Hypoglycemia without Diabetes
98Hypoglycemia without Diabetes
Is it possible to have hypoglycemia without diabetes? The answer is yes, and it's important to know why. As more and more cases of diabetes pop up, people are trying to diagnose the early warning symptoms of the disease. Just to get the terms straight, hypoglycemia is a state of low blood sugar or glucose, due to an overproduction of insulin or from a poor diet. Hyperglycemia is a state of high blood sugar usually due to low levels of insulin. Diabetes is the persistent medical condition of a body's underproduction of insulin, or of a cell's inability to process the insulin, either of which leads to high levels of blood sugar and dangerous conditions within the body, even death. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are often associated with diabetes because all three conditions have to do with insulin and improper levels of blood sugar. The real difference between the three is that diabetes is a persistent medical condition, whereas hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are states within the body that come and go.
People wondering whether they can have hypoglycemia without having diabetes might be wondering whether or not they can have hyperglycemia without diabetes. We'll address that first before moving on to having hypoglycemia without diabetes. Diabetes causes hyperglycemia because without insulin, the body can't metabolize blood sugar for fuel and energy. The blood sugar builds up in the bloodstream and if it goes unchecked can be very hazardous to person's with diabetes and can even cause death. Certain conditions can cause hyperglycemia without diabetes, but these are rare.
Before you go, make sure you read through the comments section below. The community has left some amazing research, stories, and tips for dealing with hypoglycemia. Nanda especially has done a lot of research that's tremendously useful.
Another great resource is this Hub on Hypoglycemia from Conrad.
Dealing with Reactive Hypoglycemia
Reactive Hypoglycemia is a condition described as recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring 2–4 hours after a high carbohydrate meal. Unfortunately for the general public, reactive hypoglycemia is a condition that seems to be very often misdiagnosed by doctors. If you read the comments below, you'll see how many people had to figure out for themselves that they had an unnaturally high sensitivity to certain foods that would cause their blood sugar levels to become highly imbalanced. If you think that you have hypoglycemia without diabetes, then you're definitely not alone. Unfortunately, with this sort of condition, it's not always possible to know right off the bat which kinds of foods and habits will throw your body into an episode of hypoglycemia. That's why one of the best things a person can do is to keep a food journal. With a food journal, you can write down what you ate and how it affected your body. Foods and habits that seem to cause a bad reaction in your blood sugar can be documented so that you can try not to duplicate the process. Slowly but surely, you'll be able to discover what kinds of foods and habits lead to stable blood sugar levels.
Glucose Regulation
Changing your eating habits and making sure to eat more nutritionally dense foods is a great step in learning to deal with reactive hypoglycemia. But there are a few other steps that might help along the way as well. One of those is glucose regulation. There are a number of different natural supplements that use herbs, minerals, and other natural ingredients to help the body better balance blood sugar levels. I've done a lot of research to find the best glucose regulation supplement, and the product I've listed below is both cheap and effective. It's also from a very reputable brand, Source Naturals. Clinical trials have shown that Holy Basil can help to stabilize blood sugar levels when supplemented. It's a powerful adaptogenic herb that's used extensively in India and Ayurvedic medicine.
 | Amazon Price: $6.25 List Price: $11.24 |
Magnesium Supplements
One thing that many of the commenters have noted is that magnesium can be a very effective tool for calming the body down from a hypoglycemic attack. Magnesium is a powerful relaxer, and since two of the biggest symptoms of hypoglycemia are shaking and anxiety, magnesium supplements can really help. I had never made this connection until a few commenters below informed me that taking magnesium supplements had really helped them. Magnesium is just great in general. It's involved in over 350 processes in the human body and is essential to life. Here's a link to a form of magnesium that's especially calming.
 | Amazon Price: $13.15 List Price: $21.95 |
Other Causes of Hypoglycemia without Diabetes
As we discussed in the first section, people are becoming more and more wary of diabetes and the early warning signs of the condition in order to help prevent it before the condition becomes permanent. In order to be able to do that, you need to be able to distinguish between hypoglycemia that comes from diabetes, and hypoglycemia that arises from other factors. Here are some of the other factors that may cause hypoglycemia:
1. Excessive Alcohol Consumption
- You don't need to be a doctor to know that too much alcohol is hazardous to your health. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause hypoglycemia. Why is that? When your body processes sugars and releases them into the bloodstream, some of the sugar is stored as glycogen in your liver and released slowly over time. Because we all know that alcohol heavily affects the liver, and one of those effects is that the liver is inhibited from releasing its stored sugar back into the bloodstream.
2. Some Medications
- Some medications can cause hypoglycemia. Some antidepressants, Quinine, and other things can cause hypoglycemia. Read the labels for side effects.
3. Hormone Imbalance
- Insulin release and production is regulated by hormones. Hormones are produced and regulated by your endocrine system. Your endocrine system, when healthy, is in a state of homeostasis, meaning balance. But a wide variety of things can throw your endocrine system out of balance, causing incorrect hormone production. One of the main causes of endocrine imbalance is steroid use. But there are many other causes.
4. Fasting
- Not eating for extended periods of time can cause hypoglycemia. Blood sugar levels can drop as a response to a lack of food.
Symptoms of Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia just makes you feel nasty. Because of the fact that I've fasted before, I know what it feels like to not have enough blood sugar in your body. Everything just feels wrong and tense. Here are a few of the specific symptoms of hypoglycemia:
- Nervousness
- Weakness
- Intense Hunger
- Sweating and Trembling
- Difficulty Concentrating and Speaking
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That's good. Having an attack can't be very fun. Thanks for stopping by.
Huh! Wonder if taking Quinine overseas for malaria started my hypogglycemia, which then led to fibromyalgia. Interesting.
Ms Dee, that's a very interesting connection. You could very well be on to something there. It would be unfortunate if taking Quinine started your health problems but you never know. Thanks very much for stopping by.
My husband, who contracted diabetes from the malaria pill serving in Iraq, (service connected type 1 diabetes) was the first one to notice my symptoms as hypoglycemia and tested me with his blood glucose monitor. His hunch was right, I was 40.. I finally, after much frustration at the medical community, and suffering from the symptoms of hypoglycemia found a doctor who would listen. I had a 5 hr glucose tolerance test, and went from a fasting level of 98 up to 187 then within three hours plummeted to 23!!! My doctor had never come across it before but was more than willing to admit it was reactive hypoglycemia.
