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Unexplained highs and lows after drinking

Amy8668

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Insulin
Does anybody else have erratic highs and lows after drinking?

Started off this morning at 11.2
Had breakfast (10 novo, would normally cover it)
later reading of 17.2 (did 3 novo)
2 hours later tested at 2.3
Had some nachos (about 50g of carbs) expected a result of 9ish and just tested at 22.8!!!

Is this due to alcohol?


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Yup! When I drink alcohol my levels raise first then I usually always hypo during the night! It's just how alcohol reacts with diabetes!


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Generally the pattern is lows while drinking, turning into highs later. So lows the next day would not be so much expected, except if due to over correction of highs.

But in general alcohol plus diabetes and insulin is a roller coaster.
 
I tend to find highs whilst drinking and before bed. However I then get lows all of the next day.


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The next day is really unpredictable for me - exactly like what happened to you @Amy8668

I become really sensitive to insulin sometimes and other times find myself with numbers like yours in the high teens or twenties. Just have to be vigilant and not binge too much on the carbs the next day.
 
For me it depends on how MUCH i drink, a pint of cider (strongbow / koppaberg ) will rise my bs very fast but can lower in the night when drinking at 8pm ish. So becareful how much fast acting you inject and slow previously on while drinking.
 
Alcohol can effect bg for up to 24 hours after drinking so you do need to keep this in mind, there's some guidance notes in the following:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Managing-your-diabetes/Alcohol/

I now only drink red wine and find this has little effect on my bg, however when I was a beer drinker I'd regularly have a hypo the following morning, if alcohol effects your diabetes control then it's best left alone IMHO.
 
To be honest though that isnt enough information.

What is your carb ratio?
What did you eat for breakfast?
How long after did you do your BG when you corrected?
Did you take any insulin with those nachos?

I would suggest not correcting at 2 hours check again at 4 and then correct.
 
bonus said:
For me it depends on how MUCH i drink, a pint of cider (strongbow / koppaberg ) will rise my bs very fast but can lower in the night when drinking at 8pm ish. So becareful how much fast acting you inject and slow previously on while drinking.
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Beer and particularly cider has loads of carbs but no labelling and who remembers to take insulin when they are drinking? This tends to be the reason for blood sugar going up at first - the carbs in beer, cider and non-diet mixers, alcopops, etc. Otherwise the alcohol itself would initially be keeping blood sugar low.

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You'd like to think everyone remembers to take insulin at all times. If not then don't drink!
 
Yeah but you shouldnt actually take insulin for alcohol because of the possible lows in the hours after.

A pint of normal cider has 24g of carbs in it and a pint of normal beer has 8g. So 5 pints of cider for me for example should really be 5 units of insulin but I have always been told not to take insulin for it and although I get an initial high my sugars settle back down within 3-4 hours.
 
It's a fair point but it is basically a lottery whether someone's sugars will go down or not. Depends on their basal rate, carbs drunk, alcohol drunk, how quickly, etc. I agree you need to be careful with injecting while drinking because of the risk of going low. But for example I always drink carb free now when I drink alcohol, because it's one less swing in what is otherwise a roller coaster, and I don't go low while drinking. But I tend to eat a little and be cautious on the insulin I take for it.


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Scardoc said:
You'd like to think everyone remembers to take insulin at all times. If not then don't drink!
Click to expand...
I agree. Sorry that was not meant to be advice, just observation, that most diabetics don't inject for beer and cider as far as I'm aware. I tried injecting a cautious dose for each beer but it's easier just to not drink beer.

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Oh yeah definitely, it is pot luck from person to person how they react to alcohol.

I find JD or Vodka and diet coke causes no rise or lows in my sugar levels now so thats pretty much all I drink.

The best thing though is to avoid alcohol all together but obviously for some that isnt going to happen, I just try keeping it to a minimum.
 
Hiya, agree with points re: booze! Also thought I'd say that I can't tolerate processed corn at all -
nachos, tortillas, wotsits are all a nightmare for me!

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Just stop drinking man/woman/...

Isn't having diabetes enough for you

If you keep knocking on the door someone eventually will answer or...

 
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