What is the best food/drink item to give someone who is extremely low?

[Chef Tim]

A couple of times now, my family member has gotten so low that they're almost impossible to deal with. I want to say the behavior reminds me of a drunk person or child with polaric mood swings ranging from extacy to absolute sadness. They don't want to listen to me when I'm trying to help them consume something sugary. I usually give them orange juice but I'm curious if there is something better. Someone mentioned to me lifesavers as a good remedy because it diffuses rapidly into their system.

[rocky]

Glucose Tablets are usually best if concious but extremely low.

[notme]

Quickest fix for me when I am low is non-fat milk.

[BriOnH]

For administration to someone in that state, my mom would mix sugar in OJ and give it to me. Then follow it with PB on grahm crackers to hold me over. It's very 70's but still a good solution.

Food should usually follow liquids as food can be chocked on in that state easily.

imho.

In todays age I would recommend glucose gel. Works the fastest and is the easiest to consume and administrate.

[Ailsa]

All above are good, but OJ is a good choice too. Especially if you're more likely to have it handy.
Might pay to get your family member to get their treatment updated if they are getting that low on a regular basis.

[Jill-O]

I would say glucose tablets or gel (or both) would be good things to have handy.

[Cyborg]

I love OJ and used to use it all the time for hypos. The problem is knowing how much to drink and it does take longer to work, as with any food or drink it goes through the digestive tract. Not knowing how much OJ to drink usually ends up in over treatment and then the roller coaster effect. I carry always carry glucose tabs now and use them exclusively for treating extreme lows.

[JediSkipdogg]

I personally think OJ is one of the best treatment methods. It's a liquid and therefore has to be broken down alot less which speeds up it's course of action. It doesn't have to sit in the stomach or the digestive tract as long as a solid of some sort. The easiest method I find is an 8 oz glass of OJ. That should be a decent pick-me-up to help anyone. One just has to look at the carb info on OJ to find out if 8 oz is too much or too little depending on their carb ratio.

[RLK]

The fastest product that I've used is the glucose gel (GlucoBurst or similar), with glucose tabs being a close second. The gel is more expensive, but if the person is being combative or "out of it", I would think that it's the easiest to administer. No chewing needed, and very little swallowing required.

[Alice]

OJ is not the fastest for me, I think it's recommended because it's a healthy fast-acting carb by educators.

I do use OJ, but also keep Coke on my fridge and in my bathroom cabinet. When extremely low, it seems to get through my stomach faster than oj, maybe since there is no fiber in it...

I like the small 8 oz cans that contain about 24 carbs. Sometimes I've needed two...Also, a straw helps someone who is having difficulty focusing on drinking...get it down faster. Just make sure they don't swallow the straw! But, it makes it easier to suck on...and hopefully get your relative back on track soon.

I think glucose tabs are great, but I often pop those after a little coke...when very low, at least. They may be difficult to get someone else to chew and there is a possibility of choking.

[DeusXM]

Lucozade, Gatorade or a regular soft drink. Gets absorbed far quicker than anything else and it's easy to get hold of. Don't use 'isotonic' sports drinks, they're more water than anything else.

[Alice]

I remember being on a vacation in Italy. I sat down and told my husband to get me a Coke. (I had glucose tabs but wasn't urgent)...he came back with a Diet Coke...Urrrrr! gotta love him!

I do like Cokes since they are readily accessible almost anywhere...at least here in the US. Hotels have them on almost every floor and I make sure I have one in my room each time I check in.

I used to keep a can of Coke in my office drawer for years...never needed it and had to keep tossing and bringing in a fresh can. You never need them when they are there...but will need one asap when they aren't!

I've gotten over drinking them warm...I look at them as purely medicinal.

[ctskierguy]

Speaking of Coke. Does anyone remember Coke syrup?
I first had it at the Joslin camp as a kid. You used to be able to buy it at drug stores.
It was great. A couple of tablespoons had enough sugar in it to launch the shuttle into orbit.
I haven't seen it in years, but I'd buy if again if I could.

Mike

[Erin]

Lucozade will power me out of a low like nothing else... I actually don't really like the stuff, but occasionally buy one in the specialty food store as they're not readily available over here.

I generally just drink some oj, but for somebody unresponsive or argumentative i'd say gel of some kind would be best. I used to get the small tubes of cake icing from the grocery store (the gel kind that you can write messages on your cake with) when I was younger. Now I don't seem to need anything that fast, I like to carry skittles in my bag because they are relatively tasty and do the job.