Now my frustration is finding ANY information that is accurate on the topic.. Most doctors recommend following a diabetic diet, which is still lacking as far as I am concerned... So those of us who have it and know it, suffer alone...
Brooke, wow those numbers are staggering. I'm sorry you've had such a hard time finding good answers from the medical community. They're a pretty stubborn bunch and don't always take kindly to self-diagnosis unfortunately. I'm glad you've been able to slowly but surely figure out what's going on with your physiology. Thanks very much for sharing.
My doctor only links my episodes to eating the "wrong things", but I can't always see that. I've never known it could be related to the tonic water with quinine I drink every night for leg cramps or my meds. I wish he were willing to explore other possibilities.
Sandra, thanks for sharing what's going on. Unfortunately with doctors these days, they only get to spend a few minutes with each patient and it doesn't seem like they ever really take the time to dig into the situation and fully explore what might be going on. Quinine seems like something that's popping up a lot in relation to hypoglycemia and diabetes. I'll have to do some more research to see what I can find. Thanks very much for stopping by.
After suffering for months a endless testing with no definitive answers and lots of research on my own have figured out I am hypoglycemic and have been trying to get me doctor on the same page. I found that having children can change a woman's body and this does not surprise me as I am also allergic to several medications that I never was before.
Crystal, that's really insightful what you said about having children causing changes. I bet you're exactly right. It's sad that doctors don't generally consider the opinions of their patients, even when the patients have spent time doing research. I hope you'll have better luck with the doctor in the future. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for raising awareness about this serious condition.
You're very welcome.
I've been diagnosed with reactive Hypoglycemia too. I went from a level of 70 fasting, up to 180, then plummeting to 46. Of course after you crash like that you feel horrible for the rest of the day. Type 1 Diabetes runs rampant in my family, so I guess I'm lucky to be able to deal with my situation without having to take insulin everyday. Still, it is scary when it happens, and it usually comes on very quickly when it does occur. I always have a peanut butter bar or something with me just in case. I'm glad there are other people out there who can relate. When I was diagnosed 5 years ago, I went to see an endocrinologist who basically laughed me out of her office.
Lewis, I'm glad you've got your situation under control. Those are some pretty big numbers, I can see how having an episode like that would ruin the rest of your day. You're right that it could always be worse, but having reactive hypoglycemia isn't a picnic either. Thanks very much for stopping by.
I'm 64, was diagnosed 30 years ago by a doctor ahead of his time, with hypoglycemia. My family on both mother and daddy's side is riddled with diabetes. I get the shakes, the weakness, the sadness that goes along with our malady.I keep getting tested for diabetes- always negative. But I still cannot get a doctor to administer to this crazy hypoglycemia. I want to keep looking for an endocrinologist who can help, but hate wasting my time and money. I still work, but supervisors do not understand my having to sit down and eat a snack, then wait til the weak spell passes. DOES ANYONE KNOW AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST who truly understands and can treat REACTIVE HYPOGLYCEMIA? They all think I'm just old and tired, with dimentia!
Wanda, that sounds pretty tough. I hope someone out there knows a good endocrinologist who knows how to treat reactive hypoglycemia. Best of luck.
i went to a doctor for problems ive had since i was a toddler and they did the tests and told me i have hypoglycemia at the age of ten. i was eating normal foods and everything. they sadid it owuld go away if i did what they said. so i did. i am now 16 and i still have the condition. its difficult to deal with. sometimes il be shaking to the point where i cant even drive. thank you for the information. it helps to know that im not alone with this.
Yeah, it's not an easy condition to have. It's good that you identified it early so that you can start to learn what kinds of foods and drinks you need to avoid, just like an allergy. It will probably take awhile, but like you said, it's good to know that you're not alone. Thanks very much for stopping by.
I've had chronic fatigue for over 5 years and was tested for many symptoms. I also am a recovering alcoholice of 5 years. It wasn't until recently, when I had one my spells of trembling and shaking while in my doctors office, that it all clicked- Hypoglycemia. It explained so much. The intense night sweats, weakness and sleepiness, panic symptoms. It's weird because I am on the slim side and exercise. I have to admit my diet is lacking in starches, as I was eating only proteins and fruits and vegetable. What is the best resource for meal planning for someone clueless like myself?
That's awesome that it just clicked for you one day. So many people suffer from hypoglycemia for years not knowing what's wrong, and the light never clicks and doctors don't seem to diagnose it accurately very often. Self-diagnosis happens more often than not it seems. As far as the diet plan goes, different people will tell you different things. I'm a personal believer in finding out what works best for you. Keeping a food journal has helped a lot of people -- writing down what you eat and how it affects your energy levels and blood sugar. My dad suffers from Arrhythmia and he has almost completely kept it under control just by keeping a food journal to see what kinds of foods cause his heart rate to become erratic. A food journal is a great place to start. Then you'll be able to know how food specifically affects your body.
For me, I've noticed hypoglycemic symptoms especially when I've been careless in my eating. If I eat some sweets with my normal diet, and then forget to eat later on, the hypoglycemia can come on quite quickly. I keep a container of glucose tabs in my purse just in case. What I have also noticed, for me, is that if I stick with whole grains and sufficient protein throughout the day, and eating some protein every 3 to 4 hours, then I do not have any episodes at all. For me it is best to avoid white sugar and really limit processed grains (like white four). My body seems to do much better with a planned food plan of whole grains, veggies, some fruits, proteins with all meals, and healthy oils. If I have a hypoglycemic episode, I know it is a red flag for me to be paying better attention to what I am eating, and how long I am going between meals. The worst would be for me to drink a soda and then nothing else...my blood sugar would spike and then plummet. Dietary diligence is what works for me.
Bernadette, thanks so much for your tips and recommendations! I love how you said the words "for me" so often. With hypoglycemia, it's so important for people to know how different foods specifically affect them. Everyone is different, and different foods act differently on each person. That's why I always advocate keeping a food journal, to write down which foods seem to make you feel terrible. As for me, I know exactly what kinds of foods and drinks I have to avoid.
