[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]

Originally Posted by Chef Tim

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.