Do you carry your Glucose Tablets everywhere you go?

[Rob43]

Hi, My doctor has told me to carry my Glucose tablets in my pants or coat and make sure I have them in my house and vehicle at all times. She said if I need them I need to take 4 tablets instead of just one. In the past I just took one pill and she said that's not enough. I'm just starting to taking two 5mg pills of Glyburide a day.

Rob

[DeusXM]

Always carry a pack with me. Then again I'm a T1 so I guess I have a greater scope than you for having a hypo.

When I was first dxed at 14 I'd have a hypo at anything below 5 and would only need one glucose tab to bring me back to normal. Now it's usually 3-4, although I also use glucose tabs as an absolute last resort. If I can get a regular soft drink or some other form of sugar from somewhere I'll go with that first - the glucose tabs are 'survival food' and I like to save them for when there's absolutely nothing else around. That way they last longer and I feel more secure.

I also keep a pack in the car and a 2 litre bottle of Lucozade under my bed for nighttime hypos.

[Stuboy]

I always have glucose tabs in my coat pocket. Used to carry around hypo stop in my meter case too, but i decided to stop that cuz it bulked it up more. So now ill just take hypo stop with me if we go on a day out or something.

[JediSkipdogg]

I carry a tube of them in my meter case (the Ultrasmart meter case is perfect for this.) However I rarely use them. I've had them for 2 years and they still taste as nasty as the day I first got them. I generally just find something else to eat instead of them.

[pinkytricia]

We have some in our First Aid Kit in the Truck...

Uuumm.... well I think they're rotten in there .... oops.. I need to change them out.. Thanks, for the reminder...

So the answer is No....Personally not on me....
At work I have the gel stuff... goes down better...less chalky....

[right2fight]

Hi Rob, The reason for 4 glucose tabs is that equals about 15 grams of carbohydrates and he probably uses that as his rule of thumb for hypos. My son always carries them in his pocket.

Margaret

[Stuboy]

the lucozade tabs are far tasteir then the dextrose tabs.

[Gangrel]

I love orange Dextrosol tabs... mmmmmm.......


That being said, I don't carry them 100% of the time, but I try to whenever i remember.

[malffred]

I carry them as well. A pack in both my bags I carry with me usually along with in the pocket of both of my jackets.

I hardly ever need to use them, but when I do its worth it :-). Wow, 4 tabs? Even when really low I never take more than 1-2. I'm a type-1.

[JediSkipdogg]

I love orange Dextrosol tabs... mmmmmm.......


That being said, I don't carry them 100% of the time, but I try to whenever i remember.

I'll send you my 2 year old bottle of them. They claim to be orange but taste like dried up paper. Maybe even sawdust. And they tasted that way when I first got them.

[belyro]

I carry them all the time. When I'm low, I take anywhere between 1 and 4 depending on how low I am and what else is available to eat.

[Mich]

Yes, always. I'm Type 1 and very independent about my Diabetes. Rarely use them, but if it's a bad low, I mention it to my companion while I pop a few, just in case I hit the deck. (I never have ;-)

[Funnygrl]

I've never heard of type 2s on just pills carrying glucose tablets around. Generally speaking, pills won't cause lows, but I don't know the specifics of glyburide (or any of the oral medications).

I always carry mine around.

Like someone else said, 4 tabs is the golden standard, but for a mild low (70s) I find 1 tab is enough.

How low are you going? If you are going low frequently, it suggests your glyburide is too high.

[Gangrel]

I'll send you my 2 year old bottle of them. They claim to be orange but taste like dried up paper. Maybe even sawdust. And they tasted that way when I first got them.

LOL.

The ones i get up here in Canuck-land aren't in a bottle, they are sold in foil wrapper.

I just have a weakness for anything orange. ;)

[notme]

I have the nations supply of Starbursts in my house and car. I carry them everywhere. I cannot stomach or swallow the chalky glucose tabs so I use Starbursts. I generally will use them up within a few months so they get changed out alot. I do have glucose tabs next to my bed in case of emergency. Yuck........

[Stuboy]

everyone here is saying 4 tabs is equal to 15g. but I've been told by three nurses that 3 is the 15g total.

[belyro]

everyone here is saying 4 tabs is equal to 15g. but I've been told by three nurses that 3 is the 15g total.