@ Brianna - I was diagnosed with Hypoglycemia when I was seven years old. That was 40 years ago. I just had to learn not to eat foods that were high in processed sugar because for me that's what brings it on. My doctor ( 40 years ago) prescribed a small glass of orange juice every morning and it works. Hope this helps!
Thanks Debbie. That's valuable info, especially from someone who has been dealing with hypoglycemia for so long.
Thinking I might have hypoglycemia without diabetes as well. I have always felt really alone and the doctor said I was just having anxiety attacks. My friends all thought I was turning on them because i would always get really irritable when I hadnt eaten in a while. Thanks for all the usefull info!
Eli, I bet you're exactly right. Do you get shaky after eating refined sugars and drinking soda? That's another way to help figure out what you have. Thanks for stopping by!
The above has really helped, I have been getting worse and worse over the last month or so, I could go six months with maybe one "attack" and it would go away quite quickly after eating, lately I'm suffereing two or three times a week and they are getting worse! My girlfriend always knows when I've not eaten, or not eaten properly! I had the blood test this morning and because I could not eat first thing it has really messed me up, the weak feeling and confusion in the head is terrible, I felt I could not even go home from work for fear of crashing the car. I'm just glad I have read the above, as its really helped knowing I'm not alone.... Thanks guys.
Gareth, thanks very much for saying so and for adding to the group. I really hope you can find a way to make the attacks less frequent. A few times a week must be pretty tough to deal with. If anyone else has any ideas, please feel free to share.
Ive had hypoglycemia my whole life and yes it does suck. I Feel very dizzy all the time and I can get extremely angry when I do not eat something. I also get very shaky and do tend to sweat a lot. I am 18 now, and still having to deal with this, and feel light headed almost all the time. I do try to eat small snacks frequently but I get bored of them really quick. Any suggestions for a quick and easy to make light snack besides a pb&j sandwich?
Trey, hopefully people in your same situation will be able to give some good tips. If nothing else, on those occasions when you do feel normal and satisfied, write down what you ate so you can remember what foods are more beneficial than others.
I am 19 years old and in high school I had a issue with being hypoglycemic. I was told it was nothing I was just hungry until eating didn't help. I started to shake couldn't speak and my vision went blurry. My doctors said I over worked myself but I want a second opinion. I am a nurse so it was easy to learn about it. I now carry glucose tablets to help keep ky sugar up when I feel it dropping.
That's a very good, quick solution. It's sad how many doctors seem blind to hypoglycemia. It almost always seems like it's up to the individual to find their own cures when hypoglycemia strikes.
I am a 66 year old reasonably fit, slender woman. I have had "shakey" spells since earlu childhood. Just about the time I think I have a handle on how to prevent these episodes something else causes me to tip over. I went to the Mayo Clinic several years ago and after 3 weeks of intensive tests, the endocrinologist guru there, shook his head and said they could try some "cobalt tracing tests." I took my "strange and relavely unknown problem" home with no answers. He and his staff did get to watch me go from normal (119 b.s.) to off the charts 19 b.s. in a 10 minute span. They gave me glucagone by IV and I came back up.
I'm still searching for clues or ways to prevent it. It is getting worse as I grow older. My family has a strong history of type 1 diabetes, but no others that go this way.
My daughter was a very brittle type 1 with injects of two types of insulin 3 times a day. She did have occasional episodes of dropping down and I witnessed just such a session. The paramedics said she had zero blood sugar reading and she had a seizure. The glucagon was what saved her because she was unconscious and could not be given the glucose tablets.
Then last July, while in the hospital for treatment of diabetic related troubles, she dropped to zero and even the crash team could not save her. Cause of death was: hypoglycemia. She was 43.
I am going to try the Atkins low carb diet approach to see if it helps me. Do you know about any information about this problem or support groups?
I test about 3 to 9 times per day depending on whether I feel it start to drop but medicare won't pay for the test strips even though I have a doctor's prescription to do that. They only pay for them if you are using insulin.
For those who have been at 30 or 40, you have my sympathy. It is horrible to have a hard time remembering your name or convincing someone how sick you are. Thanks for listening (reading).
Man, that sounds really tough. I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter. Unfortunately, I don't really have any decent information about your questions. Hopefully someone else will be able to read and respond. It's so sad that medical professionals seem to be able to do nothing for this chronic condition.
Thanks for answering. Yeah I don't drink sodas but when I eat things high in sugar I can't control my shaking. I have been watching my diet lately and found that watching the sugar an carb content really helps. Thanks again :)
Eli, very cool. I really hope you can find the right combination of foods that help you not have to suffer from random bouts of hypoglycemia. Best of luck!
Nice article here. I will also like you to enlighten us on what to eat so as not to suffer from hypoglycemia.
That's really difficult to say. There are degrees of hypoglycemia and different bodies are effected by different foods. In general, avoid foods that are full of sugar, like soda and sweets. One commenter said that she's had hypoglycemia for 40 years and that a small glass of orange juice in the morning really helps her.
I am finding attacks of the sort that cause my feet to be life less. Initially it pains and then numbness covers. This feeling increases with passage of the day and evenings are worse for me. I become bed ridden. Fasting Sugar is around 80. Can minor deviations like this indicate of state of hypoglycemia? Improvement in the situation is gradual and takes around 30 days.
My body reacts adversely to minor deviations in harmones. Please suggest if you can, whether I should get treatment for HYPOGLYCEMIA.
Hmm, I don't know. I'm not medically trained or certified to give a diagnosis so I can't really say. But from the experience of many others, it doesn't sound strictly like hypoglycemia. It sounds as though you have a condition with multiple symptoms, one of which might be hypoglycemia. Hopefully someone else will have more answers for you.
To Ajeeta--I have my symptoms posted above and believe me when I say getting treatment for hypoglycemia is like looking for aliens. I have not found a single doctor (even the top notch guru of endrocrinologists at Mayo Clinic that spent 3 weeks of intensive testing on me) can't give me a single clue. I have had this all my life.
I have tried just about every solution known and some I tested on my own. The closest thing we have discovered is I have some "enlarged cells on my pancreas". That was discovered at the Mayo Clinic, but they can't tell me if that is what causes it.
