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Weed and diabetes

Rickmac1988

Active Member
Messages
43
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Evening all!

Recently I've been evaluating my Type 1 diabetes life. I've had it for over 15 years now and still struggle to really get good control. Further to that, I enjoy a drink and have a sweet tooth. I do test my blood as often as I can and bolus for meals so I'm not terrible, it's just things could be better. This week I went to the eye hospital and found out that I have background retinothopy and that if I don't get things under control my eyes are going to get severely worse. It was a real reality check.

With that, I think it's time to stop drinking beer while I get things under control (I work in Media too so as you can imagine there's nights at the pub almost every week). Boozing is the one thing that probably makes things worse; drinking several pints results in eating a dirty McDonald's at the end of the night = high blood sugar.

So not drinking beer is probably going to be good in the long run, that said, I don't know if I could live being T Total!

I received an email only this week from diabetes.co.uk with some interesting arguments about how weed can be beneficial for diabetes (obviously I know smoking in general is not good, that's why I quite weed and cigarettes five years ago), but it got me thinking.

Obviously we all need to enjoy life and if it's something that can help then why not? I'm not saying I'm going to turn to smoking weed etc. just for the sake of it but wondered if it's better than drinking?

Does anyone have any opinions/ advice on this? Does weed help control your diabetes? Is it better than drinking beer? I know the obvious answer is don't smoke or drink but it would be good to hear what you think!

Thanks for reading my essay and enjoy your weekend!

Rick
 
Couldn't possibly comment on the weed question as I've never taken any recreational drugs, however you don't need to go teetotal if you believe this is going to be a struggle, its all about keeping things in moderation and choosing a drink that doesn't impact too hard on bg levels.

Much like yourself I was a beer drinker in my youth but mainly stick to drinking red wine now, it has little effect on my bg levels and I just stick to having a few glasses on a weekend rather than drinking every night.

With regards to your background retinopathy, do try and get your diabetes under control and keep an eye on your bp and cholesterol levels too, also try and eat plenty fruit and veg as this is beneficial to eye health (my own Ophthalmologist says the darker the fruit/veg the better). If you have a look at the following it has some excellent information and advice on diabetic retinopathy:

http://www.diabeticretinopathy.org.uk/Information_for_patients.html
 

Thanks for the reply @noblehead!

Appreciate your comments. I think with the beer; one leads to another, and when you're out with work/ friends you end up drinking too much and it becomes a viscous cycle. I'm planning on not drinking for a while to get things controlled – especially as the retinopathy is concerning. I hear red wine is meant to be quite good for you too - shame I don't like it!
 
I haven't read any of the articles on weed and diabetes but I will say this, in my experience smoking weed enabled my overeating which got me to where I am today. I think if I were to have a joint now, I wouldn't be able to resist all the 'bad' stuff I am missing. For me it would be disastrous.
 
@Rickmac1988 I would 100% stick to drinking rqther than smoking weed.

Smoking weed raises my brother's blood sugars hugely, then the nunchies starts which in itself makes control even worse and sugars even higher.
 
Get the alcohol, glucose and maccies intake sorted, and you won't need weed.

on the other hand, add weed into your existing cocktail of booze, takeaways and sweets and I think your control will get much worse.
 
Recreational us of cannabis is more dangerous than people think. Depression and psychosis are risks. Carcinogens and mercury have been found in it. I don't think it enables you to do anything except chill, become physically and mentally lazy too. Alcohol in moderation is not as bad but in excess is just toxic too.
 
In summary; weed=munchies. So don't go there!

IMHO diabetes is hard for people with addictive personalities because carbohydrates are addictive. So self control is the way to go. Anything that reduces your inhibitions is likely to cause you major problems. Tough call, but if your job means that you have to take alcohol or other substances just to cope, then you may have to chose between your job and your eyesight. If it is just a peer pressure social thing then grit your teeth and let them party on without you.

Easy for me to say, of course........
 

Thanks for the reply @LittleGreyCat!

I guess there's a lot of arguments for/ against for alcohol/ recreational drugs wherever you look! Good to hear what people think to be honest. I wouldn't say I've got an addictive personality, or that I have to take alcohol to cope in my job (I actually enjoy my job!) - it's just really social and as someone that enjoys a drink I often find I forget about having diabetes altogether. Now I'm at the stage where I think I should stop drinking because for me, this is something that is ruining my control and it results in a lot of high blood sugars. Just been trying to research cannabis as there's some strong articles it and diabetes. Again, I know the obvious answer is reducing inhibitions and self control.