Depends on the tabs. I have two types. One kind is 3g/tab...one is 4g/tab. I imagine other varieties would be different as well.

[belyro]

LOL.

The ones i get up here in Canuck-land aren't in a bottle, they are sold in foil wrapper.

I just have a weakness for anything orange. ;)

Aaron, those orange ones are raunchy and gag-worthy. Ew.

I like the ones in the blue wrap (plain)...but alas, they are very difficult to find. I've mostly switched to Dex-4 now which taste great but don't fit well in my pocket. With Dextrosol I could break the pack in half and they were a great pocket-size.

[Injecto]

I use 'em up like candy. I use Dex 4 tabs all the time, as little pick me uppers (when I'm in the 4s) and to treat lows.

I love all the flavours, less that horrible raspberry one, which really sucks because I LOVE raspberries.

[RLK]

Has anyone tried Glucoburst? It's a cherry-flavored gel, similar to those little gel packets that runners use, and it has 15 g of carbs. I tried one over the weekend, and found it to be quite tasty and it worked very quickly. I'm definitely going to buy more.

[Rob43]

Hi, The pill named Glyburide is to lower my BG's level. My BG runs around 140 to 290 a day and this doctor of mine wants to bring it down and make it between 90-120 a day. Glyburide informtion is below.

MICRONASE Tablets contain glyburide, which is an oral blood-glucose-lowering drug of the sulfonyl-urea class. Glyburide is a white, crystalline compound, formulated as MICRONASE Tablets of 1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg strengths for oral administration. Inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, dibasic calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium alginate, talc. In addition, the 2.5 mg contains aluminum oxide and FD&C Red No. 40 and the 5 mg contains aluminum oxide and FD&C Blue No. 1. The chemical name for glyburide is 1-[[p-[2-(5-chloro-o-anisamido)-ethyl]phenyl]-sulfo-nyl]-3-cyclohexylurea and the molecular weight is 493.99. The structural formula is represented below.

Thanks, Rob

[Gangrel]

Aaron, those orange ones are raunchy and gag-worthy. Ew.

I like the ones in the blue wrap (plain)...but alas, they are very difficult to find. I've mostly switched to Dex-4 now which taste great but don't fit well in my pocket. With Dextrosol I could break the pack in half and they were a great pocket-size.

Well, there's just no accounting for taste! ;)

The Dex-4 ones are good too, but that big plastic thing they come in is a pain to carry.

Dextrosol is getting harder and harder for me to find. When I do find some, I buy 5 or 6 packs at a time.......

I tend to stay away from having Starburst or Lifesavers anywhere, because i'll have a habit of eating them even when I'm not low.....

[Funnygrl]

Rob- how low does your blood sugar go? I'm just wondering, cause I know many type 2s don't go below 70, and when I'm 70, one or two tabs is enough to bring me out of it.

[Rob43]

My BS went down to 60 one time because I was taking this drug Glyburide and it was 2.5 mgs but otherwise it never drops that low. It's been on the high side all this time. I wondering if BG between 150-300 is considered bad for a diabetic? I even had my BG as high as 500 and never did no it. I didn't feel it at all.

Thanks, Rob

[right2fight]

Hi RLK, Are the glucoburst costly? I now the glucose gel tubes are expensive and also have an expiration date printed so small you wouldn't even know it was there. I use these as backups for school, I'll look for the glucoburst.

Thanks, Margaret

[Funnygrl]

My BS went down to 60 one time because I was taking this drug Glyburide and it was 2.5 mgs but otherwise it never drops that low. It's been on the high side all this time. I wondering if BG between 150-300 is considered bad for a diabetic? I even had my BG as high as 500 and never did no it. I didn't feel it at all.

Thanks, Rob
Yeah...150 to 300 is pretty high. I try and stay between 70 and 130.

[lgvincent]

The tablets have never helped me so I don't bother with them. I still have a few tubes of instant glucose, a jel, and I always carry it but once I run out I guess I won't carry it any more since the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland no longer makes the stuff.

[Georgia]

I always have a packet of glucose tablets in my bag but I only use them as a very last resort (yuk) if I am unable to get anything else. I keep lucozade in my car & on my bedside table.