I do know this much--having low blood sugar is a result of too much insulin, so I frequently have an overactive pancreas dumping too much insulin in my system. I have some of the other symptoms you put in your message, foot tingling and numbness and reacting adversely to hormone changes. I am not in any way a medically trained person (I was educated as a geophysist) and all I can tell anyone is how it is with me. On any given day, it will fluctuate and sometimes I hit the low 20's. At that point my partner has been told to give me a shot of glucagone (it is prescribed by my doctor and we keep the one shot dose). Otherwise, it is bad enough, I could lose consciousness and start to seizure as my daughter did before she died with a diagnosis of a hypoglycemic incident.
If you find out something about this stuff, please let me know. I am desperate to find some prevention because it is getting worse as I get older.
MY DAUGHTER IS 8 AND WAS JUST DIAGNOSED AS BEING HYPOGLYCEMIS.. HER READING WENT FROM 187 TO 52 WITHIN 30 MIN.. I HAVE BEEN TOLD WITH HER AGE IT WOULD EVEN TURN INTO JUV DIABETIC. IS THIS TRUE?
Thanks January for sharing that. I hope it helps.
Brenda, I don't know that that's certain. I'm not sure what steps you could take to try and keep that from happening, but I'm sure there are things you can do.
I've reead some of the comments posted and it's heartbreaking to see how the medical community still has no clue how to help people like us!
I was diagnosed at age 26 by my doctor during a yearly check-up. I had been getting heart palpitations and that awful jolt to your entire body in the middle of the night. I thought my whole life I was just a viciously cranky person when I didn't eat and that I was prone to being sad/depressed so I didn't mention those symptoms. He did an EKG and said I was ok. When the blood results came back he explained I had hypoglycemia and asked if I had been feeling ok lately? I had felt like hell for a long time and thought I was having a nervous breakdown. So my Dr advised me to eat like a diabetic, no sweets etc. I nearly fainted when he said no more bread and pasta! He didn't go into depth about my possible symptoms so I sstarted to do some online reaseach.
It took about a year to figure out what food helped or made things worse. But for many years I still struggled with the inability to focus and the sadness. My mom then got me a book called "ALTERNATIVE CURES" by BILL GOTTLIEB which had a section on hypoglycemia! I purchased the mineral vitamins he recommends for hypoglycamics and the amino acids he recommends for depression and I felt a difference within two days!
...I just want to let everyone know what stuff to try so they don't have to buy the ALTERNATIVE CURES book..
These are two amino acids (natural proteins) help with the depression that's associated with hypoglycemia:
5HTP (You can buy it at Walgreens,look for buy one get one free sale)
DLPA (I've only found it at Vitamin Shopp)
Take one of each 3x day to start with, preferably between meals or with a lite snack or milk for best absorption, not a big meal. Then after a couple of weeks you can start to taper down to twice a day. You can then go down to once a day. I tried stopping altogether but found that the sadness and inability to focus started to return so I stick with it.
MULTIMINERAL VITAMIN is a MUST! (I've only been able to find a decent one at VITAMIN SHOPP). You have to find one that has a good amount of minerals because regular vitamins DON'T. Hypoglycemics lose A LOT OF MINERALS and the mineral loss makes hypoglecia fatigue worse!
FISH OIL, once a day
GLUTAMINE (you can get it at Vitamin Shopp) Glutamine is another amino acid that helps elevate your sugar when it drops. You take one or two capsules and open them in a few ounces of water or right your tongue. It's slightly sweet. It helps me get stabilized when I'm very busy at work and won't be able to eat in the next 20 minutes, which is an eternity to a hypoglycemic. It only works temporarily so you have to plan to eat soon after that.
Another thing I do is make sure i eat every 2.5 hours and I have equal parts protein to match my carbs. I only have whole grain carbs like whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc. I also only have whole wheat crackers with equal parts or more of cheese, turkey, etc as a snack. Also, be sure to have a decent breakfast with sufficient protein!
Here is an example of my meals in a day:
BREAKFAST
one slice of whole wheat toast
one egg omelette with cheese
half of an orange
tea or decaf coffee with granulated sugar and milk
SNACK
half a slice of whole wheat toast with a good amount of natural peanut butter, same thickness as bread (read labels, don't buy it if it has added corn syrup or sugar! Trader Joes has a nice selection)
LUNCH
brown rice (handful)
beans (equal amount as rice)
chicken breast or beef (equal in size to rice)
salad (lettuce, tomato, onions, oil & vinegar)
SNACK
same as morning snack or toasted whole wheat bread with melted cheese and ham (be sure it's natural and doesn't have added dextrose!)
DINNER
same as lunch or substitute another whole grain and protein variation with vegetables.
BEDTIME SNACK (very important to keep blood sugar stabilized throughout the night. You'll be able to get sufficient sleep without that horrible adrenalin jolt that wakes up hypoglycemics when their sugar drops during sleep)
4-5 RYE TRISCUIT CRACKERS, or whole wheat crackers or half slice of whole wheat bread. Check labels, only buy crackers that are made with whole wheat flour, not mixed with white flour. Otherwise you'll still feel awful.
remember to eat every 2.5 hours and always have a bedtime snack (yes, just before getting into bed). Some people need to eat at shorter intervals and others can wait a bit longer. If you'll be awake for many hours after dinner be sure to have a small snack at appropriate intervals.
Good luck to all.
I was told I had mild hypoglycemia this past summer when I had an unexplained dizzy spell and my vision got blurry. I tended to get very disoriented while driving, and it felt like my eyes were playing tricks on me. I have always been a very active, healthy person. Now I suffer from fatigue, anxiety, and depression. I have frequent anxiety/panic attacks, which I suppose could very well be related to my blood sugar? I have been doing my best to monitor it but the anxiety and fatigue will not go away.
Nanda, thanks so much for your detailed food description. I'm sure that will really help a lot. Those are some great tips and suggestions.
Jen, that's sad to hear. I hope you can overcome it through watching what you eat and trying different things. Having blood sugar issues I could see definitely being linked to panic attacks. Once blood chemistry gets messed up, it can cascade into a plethora of different problems.
Wants to know how much time have to wait for My normal life....m felling better than before.......
