Injecting and Alcohol

maybe his long acting insulin is at the wrong dosage? i found things much easier once i got that set right.

i guess he drinks beer? there are quite a few low carb beers out there. out of the commercial ones there's becks and holsten pills & i just bought a case of coors light (nice1). when i'm out drinking i tend to go for ales, because i love em and they tend to be low carb too. unless i'm above 8 i wouldn't inject when drinking, i just move on to spirits cos i know it'll drop soon. but i usually find my levels are pretty good when i do low carb beers. just be sure to check levels every few hours when running good levels whilst boozing and always before bed.

there are some proper low carb beers out there but they might make ya go a little low if you drink loads, but everyone's diff so it's all bout experimenting and testing the BG's

+ i drop my basal insulin down a few units when i've consumed bare alcohol, worth trying when he gets his dosage right.

some nights i've manage flat 5's whenever i've tested so it is possible, just gotta get ya head round it

good luck,
howie

ellenvdk said:

My husband is going out tonight and as he always comes home with very high bg's could someone please advice us how often he should inject when drinking alcohol.
Also he tested this morning and he was 9.1. He had nothing to eat and just had four coffees with no sugar yet he was 21 when he came home. Is this normal?
Thanks

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Hi Ellen.
It isn't just the Insulin he needs to worry about. Alcohol can seriously damage your health. This is from the Retinopathy website, just one of the complications he is letting himself in for. Together with increased Blood Pressure and almost certain Cardivascular disease. He really does need to get a grip on this, one way or the other. You can only do so much and we can only advise you so much. It is his choice....sad, but true. I still think he needs specialist help, it is just putting off the inevitable.
http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/prevent ... essure.htm

An extract:
Recent research has confirmed that alcohol may put blood pressure up. The lower your blood pressure the better, but it is best below 130/80, lower still in some patients. A careful research study recommends less than 6 drinks or units a week, not really more than one a day. More than this leads to damage in the brain.

So don't start helping him by looking for excuses to let him drink more. I know this is going to be difficult but you have to get him to cut back. He is a Diabetic, and Alcohol, Insulin and Diabetes are not a good combination for anybody, especially when, as it appears here he is drinking to excess, using much more Insulin than is needed and is just stuck in the mindset that it will all go away if I ignore it. It doesn't work like that. Change has to be made, one way or the other.

Have to be really careful with alcohol and insulin, as alcohol can be likened to a catalyst for insulin, which means it's much easier to go hypo. But I guess that's not a main concern if he's returning with a reading of 21?! The important thing to do when out on the lash is to test regularly, difficult to remember when having fun, even more so if he's in denial. You can tell him what he needs to do, but he's the person who has to decide to do anything about it.

Hi Ellen
Alcohol usually lowers your blood sugar (quite dangerously at times) so lots of people adjust their insulin whilst drinking and regular monitoring is important so well done to you for getting him to take his monitor out. If he doesnt want to adjust then he needs to be prepared to eat though with levels of 21 I dont think he should worry too much re going hypo whilst drinking. Most diabetics are very attached to their meter and I personally go into blind panic mode if Ive forgotten it, or misplace it. Its not possible to be safe when drinking without it!

I am wondering why he was so high though - is it what he drinks, or is he having drunken snacks (chips n cheese, oh how I miss thee) when out. Either way, is too high at any point and the stress on your body from high bg is compounded by stress on your body with alcohol. If he is that high then normally you would have to correct it but of course when drinking caution is required. Hubby needs to find his own ratios for correcting and then get some sense of whether he can safely do this

As to coffee, there is some suggestion that caffiene raises blood sugar by stimulating your adrenal glands which produce cortisol and also other stress hormones kick in (like hypos, that jittery feeling you get from caffiene) because they stop insulin from working. I dont find too big a rise from caffiene but I might If I had 4 on an empty stomach! He must be like Roadrunner after that!

It can be normal being high in when you're drinking, more so if you are drinking beer or larger then find that you have a large decrease by morning...

This is because while the liver is breaking down the alcohol it can't process or store glucogen (glucose) while the liver is processing the Alcohol the liver isn't putting any glucose into the blood stream, your husbands background/long acting insulin deals with this, the bacground insulin that your husband has injected to deal with whats coming off the liver will combine with quick acting insulin so to speak, giving the notion that the insulin has become more potent! It takes the liver on adverage 1 hour to process 1 unit of Alcohol..

He does need to work out his best method of controlling the highs while drinking, this could be injecting for the beer he's drinking then eating a carby snack before bed-time and remembering to keep a close eye on his levels the following day until all acohol is out of his sytem

But he does need to tread with caution otherwise he could have a very dangerous hypo, with no glucogen store in the liver, he's lost his back-up system as there is nothing to dump into the blood stream in an emergency to bring the sugar levels back to normal..

almost certain Cardivascular disease?

howie said:

almost certain Cardivascular disease?