[Keezheekoni]

I always have Dex4 with me. I happen to love the raspberry flavor. I prefer my little Halloween packages of Skittles though...

For those of you wanting to try the Glucoburst, go to their site GlucoBurst Glucose Gel & Diabetic Drinks (http://www.glucoburst.com) and sign up for a free sample. :)

[slipperyelm]

If you are able to produce a lot of insulin it is possible for glyburide to make you hypo. How much insulin your pancreas will produce on this sulfonylurea drug is not entirely predictable. So, yes, you need to be prepared for possible hypos.

For the year that I was on glipizide, I carried candy and my meter everywhere. I didn't dare leave without it, because I did have hypos. After a while, though, I switched to glucose tablets since I could more conservatively match my intake to the amount of sugar needed.

But use that darned meter to tell you when and how much to treat! And test again after treating to make sure you are going in the right direction.

My very last hypo before I got off glipizide, I went down to 43 and had to keep taking more glucose tabs over the next 6 hours (!) because I kept dropping down to the 50's. My pancreas was really pumping out the insulin. I was trying not to overtreat, but had to keep eating glucose tabs because there was so much insulin. (I was only on 2.5 mg extended release glip' daily.)

For me, I hate sulfonylureas! My life, my health, my diabetes is much better without them. I have insulin resistance, but evidently no problem producing lots of insulin. I've chosen to go very low carb instead. Now, I don't even always take my meter with me, much less glucose tabs. I'm untethered and never need to eat like NOW as I did on glipizide. In the future, I would rather inject a measured amount of insulin than produce an unpredictable amount of it due to sulfonylurea pills. But I guess a lot of people are successful with it for some years before going to injected insulin.

[slipperyelm]

OH my gosh, I got a free sample of that Glucoburst. It is terrible tasting, but it does hit the blood stream fast. Expensive, too.

[BriOnH]

I always have the gel on me. The gel on me is about 6 months old. I only use it as a second to last resort(glucagon is always on me too as a last resort, haven't needed it in over 14 years). Raspberry glucose tabs are always on my night stand and in the car along with a high concentrated juice.

[Cyborg]

I ALWAYS have glucose tabs on me. I never leave home without them as a type 1...

BTW, I also love the orange glucose tabs. They are like candy to me when needed. :star:

[Gary_W]

I used to rely on chocolate, OJ, Coke etc to treat hypos. I am a recent convert to the tablets and now I never leave home without them.

The difficulty with coke, chocolate etc that they taste far too nice and stopping at 10-15g of carbs is nigh on impossible when you just want to feel better; getting it right without a rebound high is a lot harder for me. Stopping at 3 or 4 glucose tabs is far kinder on the waistline and works a treat. No, I would not give them to someone as a romantic gesture as they taste pretty dire. But they are a medecine as far as I'm concerned, not a food to be enjoyed, and they work far quicker than anything else.

[right2fight]

Well I just ordered my free sample of Glucoburst. That was before I read how horrible it tastes. Hey you never know, when all else fails, at least I'll have the Glucoburst!
Margaret

[RLK]

Hi RLK, Are the glucoburst costly? I now the glucose gel tubes are expensive and also have an expiration date printed so small you wouldn't even know it was there. I use these as backups for school, I'll look for the glucoburst.

Thanks, Margaret

I think a package of 3 was about $4 or $5 at my local supermarket, so I don't plan to use them all the time for treating hypos, but they're super-convenient for when I'm exercising. I also noticed that Wal-mart sells their own brand of glucose gel, but I don't remember the cost offhand.
As for the taste, that's definitely an individual thing. I found it far less offensive than glucose tablets.

[poodlebone]

When I was first diagnosed 20 years ago, the only tabs I could find were the rectangular ones made by BD, which were horrible. Plus, you had to get each one out of the plastic/foil wrapper. When I found tubes, I bought one, orange flavor. They were so nasty I'd never use them. The last time I had a really bad low on the bus coming home from work, I ate a few Starburst that I had but it wasn't enough and all I had left was a tube of the orange tabs. After eating just one I felt sick and was afraid to have another because I didn't want to throw up. I know being really low can make you feel nauseous (and I have thrown up from lows) but this time it was definitely caused by the glucose tablet.