You're very welcome Benjimester, glad I can offer some help. Figuring out how to manage this disease and its array of symptoms is an arduous road.
Has anyone been able to successfully manage their anxiety? I've been able to nip the sadness/depression with the amino acids I mentioned earlier (5HTP and DLPA). But I still haven't been able to fully eradicate the anxiety. I've noticed that pasta makes it a lot worse so I stay away from it. Also, having small quantities of desserts with high contents of flour and sugar increases anxiety the next day. I tried KavaKava which did absolutely nothing for me. I haven't found anything that works as well as xanax(alprazolam)-- which I only take in extreme cases because it's so addictive.
So would love to know if anyone has found something that works.
Hey Benji, just glanced at what I wrote on the bedtime snack. I forgot to mention that equal parts protein (cheese or sliced turkey) should be eaten with the crackers.
Also, a great link that helped me when I was first diagnosed is the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, www.hypoglycemia.org
Nanda, I just wanted to say thank you for all of your advice. I am so grateful that you shared everything you've learned about how to manage this! THANK YOU!
Also, Benjimester, thank you for hosting this page. It's one of the only truly helpful places I've come across online regarding hypoglycemia.
DJ, thanks so much for saying. I'm really grateful to all the different people who have posted. They've really made this page a truly great resource for people struggling with hypoglycemia and other issues. All the advice and different stories are just amazing.
I did some research recently and I've tried two things that have helped tremendously over the past week. I have way more energy and the anxiety has steadily dropped!!
1. I saw a PBS documentary on how probiotics help increase energy levels. I got one called Nature's Way Primadophilus Optima which has all the specifications recommended by the nutritionist on the program.
2. I also purchased Magnesium tablets 250mg. I take two tablets per day along with a multimineral vitamin (mentioned in a previous posting). I think this has helped because magnesium is one of the main minerals lost by hypoglycemics. I learned magnesium plays a key role in energy metabolism, protein synthesis, and neuromuscular transmission. I've been sleeping better and that awful jolt to the body in the middle of the night is gone.
I'm astounded by the tremendous difference these two things have made. By the third day it felt miraculous to have steady energy and to be rid of anxiety.
Hope it works as well for those who try it!
Thank you D.J, I'm so glad my suggestions were helpful to you. Good luck!
Nanda, you rock. That's some great research. I've used Nature's Way Probiotics before and can vouch that they're really great. I had no idea that they were useful against hypoglycemia though. That's awesome. Magnesium is another great idea that I wouldn't have thought of. Magnesium, apart from what you already mentioned, also is a great relaxer and sleep aid. Thanks so much for all you've done. I'm going to refer to your comments in the article to make sure that people scroll down and read them.
Hi,
I am 28, 5'4", 150 lbs, and fit. I am a cyclist and also work out evey day. The fitness program i have done in the past is P90X and currently doing Insanity.
I haven't been diagnosed with Hypo but I truely feel I do have it. I live in Cananda and normal sugar levels are 4.0 - 8.0
I have been having spells like this since college when I started losing weight. I use to weigh 196 lbs but lost 40lbs.....Now I am gaining muscle and toning.
I had a spell two weeks ago and when I checked my sugar it was the lowest it has ever been 4.2
These spells happen pretty much 2-4 hours after I've eaten or sometimes even only 1 hour after. I get dizzy, cold sweats, and SO shakey. Also at times when my level dips closer to a 4.0 I get very disorientated and can't think.
For example, I was doing laundry at my mother in law's house and had a spell (two weeks ago) suger went down to 4.2 and I knew I needed to eat or have some orange juice. I knew I needed to eat something but couldn't get my brain to think clearly enough to do it. Mother in law didn't have OJ but natural apple juice....my brain couldn't function to understand that the apple juice was just as good as the OJ.
One hard thing I have noticed is that if my sugars are in the "normal" range....my doctor won't listen. But if my sugar dips below 5.0....I get these spells.
Diabetes is huge in my family and it scares me that my doctor won't listen to me on this. She really is a wonderful doctor but last April when I mentioned this to her she brushed it off with "your fasting sugars are in the normal range"
Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can approach my doctor again this year (Appointment on April 15th for yearly physical)
One suggestion I have had by my cousin who is a Registered Dietitian is the follow the GI Diet. This is eating foods that are low on the Glycemic Index. Just a suggestion who those out there who are Hypo.
Anyways, if you have any suggestions please let me know :)
Aww thanks Benji! I feel honored that you've mentioned me in the article. I really hope it helps other people who are also struggling.
And I especially want to thank you for creating this wonderful forum where people can find support and have an ongoing dialogue about this serious illness. YOU ROCK TOO BENJI!! Maybe this is the setting where we'll all be able to find the solution to kick this thing in the butt once and for all!
That's so great how the probiotic worked in the past for you too. I just can't believe how well that magnesium works. I've been taking about 130% of the necessary daily amount. I actually haven't had the shakes when my sugar drops. And I've noticed I'm not crashing with fatigue by the time I should be having my next snack/meal.
Take care Benji :)
Beth, thanks very much for sharing your story. Your description sounds very indicative of hypoglycemia without diabetes. "I get dizzy, cold sweats, and SO shaky. Also at times when my level dips closer to a 4.0 I get very disorientated and can't think." It really is a scary thing that doctors seem to brush off hypoglycemia, especially in a case like yours, where you have a family history of diabetes. The GI diet is a very good suggestion. That's a good suggestion for just about anyone I think, not just those with hypoglycemia. One other thing that Nanda recommended was magnesium. That really helps with the anxiety and shakiness.
Nanda, you're very welcome! Your research and tips are awesome. I just hope that people take the time to read through them.
Beth, people who have hypoglycemia need to be very careful about their exercise regime since exercise lowers overall bloodsugar. I know from personal experience that overly rigorous exercise is a recipe for misery for those with hypoglycemia. You may need to cut down on the workouts and have frequent snacks with equal parts protein and whole grain carbs to get stabilized. Also, you can take magnesium tablets AND a good multimineral vitamin. If your body is telling you it's hungry and you feel shaky then it's time to eat -- even if it's only an hour after you've had a meal.