[DanG]

gotten so low that they're almost impossible to deal with. I want to say the behavior reminds me of a drunk person...

Oh WOW!!
This is exactly what happened to me about 4PM on Friday last week. I was sooo incoherent at work, I couldn't do what my buddy was patiently telling me to do. I have no idea why I didn't recognize it - but a Hansen Smoothie and 5 minutes and I was back to normal, and no real noticeable high about 2 hours later. I surely embarassed myself. I was like a drunk.

Another thing - went to the doc today and the 6 minute A1c test was 5.7. Does anyone know the name of the 6 minute A1c device? I have not seen the machine - does anyone have picture link for this device.

I ain't complainin' about 5.7. I am complainin' about my stoopidity in not recognizing my low last week. Don't wanna do that again any time soon.

[DanG]

... I notice DeusXM is now in UAE?
I thought you were in UK?
Whatcha doin' in UAE?
...just curious...

[beau91]

:) Me I always carry 2 bottles of Ensure (Lunch drink for people on a diet).when I go to the swimming pool easy to swallow and fast.And I always have Glucose tablets in my pockets but last saturday I was doing my groceries and went low.Got an OJ and at the cashier had a chocolate bar.After I got better I realized that I had my Glucose Tablets in my pockets never taught about it,so confused .Good thing I was in a grocery store.
Bye Ricky

[Jenn L]

I like grape juice, according to the label, it has more carbs, and o.j. can upset my stomach if I am low, nothig like a few bites of a Snickers though!

[Jules49]

I was given Juicy Juice in the doctors office one day when I was in the 20's. Had already started on the glucose tabs which I always carry with me. Only 15 carbs in the Juicy Juice.

[ladytaz]

I'm not sure what one considers extremely low, but I know when I've been in the high 30's and low 40's and I can still think clearly enough, I usually drink a 6oz Sunny Delight. They've got about 26g of carbs, and usually work pretty quickly. Though, sometimes my brain ain't workin, and I just totally raid the fridge and pantry! LOL I do always have Gluco Tabs with me though, and have used them as well. I just don't like them as much.

[dgrilli]

I don't know if it is best but I keep a big container of honey and take a tablespoon then take more as needed.

But it does seem to work.

Anyone else use honey or have used honey?

[xMenace]

If not responding, they may need direction to focus themselves. A firm "DRINK!" may need to be repeated several times. Keep it short and specific as the mind is in a chaotic state.

[Tattoo azz]

I normally keep a tube of tabs in my pocket and some orange lucozade in my bedroom, i had a hypo in the back garden once and my brother poured a tin of treacle (syrup) over my face (some of it went in my mouth but most of it went in my hair and around my face), it was the thought that counts i suppose! lol i swore at him tho for about 3 years after that

[DeusXM]

... I notice DeusXM is now in UAE?
I thought you were in UK?
Whatcha doin' in UAE?
...just curious...

Was in the UK - moved out to Dubai last week. Working on an outdoor design mag and an architecture mag. As you can imagine, there's rather a lot to write about for those here!

[Starbuck]

I go for the spoonful of honey as well. When I was younger I always carried the glucose tabs or gel.

A few years ago I had a serious low and ended up in the ER (I never passed out though) and the Dr gave me a prescription for a needle that was full of some kind of liquid that had to be mixed with a glucose tab inside a vial. Then this sugary liquid was to be injected into my arm if I ever had another serious low. This was all fine except that when I'm low, mixing liquids and tabs then injecting might be a bit difficult and confusing for me. I tried explaining the procedure to friends/family/co-workers but they all seemed a bit too scared of it. Anyone else heard of this?

I think I'll stick to lifesavers.

[grace girl]

I always carry glucose tabs..but I seem to have issues with them. I hit a 56 today, (I was in the car with hubby) and I know I sat there for ten minutes trying to figure out how many glucose tabs I should eat. It seemed like such a mental struggle. Hubby finally just got me a regular coke and I drank about 1/2 of it and got back to 120 within 15 minutes.
I'm thinking I'll just ditch the nasty tabs for coke.

[sbuff28@charter]

Pure Sugar Packets For Coffee. Sift A Little On The Palm.. Ingest And Presto. Done Deal.

