are small and cheap. I suspect they are absorbed just as quickly as a glucose drink?
 
Daibell said:
Just glucose tablets. They dissolve in the mouth very quickly and are small and cheap. I suspect they are absorbed just as quickly as a glucose drink?
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They're fine for a 'normal' hypo, but for a fierce one a sugary drink like Lucozade is best as it works faster.

I actually tested both glucose tablets and Lucozade when I was pregnant and constantly waking with lows. The Lucozade got my blood sugar rising very quickly, the glucose tablets took a few minutes longer.
 
Daibell said:
Just glucose tablets. They dissolve in the mouth very quickly and are small and cheap. I suspect they are absorbed just as quickly as a glucose drink?
Click to expand...

Their absorption speed will depend on how thoroughly you chew them. If you reduce them to powder before swallowing they will have a big surface area and absorb quickly. If you chew quickly they will take longer to break down in your stomach so absorb slower.
 
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