Like you, I also developed hypoglycemia symptoms in college. Intense exercise and a "healthy diet" that was healthy for normal people but not for those with hypoglycemia resulted in torture for me. Unfortunately I wasn't educated and regular medical checkups never caught it. Yes, I lost 30 lbs which gave the illusion of health but I felt miserable with the spectrum of hypoglycemia symptoms. The best advice I got from the medical profession was "It's only food cravings that you have to learn to ignore." Ignoring your body's signals is the worst thing you can do with this condition. Not until I was diagnosed years later did I learn that I really did need to eat every two hours when I got hungry -- and that it wasn't a food craving nor a food addiction!
Unfortunately many of us go to different doctors and get politely laughed out of the office (as other people have described above). I read somewhere once that this is the reason hypoglycemia is called "the disease of lost souls." So my advice is read as much as possible on the subject and keep trying different things until you arrive at solutions that help you feel an improvement.
Yeah, that's exactly right. Very good advice. Depending on the type of exercise, it can heighten the symptoms and effects of hypoglycemia. That's another thing that can be very helpful; keeping an exercise journal. Just like a food journal, an exercise journal can be kept to record what exercises were done, and how your body reacted. Over time, you'll be able to hone in on an exercise regime that keeps you feeling healthy and hopefully free of hypoglycemia symptoms.
Thanks Nanda and Ben! I appreciate your comments! It's very frustrating.
I am wondering, how is it diagnosed? a simple blood test? or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test?
I am playing with the idea of going to see another doctor who is a natropath. He is a two hour drive (4 hours round trip) to see him and it costs $100. I think that's pretty cheap considering Canada is almost entirely free for medical care. I guess I'll wait to see if my doctor takes me seriously this time and decide from there.
Anyway, if anyone can answer how Hypo is tested for, that woudl be a big help :)
Thanks so much!
Wow! this is all new to me. My son who is 18 just got diagnosed with reactive Hypoglycemia this past Friday. He has been having systems for months since last year. The doctors did not know what was going on. They had us do different test, but all came back negative. Our chiropractor friend checked him and he told us what it was. Amazing! We finally have peace in knowing what is going on, and we know now what to do and how to take care of it. Thanks everyone for coming on. I learned alot from your stories.
Beth, as far as testing goes, I'm not aware of any definitive test for hypoglycemia. Perhaps someone else will know of one. There are simple tests that show where your blood sugar is at, as you already mentioned, but I don't think they'll necessarily be be able to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia. Seeing a naturopath sounds like it could be a really good thing. The distance and money are definitely an issue, but hopefully they'll have some good insights that will make it worth it.
Concerned mom, that's good to hear that you at least were able to figure out what was going on with your son. Uncertainty can be the worst. I'm really glad you learned some things from the other commenters. I feel the same way; they have a wealth of great tips and ideas. Thanks very much for contributing.
My son was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia about 5 months ago. It was a lengthy process to get him diagnosed but a 5 hour glucose tolerance showed the result needed. My son is only 13 years old and at first resistant to eating every 2 hours. My son already has a restrictive diet, he has GERD, he was so not looking forward to even more restrictions. It took me a while to figure out that managing hypoglycemia is individual because of the diet and the things in play. My son is very active playing sports, so making sure his blood sugar does not drop while he is playing was a challenge. Protein bars have become our friend. I know my son wishes he didn't have to watch his diet. I feel better knowing what my son has and even better knowing we can manage it all.
I am looking to find out more information on hypoglycemia and the link if any to diabetes. I am hoping to find out if the doctors are right in saying reactive hypoglycemia leads to diabetes. The pediatric endocrinologist has advised me to keep my son active, watch his weight and diet. Is that all we can do???
Mary, that's really tough to already be dealing with hypoglycemia at 13. I'm sorry you have to go through that. I'm glad you've found ways to keep his blood sugar balanced while playing sports. That's always a challenge. In many cases, reactive hypoglycemia does lead to diabetes, but this isn't the case for all. I think many of the commenters have reported having hypoglycemia for many years but never developing diabetes.
The only silver lining in developing hypoglycemia at a young age is that at least he'll not be dumping horribly unhealthy foods and drinks into his body. I grew up in the age where energy drinks were just starting to come out. Many of my friends relied on them to stay awake, and just 10 years later are starting to experience far reaching side effects because of all the sugar and caffeine. So if nothing else, you can take some comfort in the fact that having reactive hypoglycemia prevents him from eating a terrible diet.
Hi. I saw the earlier comment about 5-HTP helping with depression related to hypoglycemia, and I was just wondering if you have any information on whether the 5-HTP directly affects blood sugar/insulin levels (versus just increasing serotonin)?
I've had undiagnosed reactive hypoglycemia since I was a teenager (in my 20s a doc finally said my fasting blood sugar was 70, so if I was having symptoms to just "eat like a hypoglycemic," but no explanation of what that was) and a less-than-stellar high-carb diet most of my life until about two years ago (age 39) when I was told I was insulin resistant/prediabetic. Last week I started seeing a therapist for binge eating disorder (which admittedly is wreaking havoc on my blood sugars), and she mentioned with my family history of rampant alcoholism and diabetes that the overeating could be more "chemical" due to lack of serotonin related to the blood sugar issues. (She said it's all very circular.) Anyway, the last two days I started taking OTC 50mg 5-HTP once per day which is helping somewhat with the binge & carb cravings and the anxiety/irritability, but I've noticed I've had extreme night sweats like when I overeat sugar (drenching-change-the-clothes-and-put-a-towel-down sweats) and still so noticeable episodes of the panicky/irritable/anxious/unable-to-focus like when my blood sugar is low. So I'm trying to figure whether the 5-HTP is messing with either my insulin or blood sugars, either sending it initially too high, or too low.
Also, the past two days I have enjoyed some really good dark (85% cacao or more) chocolate, but no other refined sugar or caffeine, and nothing in unusual amounts (no bingeing).
Any info you have, especially resources I can look up would be REALLY appreciated. I haven't been able to find anything to explain if there is a connection, but my instinct says there might be.
Alee, sounds like you've had a really rough time. Fortunately you found a great therapist who made a proper diagnosis. As far as 5HTP goes, I personally have never had any blood sugar issues due to it. I've been taking it along with DLPA for a few years now, off and on. I react very sensitively to any increased sugar or caffeine in the slightest amounts but never have had problems with these two amino acids. I learned about these amino acids in the book "Alternative Cures" by Bill Gotleib M.D.