[JediSurfer]

I remember when my father was hypo if i couldn't get him to drink something sweet or take hypostop gel I would just phone for the paramedics to give him a glucogen shot. If you drop very low there is not much you can do apart from inject glucogen and its really not worth trying to reason with a person suffering from a severe low ar trying to make them eat or drink something.

[blue_eyed_devil]

interesting post. as i am the person with diabetes it's a bit hard to say what to do, but i know what my partner does:

give me whatever i want.

i become very abusive (both physical and verbal) and it's just easier to give me what i want (or just let me be) until one of two things happens - i pass out or i come right. at least once i've passed out you can get the glycogen into me!

i guess one thing to say is to let the person do what they want because although we 'lose it' we still tend to know what to do (well i do anyways, can't say that for everyone).

it's a bit of a tough call and depends on the person.

lauren :)

[DeusXM]

A few years ago I had a serious low and ended up in the ER (I never passed out though) and the Dr gave me a prescription for a needle that was full of some kind of liquid that had to be mixed with a glucose tab inside a vial. Then this sugary liquid was to be injected into my arm if I ever had another serious low. This was all fine except that when I'm low, mixing liquids and tabs then injecting might be a bit difficult and confusing for me. I tried explaining the procedure to friends/family/co-workers but they all seemed a bit too scared of it. Anyone else heard of this?

Yeah that's a glucagon pen. It doesn't actually inject glucose - it injects the hormone glucagon into your bloodstream and forces your liver to start dumping glucose into your blood. It's not really designed for patient use - the guidelines are you should be unconscious before it's used on you because the needle is bloody huge and needs to be stabbed right into a muscle. A bit painful at the best of times.

Technically you are supposed to teach someone else to use it but I'll be honest, I'm extremely wary about teaching anyone around you how to inject you. The problem is that EVERYONE gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks if you're having trouble then you need an injection - so of course, they go for the nearest needle you have on you. And if you're having trouble, insulin is probably the absolute last thing you need, right?

Glucagon pens are really supposed to be a last resort but really they're no real use at all - if you're having a hypo and unconscious, your liver will start dumping glucose automatically anyway. Unless you've either been drinking or you've been no-carbing to the extent you don't have any glycogen left in your liver to convert to glucose. In which case, glucagon wouldn't help you anyway.

I'd stick with the juices and tabs. And tell people that if you do pass out, just phone for an ambulance and explain to the emergency services that you have diabetes. Generally, the only other people who can help you in hypo are medical professionals. So always carry some glucose!

[blue_eyed_devil]

just to add to that - i hate to admit it, but chocolate is usually the best option... and the fav, oj!

[Raisin]

The few times that I have had a bad low, people tell me that I will not listen to them (I either ignore them or tell them 'no' when they ask if I will eat/drink something b/c I'm low). My family has given up trying to get me to respond to them (by drinking/eating something), so now they just call EMS. Everytime, when EMS arrives, I do whatever they tell me. They always start an IV drip with glucose in it which brings me out of my stupidity really quickly. Luckily, I have not had an episode in a while (I credit the CGMS).

If your relative will not respond to your requests and he/she will not let you give them the liquid or the glucose gel, I would suggest calling EMS.

[blue_eyed_devil]

It's not really designed for patient use

what?

it must yet again be different over here because all type one diabetics are prescribed them when diagnosed and advised to keep one on hand at all times.

my dad has given me glucagon various times - once when i was convulsing and had stopped breathing - i think the ambulance would have been a bit late in that case!!!

i'm quite surprised you don't *appear* to see them as a necessity... however different countries and all that!

and heres one for you... i showed a few nurses at work one once and they didn't know what it was... i'd trust my family over most medical professionals anytime.

[RobiJo]

Any kind of juice or regular soda whatever is handier.

When I was young, my mom used to carry around small tubes of decorating icing. They are in the cakes/frosting isle. They taste much better than the glucose gel but taste much better.

I keep glucose tabs in the car.. but they are my last resort. I don't like them and when I'm low I don't like chewing. If I am getting low but not too bad I'll eat a snack bar or bag of fruit snacks.

[RobiJo]

It's not really designed for patient use - .



Uh. that's exactly what they are for... home use. If your family can't figure it out then sure call EMS, but if they can...you're good to go. I've gotten the rocket a good 10 times or more in my life, and have never been to the ER for a low. I was unconsious and asleep every time I needed it, but my family knew how and when to use the glucagon.

