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Hypo treatment

steveo4

Well-Known Member
Messages
242
What do people use as hypo treatment? Looking for something that's really fast acting. Currently using dextrose sweets but they don't seem to be working fast enough even though I take 5 at a time. I have used cans of coke and that always works well but getting bit fed up with it now. Have used haribos but need to take about 10 at a time for it to work well.
 

Hi,

When you say "working well," how soon are you testing your BG after detecting a hypo. Are you using a Libre sensor.?
Libre's can "drag on" saying I'm still low, sometimes for as long as 40 minutes.? (Whilst I've already recovered.)
 
I use the mini cans of cola exactly 15g , and jelly babies.to be honest I don’t consider how it makes me feel as long as it cures the hypo , I now try not to have them or have as few as I can then I don’t get fed up , I’m not a sweetie type person normally but hypos make me think I could eat the bum off a rhino so basically look out anything sweet. Very sugary drinks are deffo the quickest I have found, but normally I follow them with something long term carbohydrate like a banana
 
I use GlucoTabs.
I understand drinks can work faster but I steer away from liquid as it is not as easy to carry around (I like to travel light and, normally, fly a lot) and not as easy to calculate “dose”.

When at home, I sometimes use dried fruit. Lidl sell some lovely figs, dates and apricots which I find pretty fast acting.
 

For gigs, liquid form is ideal. Lol, (practicality alert.) I can't stop & chew? But a drink of a measured amount... "Take two bottles onto the shower?"
I just about manage to glug & go..!
 

I'm another glucotab fan. They have the advantage that the tubes are resealable and refillable and seem waterproof, so I don't end up with single glucotabs rolling around at the bottom of a handbag or pocket and they don't turn rock hard through exposure to moisture. I also buy the tubs of 50 to refill my tubes. And finally, as an extra bonus, the empty containers for my caresens testing strips are just the right size to act as a half tube size holder for glucotabs, so I have an endless supply of new mini containers.

They act pretty fast for me, maybe 5 or 10 minutes?

And another massive advantage: they don't taste that great so I'm not tempted to overtreat.
 
I know I shouldn’t say this but I will as I like to be a bit adventurous and live on the edge , oh listen to Indiana Jones here lol
I sometimes don’t mind a hypo as I can binge a bit and not feel too guilty who am I kidding if I want it I eat it and just sort it out with insulin , is that bad , btw Hb1ac is 48 last time it was checked .
 
jelly babies all the way for me... easy to obtain, easy to carry, generally on offer at the supermarket and 7g of fast acting carbs per jelly baby.... added bonus that my grand daughter is always pleased to see me...
 
Another fan of glucotabs -pragmatically the taste deters me from overindulging due to hypo hunger, plus I try to avoid unnecessary fructose that can be in more conventionally flavoured sweets. I have a couple glucojuice bottles (15 g per 60ml bottle), but so far just using tabs.
 
A little box of orange juice, Sainsbury's super speedy
 
My preference is Fever-Tree Tonic Water. I keep a small, 150ml, can next to bed. I swirl the drink around my gums before swallowing and that works fast for me. Additional plus is that it has quinine to combat night-time cramps, but has no artificial colours of flavours.
 

Hi Steve, do you get a lot of hypos? x
 
I've just started a new job and it's quite energetic and finding it hard at the moment to get the balance right.
 
steveo4 said:
I've just started a new job and it's quite energetic and finding it hard at the moment to get the balance right.
Click to expand...
Hi,

Are you going low with insulin onboard after a meal? Or just the basal?

I know with some of the work I do, I need to tweak my basal. Or I'm just chasing it up treating it..

Have you spoken with your consultant?
Am I correct in remembering you recently got a pump?
 
I've had a pump for a long time now but have never had consistently good control. I seem to get good control for a few days but then it gets bad. I feel like I'm taking too many correction doses while some of the bolus has yet to finish because my blood sugar is high. I need to adjust my hourly rate and get the balance right.
 
[QUOTE="steveo4, post: 2397841, member: 79732"}. I feel like I'm taking too many correction doses while some of the bolus has yet to finish.[/QUOTE]
I never take extra fast-acting insulin during the 5 hour window of its fixed curve and I rarely hypo. Injected insulin follows a fixed curve over five hours and dose not match the food you eat. If you eat normally you will spike your blood sugars. DAFNE says to ignore the spike (it's not for long). If your blood sugars return to their pre-meal levels then you have dosed correctly. If not and they are higher, add a correction to your next meal. This information was ground breaking for me. Initially, I was eating packets of fast-acting jelly beans. Now I don't stack insulin I may need a dexter table every couple of months.
 
Call me old fashioned but at home I drink the devils brew (Lucozade) when I hypo I do tend to panic

I have Lucozade at home and in the car boot

If I’m away from home/ car I carry Lucozade tablets with me

After all these years I still get the panicky feeling when I hypo
 
Thanks for the advice. I think it’s easy to go in to panic mode when you see it rising above what it should be but like you said , wait long enough and it will return back to normal. It’s much harder to bring down to normal levels though if you mis calculate it & it’s at high levels.
 
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