Perhaps it was the caffeine in the 85% dark chocolate? Whenever I have more than 3-4 squares of the stuff I end up having sleep disruptions. Having it as dessert right after a meal helps reduce major spikes in sugar rather than having it alone in between meals. Also, keep in mind that your body is adjusting to major dietary changes now since you've reduced bingeing.
You may consider trying magnesium. I've taken magnesium tablets over the past couple of weeks and have had a huge improvement in my sleep. The anxiety and hypoglycemia fatigue is gone too!
Good luck Alee.
Also, Alee, you probably ought to consult with your doctor about sweating so profusely overnight. And be sure to check with your doctor prior to adding any natual supplements you find in your research, whether it's something you learn about on this site or other resources. Some people may have other health issues that need to be treated and that natural supplements may pose a problem for-- for example, kidney disorders.
Hope you feel better soon!
Update: Hi everyone, I went to see my doctor for my annual physical and she has decided to send me for a 2 hour oral glucose tolerance test! I am very happy that she has taken me serious this time! Hopefully the test will show something or help me understand what's gonig on!
Thanks so much for your input! :)
Awesome Beth. That's great news.
Can I post without an account?
Well glad I can post without an account. So I hear all of you speaking of these "attacks". I was hoping someone could identify with my symptoms... When I was about 8 months pregnant I started haveing these severe attacks of some sort. My symptoms are trembling, weakness in my legs, tunnel vision, mouth watering, inability to speak fluently, I have passed out completely 2 or 3 times and recently my body has started "seizing" with these attacks. Does anybody think this sounds like hypoglycemia?
After reading all of the previous posts and hearing the only one similar to my symptoms is now dead I thought I would give a little more information in hopes of receiving more education. The attacks started when I was pregnant almost 5 years ago at that time they said borderline gestational diabetes with no other info. the doctor told me to drink more water. I was already drinking a gallon of water a day literally I carried a jug with me because I was so thirsty. and actually I drank some water before the test which I'm not sure if I was supposed to do or not... I didn't mention that I do get the shakes when I'm hungry and if I haven't eaten in awhile like skip breakfast and head for a late lunch it seems like an understatement to call it the shakes. I have always gotten extremely grumpy when hungry. Now when I get the shakes then eat as quickly as I can because I suddenly feel starved then I become extremely tired. I also get extreme shortness of breath with my "attacks" for some of the more mild attacks I can bend over and take deep breaths to alleviate the symptoms. The more mild attacks are usually followed by many more in the same day whereas the very severe ones where my body spasms and I lose almosr all vision are much fewer and far between. Diabetes (the insulin dependent kind) does run in my family. The attacks are scary especially being a single mom with no insurance. I suppose the best I can do is try to have a more healthy diet but I would like some assurance that it is a poor diet that is causing these attacks and not something worse. I also had my gall bladder taken out a few months ago and have to avoid most fat. Somebody suggested hypoglycemia before my gall bladder thing and said I should increase my protein intake. So I did and it really seemed to help alot until I spent the month after mostly laying on the floor vomiting and lost 20 pounds until I was able to have the surgery. So I'm hesitant to try any sort of extreme diet change ever again. Perhaps a bit more than anyone wanted to know, but like I said this has been going on for almost 5 years and is progressively getting worse. The only medical advice I was ever given was drink more water. ha! FYI I never went to that doctor again but since I was 8 months pregnant no other doctor would take me because it was too much of a liability, my son was born in the ER. happy and healthy too :)
Legz, that sounds pretty rough. Sorry you have to go through all that. I hope someone with a similar experience can help. A lot of changes can happen during pregnancy, as I'm sure you're aware, and it can really throw the body for a loop. At first, I was thinking that since this all started during pregnancy, that maybe you were just experiencing a deficiency in a key nutrient like iron, and were suffering from something like anemia. But since you've said that the problem is ongoing, it sounds more like something relating to hypoglycemia. Maybe you could try a hypoglycemic food plan, like the one Nanda wrote about and see if that helps anything.
So, it sounds like I should finally start with a food journal. I have been hypoglycemic for most of my life, as my first horror story would be when i was 8 years old.
Sadly I didn't really recognize it as a 'disease' till this past year or so, up till then, it was almost humorous, as I would get pretty grumpy and unreasonable when hungry. But as I got older the symptoms got worse, and now on Easter morning I have had another attack, and I really can't take it anymore. I stupidly ate lots of candy before going to bed last night, and then to make it worse, I slept in very late, and didn't eat till well past noon...and by then it was too late as I was in the middle of an attack (anxiety, nervousness, shakiness, distorted vision, confusion). It's Easter, and I need to socialize, call relatives etc. but all I want to do is lay in bed by myself all day. Even now I am finding it difficult to read and type, and at age 22 these symptoms are all too familiar. But everytime I think I am in the clear this disorder throws me another curve ball. Whatever it is it is inherited, as my Grandfather on my mothers side has it (my mother warned me when I was young that I was probably hypoglycemic, as she had experience with it growing up with her father), but he has managed much better than I, largely due I think to being married at a young age to a wife (my Grandma) that never fails to prepare 3 solid complex meals a day for him! In any case, I want to express my gratitude for this page, as I have learned alot and plan to put some of it into practice asap...I want today to be the last day that I feel like this. I have a disorder, and I need to acknowledge it, and act (eat :) accordingly.
Oh, I almost forgot: what is everyones opinion on caffeine? Coffee specifically? I have had some mixed expereinces so haven't made my own conclusions yet.
Hi everyone! I have been in a similar situation to what a lot of you have already described. Quite suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, I would start having these horrible symptoms. I would start sweating, get shaky, have tunnel vision, at times I would actually faint, and I would also start to feel both claustophobic but also not want to be in my car or outside.
I started going to the doctor and since I have a history of mental illness in my family, I was really resistant to accepting a possible diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Out of everyone else in my family who has these mental illnesses, I have always been the type of person who felt like I could face things head-on. I'm just not at all the type of person who will let things get to me, I've always been very mentally healthy. I take the time to sit and think about things that are bothering me, I talk to people whom I have issues with, and I don't let things build up inside me. So it's just been boggling me why all of a sudden I get these attacks that are totally debilitating. I'm a third semester nursing student, and there are times where my attacks get so bad that I've had to leave school, because I'm simply overwhelmed with the amount of people around me, etc.
