Type1. Alcohol and random highs

[stevehayter]

Hi everyone - this is my first post on the forum (though I've been reading them for a few weeks).

I've been type 1 diabetic for over 15 years. and have recently noticed an odd symptom with alcohol over the past couple of years. I know the expected behaviour of alcohol is to decrease blood sugar levels, and this is what used to happen to me. But in recent years, I've found that consuming alcohol - even very small amounts - causes my sugars to rise in the middle of the night. I'm talking 12 mmol/l+.

Should point out that I've been carbing the drinks I've been having (eg: beer), or they are carb free (eg: vodka and diet coke). So it's not the drinks themselves. And this can happen even just with one.

Have been researching online and there are some examples of the liver pumping out adrenaline as it processes alcohol, so it could be this - but I'm curious if anyone else has this problem?

I'd previously always be wary of my sugars after drinking in case they dropped, etc - but I now I never need to, and it's making me want to stop drinking entirely .

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @stevehayter - Welcome to the forum

Personally I have found that we all react differently to alcohol, I find 2 glasses of red don't affect me, anymore than that then I also run high during the night and then I also run the risk of a hypo mid morning, so have to watch my BG carefully. However add onto that some dancing and I need carbs then as I run low.

To some degree I think you are right, is it worth it ?

 

[Type1Bri]

I think it gets us all in different ways to be fair. Check how I deal with it on my blog https://type1bri.com/alcohol-and-t1d

 

[azure]

Could you be going low and not be waking, and then be going high later in response to the low?

It does sound strange that that should suddenly happen.

Welcome to the forum by the way

 

[stevehayter]

That was a theory I had, but I recently got a Freestyle Libre, and have been monitoring it a bit more over the past few weeks. On Friday night I had a a few beers - was 6.5 when I went to bed (at midnight). Normally I would set a TBR on my pump to compensate for a potential raise, but thought i'd leave it - when I checked in the morning, my sugar never dropped. It raised to 8 at around 2am, and then shot up at 15 at 4am, and remained there until I woke at 9. Normally my TBR compensates for this, and i wake up about 6/7.

It's weird - as @Type1Bri says, it affects everyone in different ways .

 

[Blackmore]

Hi Steve. I'm new to this but wanted to share my experiences.

I've been Type 1 for 27 years and I too used to enjoy a drink (for far too many years). I was under the impression that Vodka and Diet Coke used to be ok, graduating from beers over the years. I literally have drank for most of my life (since 14), not massively, but sociably. Over time I have upped and upped my consumption until it got out of hand.

I've been in hospital with DKA three times in the last year and this is without a doubt due to alcohol and inability to act rationally when drunk and not checking my blood, lately passing out and then waking up with horrific bloods. Sometimes however I go into a hypo unexpectedly. It's really hard to judge if you're not clear headed.

Anyway, 3 months ago I took a step and stopped altogether and things feel much better. I still get highs but am testing forever. I feared the loss of booze but decided I had to.

However now drinking softs is hard as you never know what sugar is in 'no added sugar' drinks. Fruit drinks are hard to judge.

I'll stop there but I totally get what you're saying and find these forums so helpful.

Cheers

Chris (Blackmore)