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What to eat when having hypo

O

Oscardog

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I'm new. I have T2 and recently ended up in hospital with ketoacidosis. Recovered now and been put on insulin, I'm also on metformin and gliclacide. I've had a couple of hypos and I'd like to know what people recommend to eat to counteract the symptoms
Many thanks
 
Any quick acting sugar will do so jelly babies, dextrose tabs or glucotabs. Ideally something without fat. Table sugar, honey, jam all work.
 
Oscardog said:
Hi I'm new. I have T2 and recently ended up in hospital with ketoacidosis. Recovered now and been put on insulin, I'm also on metformin and gliclacide. I've had a couple of hypos and I'd like to know what people recommend to eat to counteract the symptoms
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Hi
This was my immediate response to reading your post. Though type 2s can get ketoacidosis it is quite rare. Have you been tested for type 1 diabetes?

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Some people drink something sweet like orange juice, Lucozade or cola.
Personally, I stick with GlucoTabs. They are easy to measure, easy to carry and don't taste as nice as jelly babies so no one steals them.
You can get them from most pharmacies, including Boots. I buy them in bulk from eBay.
 
Oscardog said:
Hi I'm new. I have T2 and recently ended up in hospital with ketoacidosis. Recovered now and been put on insulin, I'm also on metformin and gliclacide. I've had a couple of hypos and I'd like to know what people recommend to eat to counteract the symptoms
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Glad you are feeling better. Try not to over treat hypos e.g. a 100ml of something sweet plus a plain biscuit then re test to check you are responding (wash hands first if they are sticky). I tend to keep sweets or drinks I dislike around so that I know I won' t be tempted to eat it at any other times. I am assuming you do have test strips given that you are experiencing hypos.
Also if the hypos carry on it might be worth asking your DSN or gp if you could reduce the glicazide.
 
I have some fruit, no more than 40 carbs worth, sit quietly and wait. The effects are going in twenty minutes and gone in half an hour. I always have some cheese and fruit before I go out and I always carry some sugar in a small container with me. If the symptoms occur I can put a little sugar on my tongue until I get to real food.
 
Hi. Yes, do ask for the two tests for T1 i.e. GAD and c-peptide as you may be T1 and not T2. BTW it's not normal to have both Gliclazide and insulin at the same time as they do the same job and may make hypos a bit more likely. Suggest to your GP/DN (tactfully of course!) that you drop the Gliclazide while on insulin. If you are having hypos then the insulin may need to be reduced and the Gliclazide stopped (after discussion with the nurse). Are you on tow insulin types or just one?
 
The best option is the options of no fat... so the jelly babies are great or some drink from a sugary drink like lucozade... but you must not over treat..
Being on insulin you may well need a follow up of a longer term carb such as a digestive...this depends when you injected and how much insulin you may still have on board-in your body working...
It depends what insulin you are on.. whether it is a mixed insulin or a nasal/bolus regime....

Milk for insulin is not the best. I have milk and sugar in it if I am 3.3 to 4.0 fora change of taste... and I do slightly warm it up too... but my hypo’s are not quick drops in bloods.. if they were dropping fast I would definitely not have milk and sugar...
 
Thank you all for your response. I had a rubbish Christmas, flu, ear infection, infection in toe which resulted in ulcer so I was generally unwell which all accumulated into ketoacidosis. I've now spoken to the diabetic nurse and she has reduced my insulin during the day and increased my night time dose so I shall see how I get on.
 
I buy the small cartons of orange or apple juice (like people buy for children's lunch boxes) they are 20g of fast acting carbs and if need be follow up with a biscuit.
 
Clementine68 said:
I buy the small cartons of orange or apple juice (like people buy for children's lunch boxes) they are 20g of fast acting carbs and if need be follow up with a biscuit.
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i did the same. I haven't had many hypos but, when i did, i always carried around a small carton of orange juice with me.
 
Oscardog said:
Hi I'm new. I have T2 and recently ended up in hospital with ketoacidosis. Recovered now and been put on insulin, I'm also on metformin and gliclacide. I've had a couple of hypos and I'd like to know what people recommend to eat to counteract the symptoms
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Hi in the same boat as of December l am type 2 on gliclacide metformin and now insulin, was hospitalized twice end of last year due to ketoacidosis been diagnosed two years , I find that jellybeans 3 to 5 do the job but always eat some carbs along the side of this a piece of buttered toast is good. I carry a little tub of jellybeans with me and keep them and a bottle of coke in my locker at work and in the cupboard at home. I been told at this stage i am technically type 1 1\2
 
Clementine68 I like the sound of this. I use my car for work so the juice cartons are brilliant they won't take up much room.
 
Lowcarb2 how scary is the ketoacidosis!!! Never felt so I'll in my life, thank goodness it didn't take long to reverse. I didn't realise what it was and it was only when my daughter rang for an ambulance and the paramedics came did I realise how serious it was and how close to being in a coma. I'm trying so hard now to improve my bg but it's not easy. How are you getting on?
 
I find 'Dextro Energy' glucose the most effective tablet. A mild hypo, one or two tabs fine, a worse one four tabs works. Chew them and let the glucose sit in your mouth for a while before swallowing - it can pass through the mucous membranes into the blood faster than through the stomach (this doesn't work with sucrose as it has to be digested first).

Important to sit down and let them take effect (5-10mins), otherwise it is very easy to keep chomping on them because you still feel bad and dizzy - then the subsequent glucose high can be stratospheric. The dextro energy tabs come in various flavours, I find the Lemon and Tropical the most palatable. Also, if you open a pack but rarely use them be aware that they become very hard and almost impossible to chew when you need them fast!

Lloyds chemists often have them on 'buy two get one free' offer.

Lucozade is very effective but very easy to overdo it unless you measure the volume before drinking.

I also keep a tube or two of GlucoGel in the car and in my bag if hiking - it works VERY fast (again, keep it in the mouth) but is expensive.
 
Diakat said:
Any quick acting sugar will do so jelly babies, dextrose tabs or glucotabs. Ideally something without fat. Table sugar, honey, jam all work.
Click to expand...
Agree but be careful, it's easy to have too many sweets, go too high and get into a pendulum effect. Have something, wait 10 minutes then check your BG again. Only experience will help with how much to have. Good luck!
 
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