I avoided them after that. Recently I found a tube of grape tablets in Walgreens. I happen to love artificial grape flavor, so I bought them. They're not bad! I'm amazed. I went back to get a big bottle but they only sell grape in tubes. I found a bottle in Rite Aid but they were different, smaller diameter & thicker. Harder to chew (thought I was gonna break a tooth). I then found a bottle of grape in CVS that are just like the Walgreens tube so I've stocked up. I also found a tube of apple in CVS, and those aren't bad either.

I now try to use the tablets as much as possible. I keep a tube in my backpack and one in my coat pocket. They've come in handy a few times when I was out for my usual walk after lunch. I also keep a big bottle in my desk drawer at work and one at home.

[poodlebone]

Has anyone tried Glucoburst? It's a cherry-flavored gel, similar to those little gel packets that runners use, and it has 15 g of carbs. I tried one over the weekend, and found it to be quite tasty and it worked very quickly. I'm definitely going to buy more.

I got a free sample from them a year or two ago. Not only was the flavor not very good, the consistancy was awful. It's not so much a gel as it is a syrup. It was like drinking some nasty cough syrup, except it wasn't mediciney. Plus it's expensive!

[issysmommy]

I have capri-suns at work and home. I sometimes carry that energy gel stuff that body builders use. I found one at Sports Authority with exactly 15 grams of carb and it is only about 2 tablespoons. I can't stand eating a lot of sugar when I am low. I want relief fast and easy.

I do have one tube with glucotabs in them inside. I placed that tube inside this thing I got at the pharmacy at Walmart called "Vial of Life." It is a prescription looking vial that you put in your glove box with your medical information and a sticker on your car (medical personnel are supposed to know to look for it). I have been fortunate that I have never been unconsciously low. But I tend to be superstitious that the day I am not prepared for a low, is the day I will go unconsciously low.

[sweetcheeks]

i carry a bottle of tabs with me in my purse, and i keep a glucoburst gel pack and a hershey bar in my little diabetic box for work, my coworks know where i keep it, if the event arrives lol

however the lowest ive ever gotten was around 74..... not much need for them, but i always follow instructions just in case lol

[sweetcheeks]

Hi RLK, Are the glucoburst costly? I now the glucose gel tubes are expensive and also have an expiration date printed so small you wouldn't even know it was there. I use these as backups for school, I'll look for the glucoburst.

Thanks, Margaret



its about 7.99 in US funds for a 3 pack

[Blckflys]

I keep glucose tabs in my car and in my briefcase, I don't really have them on me all the time. Rob, one thing to keep in mind being new to all of this is that you don't want to start rebounding for a low blood sugar before it is actually "low" I know when I first started on insulin and got down to 90 I was about to panic. I would feel shakey and start to think, Oh great! I am dropping too low! and I'd take a bunch of glucose tabs and next thing you know.....I was at 300.

It will feel like you are really low when you aren't really all that low, when you've become used to being high. Try to keep the numbers between 70-130. You may not feel bad when you're BG is at 250....but it's doing a number on your body, and in the long run will lead to nothing but problems.

So.... to sum it all up, try not to treat a low blood sugar until you are having one. But it is also good to be prepared in the event that you do have one, when you are taking insulin or drugs that can cause unpredictable low blood sugars, it's never a bad idea to be prepared to treat that low blood sugar.

Good luck! :)

[ladytaz]

Yep, everywhere I go ;) Got some in the night stand, in my purse, and quite a few tubes here in the 'office'! I kept getting a free tube with the purchase of strips at an online place! So i'm WELL prepared! LOL I need to stick some in the glove compartment of my car too! It's rare I dont have my purse with me, but just incase! I have had to use them a couple times while out driving around! Came in REAL handy there!! ;)

FG, yep if a T2 is taking Glipizide, Glyburide and the like, they sure can go low! Boy do I know it! And i'm not talkin 60 to 70 low, I'm talkin low 40's (and even lower) Low! NOT fun!! At one point, I was going low 4 or 5 days out of 7!! Doc lowered my dose, and that helped alot, but still had about 1 - 4 or so a month, I think it was. It was like Slipperyelm was saying .... since we do still produce some insulin, you cannot control how much you will produce, and those meds up your insulin production ... so if 1 + 1 is going on ... wooo hooo you may be on a bumpy ride! ;)

[grace girl]

I keep them in my purse, the glove box of the car, bedside table and I think there are some in the kitchen. That being said, I hate the taste...they are really only there for DESPERATE measures. I started using the little juice boxes...15 grams of carbs, tastes good...and they don't have to be refriderated. The only draw back to them is that I sometimes have a really hard time dealing with getting that little straw in the box when I'm really low, so end up getting someone else to do it. They are all over the house and in the car, too.

