Glucotabs

[noblehead]

To treat a hypo I always use glucotabs, usually buy them in the tube containing 10 tabs, and find them delicious to taste, reminding me of those refreshers you use to buy as a child! Anyway, I hadn't bought any for a while and was down to my last tube, so instead of purchasing the tube I opted to buy the 50 glucotab container, which saved me around £1.30.

This morning I tested and was 3.9, so decided to have 2 tabs to raise my bg, but couldn't believe the difference in taste between these and the tube version, these tasted horrible and left a sickly taste in the mouth. I suppose its a good thing and don't think I'll be eating them like sweets when I next hypo, but has anyone else noticed the difference in taste between the 10 and 50 packs?

Nigel

 

[ebony321]

I usually buy the lucozade ones from boots which cost me a fortune, where do you buy the bulk ones from?

I only stash them at work and a few in my bag as i get 200ml orange juices at home which do the trick perfectly for me

 

[noblehead]

I usually buy the lucozade ones from boots which cost me a fortune, where do you buy the bulk ones from?

I buy my glucotabs from Asda, I find they are cheaper than most high street chemists.

Nigel

 

[iHs]

Have to say that I never bother with lucozade tabs or glucotabs. They cost too much money and taste awful.

If I find myself a bit on the low side first thing in the morning, I just use 1tsp of sugar in a cuppa to get up from a level of 3 to 7 within 20mins. If I was very low then it would be 2tsp but usually 1 is adequate. At other times of the day, about 6 swigs of lucozade usually does the trick without taking me up too much.

When out I always carry some R*****trees fruit pastels and just use them (1 pastel is about 3gms of carb). They are very easy to eat (coated in sugar) and always stay solid even in baking hot weather. I know lots of people also use jelly beans which are also good but not sure how solid they remain in the heat.

 

[kewgirl]

Hi Nigel

I’m still using the old version and haven’t noticed any difference taste wise between the 10 & 50 GlucoTab pots – but then maybe my taste buds are not that observant :lol: :lol: – usually opt for the raspberry flavour – therefore cannot comment at all on the orange flavour.

However this is from Medicalshop website:

"Please be aware that the new-style GlucoTabs packaging tablets do not fit the old-style GlucoTabs tubes. You may also notice that these new-style tablets taste and look different due to a change in the recipe." Oh bother :cry: :cry: :cry:

Hi Ebony – I used :!: :!: to purchase the 50 GlucoTab from online –
http://www.medicalshop.co.uk
You can fill out a VAT exemption on line thereby getting VAT off.
Its P&P free over orders of £15.00.
Usually get sent email vouchers for anything between 10 & 20% off the products
I find/found the empty 50 GlucoTab pots excellent for storing used blood testing strips and lancets.

Golly that sounds as if I am promoting the product :lol: :lol:

However just reading the above from the website and feedback from Noblehead me thinks that once my stocks are finished I will be searching for a new variety of glucose tablets. :roll: :roll:

Hope the above has been useful.

Best wishes

Txx

 

[ebony321]

Thanks! been spending a fortune!!

i don't drink hot drinks so thats a no go for me, i've had to resort to sugar and water once and that was SO SO SO awful i'd only ever use it if i had to!

i find bottles of lucozade helpful but dont require the whole bottle to treat a hypo so the ret is usally wasted so i find that more expensive but again in an emergency anything will do! :lol:

i've never tried fruit pastilles or jelly beans or jelly babies! at 3g a sweet though for 20g's you'd need at least seven and i think i wouldnt be able to chew them properly so i definately will stick with glucotabs on the run and at work (easily stashed in the first aid box too so if i cant walk to get them someone always knows here they are)

I never knew asda had glucotabs though! i've had a hypo in there before when first diagnosed and i believe it was only my second one too and i had my mum ad little sister running off to find some sort of sugary substance but my mum asked a lady who worked there and she said they didnt sell glucotabs but luckily my little sister found a bottle of lucozade and whizzed it back pronto!!!

my mum shops online so i'll get her to shove a few in her basket!! :lol:

 

[iHs]

Ebony how high do you go after 20g worth of sugar type stuff? I would be up on a level of 12 using that amount. Usually 4 pastels does the trick so dont need to eat 7.