Thanks!
 
Hmm. No scientific proof but I'm guessing that beer is the worse of the two. I am very, very closely acquainted with somebody who uses weedangelic, not in large amounts, but primarily because it helps relax muscle tension. The obvious drawback that the person who shall remain nameless has, is increased appetite. I should go with the obvious, and say don't do it, but it doesn't work like that. All I know is that it doesn't seem to increase bg levels at all. Or so I've been told.

PS. I have no idea why I have two happy emots with the word angelic in the middle.
 

Hey Rick,

I'm probably going to get shot/lynched for saying this...

But I too enjoy a night out, and like to get drunk. Very drunk! So I try & stick to the lowest sugar/carb drinks, like vodka & diet coke/rum & diet coke. And if I do have anything with sugar in it (I am partial to malibu or taboo!), I just look it up on my Carbs & Cals app, and put it in my pump. But generally I just try & stick to the carb free option!

That said, I'm aware of the impact alcohol can have on blood sugars, and causing them to drop, so I always make sure I have something to eat when I get home before I go to bed. I've learnt the hard way with that one!
I also tend to test my sugars a lot when I'm out (albeit clumsily!)
 
Very interesting subject, there are other posts on here which people swear weed does nothing wrong for them atall, i say if thats the case go for it, peronally i like a drink too, i do over do it sometimes but im used to knowing what my body can take for the most part, and luckily i love red wine so i could have a good night with that really.
 

Yeh it's a tricky subject really! I think the same can be said in terms of drinking alcohol too - if I'm drunk I'll eat and eat, and it's probably worse because in that tipsy state you tend to forget important things like testing your blood!

Thanks for the response though - my aim is not to drink for a while, and after some research we'll see what happens in the meantime!
 

Hey @zoze_j !

Haha course you won't get shot or lynched - you should be praised for speaking openly about it! I think people with diabetes should be encouraged to talk about these kind of things. I'm probably not a very good advocate for the condition but I'm planning on making changes!

Spirits and a diet drink is a good alternative - good shout! I usually just get on the beer and whatever shots are going!

I too have learnt how much of an impact it can have - I don't usually test when I'm out as I tend to forget I even have diabetes.

Going to cut out the drink I think until I get my sugars in order, I think alcohol is definitely not the best medicine!
 

Thanks for the response @EdMac – sums it up perfectly really. That's been pretty much the story of my life so far, and because the people you hang about with can do it you think 'well so can I'. But then I guess reality kicks in and we learn that as much as we like to think we are invincible, we're not.

I'm hoping I can follow your foot steps and cut down on drinking as it's the catalyst for all sorts of complications. And I agree, those friends who truly understand will be your mates for life, those that don't come and go.

I think I'm pretty good at socialising sober, it'll be interesting to say the least.

Cheers!
 

It's really interesting and there's a lot of research that's been conducted - so it seems. I think if I'm going to give up the drink for a while then it won't harm trying something else, especially that has the potential to have positive side effects. We'll see. I may also realise I don't enjoy smoking anymore and turn to the red wine!
 
Hi I am new on here, not got a clue what I am doing lol, I cannot drink at all, I get DKA every time now, I smoke weed in moderation and as a way to wind down,I have to do something, had a lot of bad things happen on alcohol but never on weed x
 
THC and alcohol can be perfectly harmless or they can ruin lives depending on how they're used. Sounds like you should put both on hold for a bit until you get your self-control issues figured out.

Btw, lol at some of the posts in this thread and the "risks." I heard little Jimmy had too many marijuanas and now he has type 5 diabetes.
 
Assuming you are taking the weed in a water pipe and so not smoking, am pretty sure that weed is sugar and carb free, several pints of beer will help you put on weight

then there is the munchies....anyone who has taken weed in any form will know that it will turn an anorexic into someone who wants to eat lots, so you need to have a munchy free house or you will get stoned and then get peckish and more so

being sober in london is not too bad and recently tried out some low and no alcohol beers and ciders, some were excellent and others not worth buying again, so it is possible to go out with friends and drink low / no alcohol drinks and there is always lime and soda
 

That's right yeh, moved down to London from Leeds 2 years ago! Definitely lots of things to keep me busy without the need for boozing etc :-D
 
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