[lisa821]

Lifesaver Gummies work really well for me. Eating one will raise my blood sugar 10 points exactly. It's almost creepy. They're good because I don't crave them like I would chocolate, are easy to carry because they're squishy, and they won't melt.

[notme]

Lifesaver Gummies work really well for me. Eating one will raise my blood sugar 10 points exactly. It's almost creepy. They're good because I don't crave them like I would chocolate, are easy to carry because they're squishy, and they won't melt.


That is exactly why I use Starbursts Lisa. I don't crave them, they travel well in a purse or pocket and they are individually wrapped for sanitary reasons. Perfect. The only bad thing about any simple sugar is they don't last long.

[DeusXM]

my dad has given me glucagon various times - once when i was convulsing and had stopped breathing - i think the ambulance would have been a bit late in that case!!!

Uh. that's exactly what they are for... home use.

Please read again what I said:

t's not really designed for patient use

YOU are the patient. Glucagon is supposed to be administered when YOU (ie. the patient) are unconscious.

If you can inject yourself whilst unconscious then fair play to you. I never said that someone else who isn't medically qualified (such as a spouse or parent) can't give you the glucagon jab. I was responding to the line of:

This was all fine except that when I'm low, mixing liquids and tabs then injecting might be a bit difficult and confusing for me. I tried explaining the procedure to friends/family/co-workers but they all seemed a bit too scared of it. Anyone else heard of this?

This was a specific concern about having to inject glucagon yourself and whether anyone else had ever heard of this. As I explained:

Technically you are supposed to teach someone else to use it but I'll be honest, I'm extremely wary about teaching anyone around you how to inject you.

So, to clarify the answer for that OP.

1. Glucagon is an injection kit designed as a last resort when the patient is unconscious.
2. It is designed for administration by either a skilled or unskilled person when the patient is discovered to be unconsious from hypoglycaemia.
3. Therefore it follows that glucagon is not designed for patient use ie. the patient should never administer glucagon to themselves.

Whether you choose to train someone else how to use it is up to the individual patient - I personally wouldn't, for the reasons I outlined in the thread earlier. But that's my personal preference.

[steph_1]

I don't think that having anything hard will help with a sugar fix, because when my parents gave me a small skittle, i nearly swallowed it whole and i choked on it. Liquids are definately the best.

[BriOnH]

There was a home study here, I believe conducted by a child for a school project of which a parent posted about on here in which when caffeine was given with a simple sugar it worked the fastest compared to simple sugar w/o caffeine.

I also LOVE mt dew, and while it isn't the simplest of sugars such as the sports drinks, I keep that study in mind as I savor the dew when in a low :) .

[kstreeter513]

I don't know if it is best but I keep a big container of honey and take a tablespoon then take more as needed.

But it does seem to work.

Anyone else use honey or have used honey?

As a matter of fact, I work in a hospital, and we have packets of honey in our cafeteria (all out of chalk). Good thing too, because just they other day I had to reach into my lab coat to pull out a few. Worked great!!!!

[kstreeter513]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention "Accelerade". It is a sports drink that gets into the bloodstream FAST and has protien in it to prevent the low from returning. The carb to protien ratio is 4:1. You can find it at any GNC for sure (thats were I get it), but I would imagine any sports nutrition store would carry it.

[deansreef]

I like to drink milk as it always bring me back fast. sometimes it overdoses though!!

Dean

[lisa821]

A long, long time ago, a nurse who specialized in diabetes training told me if someone goes unconscious from a low and can't swallow, break out the Karo corn syrup and spread some on their inside lower lip. The blood vessels there absorb the sugars quickly, and it's better than making them swallow. In theory this probably works, though I've never had to try it. You could probably do the same with glucose gel. Of course there's the glucagon kit, but there are people who even in an emergency balk at giving someone a shot.

Otherwise, as others have said already, drinking juice works well.

[mwd]

Lucozade works best...if u are able to swallow/drink.

[AJ21]

i also hate the tablets, but i eat them when im too low and lazy to get anything else (or when i'm out)
when i'm home though, i prefer apple juice. they have these 300 ml bottles that have 32 carbs, 29 sugars, so they're quick and efficient.
i also have 100 mls cans of coke in my fridge, 100 calories and 29 carbs (i think)
i was told not to take chocolate cause it takes too long....