When you start pumping you won't need to treat any hypos with so much glucose. You can even suspend insulin being delivered for 20mins to get yourself ok again. Amazing stuff 8)

 

[noblehead]

"Please be aware that the new-style GlucoTabs packaging tablets do not fit the old-style GlucoTabs tubes. You may also notice that these new-style tablets taste and look different due to a change in the recipe." Oh bother :cry: :cry: :cry:

Thanks Kewgirl, that explains the taste difference then! I'll have to put pen to paper and tell them to go back to the original recipe............... :evil:

Ebony,

You'll only be able to get the glucotabs in Asda if they have a in-store pharmacy.

Nigel

 

[ebony321]

Ebony how high do you go after 20g worth of sugar type stuff? I would be up on a level of 12 using that amount. Usually 4 pastels does the trick so dont need to eat 7.

When you start pumping you won't need to treat any hypos with so much glucose. You can even suspend insulin being delivered for 20mins to get yourself ok again. Amazing stuff 8)

i work on the basis that 10g of carbs raises my BG's by about 2-3 as the DAFNe course teaches, i know this won't be the case for everyone but it is pretty accurate for me

It usually gets me back up to anywhere from 5.5-8 depending on how low i was to begin with, i also have about 10-20g of slow acting carbs if i'm far away from a meal or at work.

I really can't wait to get a pump, for that reason aswell as many more!

.. i don't think the asda near me has a pharmacy ... i know tesco's do though do you know if they have them stocked?

thanks!

 

[johnny37]

Why are you all buying your tabs? Glucotabs are available on prescription. I must have spent hundreds of pounds on Dextro tabs over the years, using at least one or two packets a week and hypo at least one per day. I used so many I used to buy them in bulk when Superdruge had their three for two offers. Dont seem to have so many now I'm pumping but get my glucotabs on repeat prescription.

 

[noblehead]

Why are you all buying your tabs? Glucotabs are available on prescription. I must have spent hundreds of pounds on Dextro tabs over the years, using at least one or two packets a week and hypo at least one per day. I used so many I used to buy them in bulk when Superdruge had their three for two offers. Dont seem to have so many now I'm pumping but get my glucotabs on repeat prescription.

Interesting Johnny, I was told that they weren't available on prescription and seen other members mention this too, I shall ask my gp next time I see him!

Nigel

 

[janabelle]

Didn't know that either Johnny, often thought I should get lucozade on prescription, the amount I go through, especially since taking up jogging recently. I don't think many people would be aware of glucotabs being available on prescription.
kewgirl, have you tried Dextro Energy tablets? The tropical flavour's tasty, but the lemon flavour is to die for :lol: Honestly, they are yummy.
Jus x

 

[sunflower333]

never heard of these, do you put the tabs in water, don't think they have them here, but to be far, i've never looked

 

[phoenix]

Hi Sunflower,
you just pop them in your mouth.
Really useful, but they haven't crossed the Channel. The pharmacies have never heard of them and my doc and nurse at the hospital were quite surprised when I had a hypo and showed them how quickly they work. (and how convenient they are)
I stock up in the UK but if I'm running out I've found them in Decathlon. They sell tubes of orange flavoured dextrose in the section with all the sports energy drinks and supplements.
Have you come across 'glucopulse'? I got a small stock distributed as free samples at the hospital. (sponsored but not made by Accu chek) It's a 10g carb gel , not too sticky like the sports ones and works well. None of the local pharmacies stock it but you can get it from online ones. It works out at about 1E a gel.

 

[sunflower333]

thank you phoenix, i'll have a look in decathlon,

The only thing i found was "energy booster" by isostar, in the supermarket about 20g in each tube.

 

[jimmyr]

I know this is VVVVeeeeeeeyyyyyy old but would like to ask, how are you all getting on with your glucotabs, has there been any advancments in tastes and what one do you find to work fastest or are they all the same.

 

[noblehead]

@jimmyr, my preference now is Jelly Babies but still keep some Glucotabs in my coat pocket and in my glove compartment of my car.