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That's right Howie, High BP which may have been caused by excess alcohol intake has it's price..........

In the long term, alcohol can contribute to a variety of problems, including damage to an unborn child, liver disease, osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), pancreatitis, stomach ulcers, infertility, heart disease, raised blood pressure, stroke, dementia and brain damage.

It can also lead to an increased risk of a variety of cancers, particularly breast cancer and cancer of the gullet. It is also frequently associated with mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.

The good news is it can often be reversed if the consumption is cut right back.

this guys BG's are not good, but there's nothing to suggest he's drinking excessively, unless i missed something??

to ellenvdk, maybe you should try taking the angle that he is not a good role model to his daughter etc. she should be able to look to him for advice, whether its about db or not.

if he get's his BG's closer to that of non-db's he may shake of the depressive thoughts. high BG's seem to effect practically everything.

howie

k, just read the next topic saying he drinks every night, not good.

if he's only had db 5 years at his age he could escape the comps if he looked after his BG's. most T1's are diagnosed aged 14 and below. he should be responsible/mature enough to deal with it if they can.

howie said:

k, just read the next topic saying he drinks every night, not good.

if he's only had db 5 years at his age he could escape the comps if he looked after his BG's. most T1's are diagnosed aged 14 and below. he should be responsible/mature enough to deal with it if they can.

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Glad to see you got the full story Howie. It is not good and we are doing our best to help Ellen sort out her husband's problems, even if he doesn't yet seem to appreciate he has one ?

Hi Ellen, lots of fab advice for you on here already I see as a fellow Type 1 and someone who likes the odd tipple (not every night though before I get sent links to all the ailments :lol: ) I would strongly recommend that your hubby doesn't try to over compensate by injecting more quick acting insulin as he will almost certainly be hypo by morning. Being hypo whilst still tipsy or with a hangover is even more dangerous than normal as he will get the warnings and probably ignore them! Best for him to eat starchy carbs while drinking, test regularly and inject accordingly. Easier said than done, I know :?

i am type 1, 29 years old and all of my mates drink lager to excess! i do not how ever, i drink vodka and diet coke which i have no problem with as long as i test regularly and eat before bed, i know 1st hand how hard it is to give up the mad lager sessions with the boys, but i have made my descision as to which is more important, i am on my 10th avastin injection for retinopathy and 13th laser sitting, it really isn't worth it, trust me!

Hi to Ella and all contributers,
The main point has now been established! Your husband and the others that make excuses and find Vodka more acceptable are in serious difficulties.
I agree with the more experienced writers who accept the simple fact that drinking alcohol is a social and pleasant function in life.
The one major problem for everyone, not segregating those of us that are diabetics, is that alcohol in any form is dangerous. In such quantitys as every night drinkers consume; it is eventually a lethal cocktail.
Without re-quoting all the well documented statistics of heart liver and sight complications, only an uneducated fool would ignore such facts on record.
Simply inform your husband and others that there hands are on the switch they used in prisons such as Pentonville in the U.S.A. a few decades ago.
We are all aware of the factorial ending in such circamstances.
Not unlike the situation of anyone drinking alcohol in quantitys, medium or to excess in any form.
I now live in France, one might say a contadiction of views perhaps?
However, unlike us 'expats', the French have been aware of the poison for long time and the healthcare system educates accordingly.
I am now approaching my 72 years, a diabetic on insulin { Novo-Rapid and Levemir }, A big thank you to the local health team for realising how dangerously ill I was on my arrival en France. Having spent to many years on Metformin and other + other preparations due to the system in the UK .
So to your husband, my only suggestion, as you have found 'Ella', that no one can advise such people who wish to bury there heads in the sand..Is Is TAKE HEED IF YOU WISH TO LIVE !!!1
Harsh words maybe; but, unfortunately neccessary in these cases
Kindest Regard's
stingray

i find that if i go out for a few drinks and drink beer followed by spirits all night i end up with normal sugar levels the morning after. the beer makes my levels go high but the spirits bring them down. its all just a matter of keeping the balance right. i suppose were all affected differently and being a bigger body frame also helps too.

bethlain said:

i find that if i go out for a few drinks and drink beer followed by spirits all night i end up with normal sugar levels the morning after. the beer makes my levels go high but the spirits bring them down. its all just a matter of keeping the balance right. i suppose were all affected differently and being a bigger body frame also helps too.

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Bethlain,

It's not quite as simple as that. Alcohol has the effect of lowering your blood sugar in the hours after consumption. It is not a case of beer making it go up and spirits bringing it down. If you drink beer all night and do not make any adjustment for that fact in your carbohydrate intake and insulin doses, and you will still see a drop in blood sugar levels.