Worried again

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Boyfriend

Active Member
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Hi everyone, not been on for a while, boyfriend was getting a lot better, he had upped his tablets and taken onboard another type and his BS was down between the 6-7 mark, still not ideal but when you think it was in the 20's, his eyesight is now back to normal which is another plus.

What worries me is how recently he has had a couple of bouts of real shakiness, when he feels like he is going to pass out. He also had a "do" whilst on holiday last week where he flipped and went very violent, though he managed to contain himself - it was after he had had a half carafe of red wine - he doesnt normall drink. Firstly does red wine affect diabetes sufferers, has anyone any experience of this and secondly what could be causing this shakiness and feeling that he is goin to black out after his BS seems to be under much better control now. x
 
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hanadr

Expert
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6 - 7 is acceptable, even if not ideal BS level. Best is around 5 - 6.
Low BG can cause some very silly behaviour and it won't be helped by alcohol. That's one reason why diabetics shouldn't drink. Their behaviour can be misunderstood by officers of the law. Who might throw them into the cells at risk of life, rather than call an ambulance. ( Wearing an ID bracelet is a good idea)
Is the additional medication prescribed for boyfriend , a sulphonyl urea?( check the leaflet)
Sulphonylureas can cause hypos. that's the symptoms you were describing. Unless the hypo is very severe, a swig of lucozade or a glucose tab should sort it out in a matter of about 10 minutes.
 
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Dennis

Well-Known Member
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Type of diabetes
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People who join web forums to be agressive and cause trouble
Hello again.
Alcohol has the effect of lowering blood sugar. Red wine is particularly good for this and an odd glass is generally reckoned to be good for most people. It rather sounds like Boyfriend may have experienced a hypo. Unfortunately the symptoms of a hypo and the symptoms of just being drunk are very similar, the main difference being that you will wake up with a hangover if drunk, but you won't wake up at all with an unrecognised and therefore untreated hypo. Which is why diabetics should drink in moderation.
 
B

Boyfriend

Active Member
Messages
40
Hi, thanks for your replies. Is a hypo caused by a low blood sugar? He never seems to have a low blood sugar, its high if anything - are the symptoms the same?

He is a lot better today, i will check his medication to see if it is what you said - what annoys me is that no info seems to be given out by doctors etc to warn that these symptoms may occur - after all this could be serious if not treated properly - does everyone have these experiences with their gp's or is just bad luck????
 
LittleSue

LittleSue

Well-Known Member
Messages
647
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Boyfriend said:
Hi, thanks for your replies. Is a hypo caused by a low blood sugar? He never seems to have a low blood sugar, its high if anything - are the symptoms the same?

He is a lot better today, i will check his medication to see if it is what you said - what annoys me is that no info seems to be given out by doctors etc to warn that these symptoms may occur - after all this could be serious if not treated properly - does everyone have these experiences with their gp's or is just bad luck????
Click to expand...

Yes, hypo is low blood sugar. Precise figures vary but diabetics are usually advised to treat a reading below 3.6 - 3.8 as hypo. If he is going hypo, he needs to eat or drink something sweet and rapidly absorbed. Such as 100ml of Lucozade or sugary pop. However, if he's been running high sugars for some time, his body may give hypo symptoms at a higher level, because he's got used to the higher level and what is actually normal now feels too low. (Hope that makes sense.) Therefore it's best to test when he gets these symptoms to find out if he really is hypo or just feeling a drop from what he's used to. If the latter, this should resolve within a few weeks as his body gets used to running lower.

Don't get us started on the subject of GP's :roll:

Don't believe any doctor who suggests "type 2s can't go hypo". Its the type of treatment that decides whether you get hypos, not your type.
 
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