Low blood sugar is called hypoglycemia. Blood sugar below 70 mg/dl is considered low. Blood sugars below this level can harm you.
If you have diabetes and are taking any of these diabetes medications, you have a risk for low blood sugar:
See also: Managing your blood sugar
Know how to tell when your blood sugar is getting low. Symptoms are:
Sometimes your blood sugar may be too low even if you do not have symptoms. If it gets too low, you may:
Talk with your doctor or nurse about when you should check your blood sugar every day. People who have low blood sugar need to check their blood sugar more often.
The most common causes of low blood sugar are:
Preventing low blood sugar is better than having to treat it.
Family and friends should know how to help. They should know:
If you have diabetes, always wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace. This way emergency medical workers will know you have diabetes.
Check your blood sugar whenever you have symptoms of low blood sugar. If your blood sugar is low (70 mg/dl), you need to treat yourself right away. Eat something that has about 15 grams of carbohydrates. Examples are:
Wait about 15 minutes before eating any more. Be careful not to eat too much. This can cause high blood sugar and weight gain.
Check your blood sugar.
If you don't feel better in 15 minutes, and your blood sugar is still low (less than 70 mg/dl), eat something with 15 grams of carbohydrate again.
You may need to eat a snack with carbohydrates and protein if:
Ask your doctor or nurse how to manage this situation.
If these steps for raising your blood sugar do not work, call your doctor right away.
If you use insulin and you are having a lot of low blood sugars, ask your doctor or nurse if you:
Do not make any changes without talking to your doctor or nurse first.
If signs of low blood sugar do not improve after you have eaten a snack that contains sugar:
Do NOT drive when your blood sugar is low.
Get medical help right away for a person with diabetes or low blood sugar if they:
Hypoglycemia - self-care
Cryer PE. Glucose Homeostasis and Hypoglycemia. In: Kronenberg HM, Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR. Kronenberg: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa:Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 33.
American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes -- 2010. Diabetes Care. 2010 Jan;33 Suppl 1:S11-61.
Updated by: Ari S. Eckman, MD, Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Trinitas Regional Medical Center, Elizabeth, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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