[Tim_Roy]

I use the Dex-4s. I find them to be awfully expensive given what they are (essentially candy that crumbles to sugar). I buy them in bulk packs at Costco, and refill the plastic tubes of 'em I've bought at drug stores. I keep a tube in my jacket, a tube in my tool grip, one easily reachable in my car (I try to test before I drive anywhere).

My control is fairly volatile. A change of 1 in my carb ratio or my ISF in either direction tends to mean highs or lows. I've got the pump that's got the finest tuning of doses, and I always wish it was capable of even finer tuning. Perhaps there needs to be a u40 version of Novalog.

I find myself buying a pair of bottles of the things every other month. What this must be doing to my teeth...

When I'm below 75 I'll take three (12mg carb) or even 4 if I'm WAY LOW. High seventies and above I tend to take two. If I'm just below 90 I will take one tab and dose for my meal as if I tested 90 (the lower bound of "normal" for me).

[type1tenorlady]

When I was first diagnosed 20 years ago, the only tabs I could find were the rectangular ones made by BD, which were horrible.

Ditto... I used to have the BD ones with me all the time and not only were they huge and nasty, the box was really bulky. I tried just taking the packets out of the box to have in my bookbag while I was in school, but if I didn't need them for a few weeks by the time I went back the packet would be trashed and there would be white dust all over the inside of my bag. I went off them for years, and used other things like OJ (which I still do if I'm at home and moderately awake) but then I saw my brother carrying the CVS/Walgreens ones that you can get in the tubes (he's T1 also) I decided to give them another go and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I didn't have to have the disgusting orange flavor.

I usually have them with me all the time now, especially since when I take those instead of food or drink my tendency to overcorrect is almost nonexistent.

[mzizgayle]

I usually carry a special k snack bar, or the south beach high protein bars which are 17 and 15 carbs each..tried one of the glucose tabs and thought it was just yuky LOL

[Worldcrzr]

I hate the glucose tablets and refuse to use them. I discovered Jelly Belly jelly beans in a plastic container at CostCo. One carb per jelly bean. So, if my blood sugar is low, I pop up to 15 of them and within a few minutes, my blood sugar is back up to normal. You can't use the big jelly beans in other packages unless you count them as 2 carbs each.

I carry bags of them in my purse and they are easy to eat on the run.

[buzzborne]

I hate dextrasol with a passion - but dont mind the lucozade ones as much.
When i was younger i always had it drumed into me to have a packet in my bag or pocket for a 'just in case' situation - now i permanently have one in my college bag and my small 'handbag' type bag. my house mate - as im usually around her at college and that - also has one in her bag - as well as a novorapid pen jus incase i forget it (only done it once!!:o)

[sweetblood]

yep--i use the cvs brand tabs in the apple flavor...i usually use two or three, depending on how lo i am...or if i feel like im dropping rapidly and can't test (running register at work) then i'll usually take three...

[spring]

hah, fun to see everyone weighing in on preferences.

Another Canadian familiar with the orange flavour tablets that come in that lovely foil package. I'm actually with Gangrel on this one, Belyro, I kind of like that bizarre orange flavouring. I wasn't a fan at first but they're almost a curiosity. Not good enough to eat recreationally (probably for the best or I'd just eat 'em all and overtreat ;) , but edible and er... 'interesting' for lows.

I tried their lemon flavour and -that- was seriously nasty. It tasted like concentrated dish detergent; I had to double check to be sure I hadn't confused it with those dishwasher tabs. hah.

I keep 'junior' size juice boxes next to my bed for night time lows, and pack tabs to take with me. I used to just use juice boxes for everything, but the noise of unwrapping a straw doesn't go over so well in a uni lecture hall, and as a horse rider, it's rather inconvenient to 'assemble'/get the straw in the hole if I'm on horseback. :p (not to mention just being bulkier to pack around).