So my doctor prescribed me Xanax. I sometimes take it to pre-medicate myself before I'm put into a situation where I feel an attach might come on. For instance on Tuesdays, I have clinical. Thats the day where for 9 hours I go and practice as an RN under the supervision of my instructor. I know nursing can be a very stressful job, but like I said, I'm already at the end of my third semester and just now these attacks are happening. After reading everything on this website, I'm beginning to wonder if what's happening is that I'm having reactive hypoglycemia. As a student it can be very difficult to take breaks when we're supposed to and I also have to travel a very far distance to get to school. So I'll eat breakfast, sometimes at home, sometimes on my way to school at around 5:30 am, and then oftentimes I either won't get a lunch break or I won't be able to eat lunch until 12:30 or later. I have also put on a lot of weight since beginning school back in 2009, I've actually gained 80 lbs.
It sounds to me (and maybe this is just wishful thinking, because of my fear of having mental illness), but maybe this is what's really happening to me and it's not just panic attacks caused by anxiety. I've always been the type that only drinks diet sodas, and drinks that are like Crystal Light.
My question to everyone out there is....have any of you ever been in this same situation? And taken Xanax or another medication when you feel an attack coming on? And if so, did the medication help you feel better? Thats what happens for me, I'll take the medication and it will ease the panic attack symptoms, but I'm also beginning to realize that everytime the symptoms start to cease, I get very hungry as well. Any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be very much appreciated!!
finucanc1@mail.gtc.edu
Hey guys, sorry it's taken me a few days to respond. Easter and all :)
Adam, sorry to hear you had a bad Easter. Coffee and caffeine are definitely subjects of much debate, not only in the world of hypoglycemia, but just in general. If one were to line up the symptoms of excess caffeine intake and hypoglycemia, many of them would match. Too much caffeine leads to anxiety, shortness of breath, and general discomfort, just as hypoglycemia does. So in general, if you already know you have hypoglycemia, you might want to stay away from caffeine.
Cassandra, it sounds as though you have your hands full. Those are some good questions about Xanax. Hopefully others will be able to answer you questions. Your symptoms sound as though they might be a combination of different things beyond hypoglycemia, possibly even a vitamin or mineral deficiency of some sort. One idea that I'm really getting behind is taking a full spectrum green powder like Green Vibrance, that has a list of ingredients a mile long. That way, you can be sure that your body is getting all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs to run properly. I think minor deficiencies are major contributing factors to conditions in people's lives. But hopefully someone else will have better input for you.
Pretty much throughout my life I will get shaky before a meal and grumpy I always thought that was normal. The past 5 months I will wake up once a month dizzy, nauseous, weak, sweaty and basically look like a ghost. I'velearned if I don't eat something fast I will vomit. My doctor suggested it might be hypoglycemia. I was there before lunch time and he took my blood glucose (which I was starting to not feel so great) and it read at 71. By the time I got home and ate lunnch it actually took me over an hour to feel myself again. So while Im waiting on my meal plan I wanted peoples thoughts on this or suggestions on good foods to eat.
Yeah, that's definitely not normal. Everyone experiences some kind of symptoms when hungry, just so that our bodies can make us stop what we're doing and eat. But shakiness, dizziness, and irritability are generally considered symptoms of imbalanced blood sugar. As far as food is concerned, definitely start avoid foods high in starches and sugars, and start eating foods that have a low glycemic index. Also, it's usually important to eat about once ever 2.5 hours or so, to make sure your blood sugar levels stay balanced. I'm sure other people will have some thoughts.
I resently passed out form having low blood sugar. It was very scary for me and very weird. I ate a PBJ at noon and I did not feel hungry at all the rest of the day. I wa at a friends house and all of a sudden I got to feeling sick , then got blurry vision, and then I passed out. In the past i did get dizzy but never passed out. Why did it happen all of a sudden like that?
Jess, I'm sorry to hear that. That must have been scary. Are you sure you passed out from low blood sugar? There are other reasons that you might faint, one of which is low iron. Having low iron in your blood can cause you to faint as well.
Hey Benjimester :) Thanks for responding. Funny you mentioned iron deficiency as a possible cause because I have been anemic for over a decade except while I was pregnant. I am anemic once again since he is four, but ironically he is too. So we both take iron supplements. I didn't get approved for medicaid this go around so no doctor for me, but I am working diligently at improving my diet. Haven't started my food journal yet... I need a new planner becoming a better eater also means becoming a better grocery shopper! Glad your site is here, it's comforting in some way to know other people are struggling and over-coming similar symptoms.
And to Christy I would make sure to get a pregnancy test ASAP... if you haven't already.
Legz-thanks so much for trying to help me out. I have taken 2 pregnancy tests plus one at the doctors and it was negative. My doctor is a bit baffled to why I get sick to my stomach once a month. I'm not giving up though, id love to know why I begin to feel even worse when my monthly cycle is due!
Christy, I get very sick when I get my cycle, you are very lucky to only get it once a month. I have been flowing for 6 weeks now. I get very sick and spend the first couple days pretty much entirely in the bathroom. I wish I could tell you what helps. So far I have only discovered a hot bath to help and in my younger days I would participate in some herbal extracuricular activities that helped. Nausea only happened to me when I was pregnant and after pregnancy only when I have to sneeze :) A prenatal vitamin does seem to be helpful for some things but honestly the best thing was starting the depo shot and I didn't have a period for almost 7 months, that was awesome!!!! meant I wasn't sick for almost 7 months. Good luck!
I will try a diff vitamin, thnks for the suggestion. I'm about to switch doctors. Two weeks ago he said he was ordering test strips to monitor my blood sugar. I've called twice and haven't received a response yet. Its so frustrating. I'm a babysitter and I was busy and forgot to have a snack. I needed to feed a hungry baby and my hands were shaking so bad I could hardly get the spoon in her mouth.
Hey I was diagnosed a year ago with hypoglcemia. I have always had the shakes, I got them as an inherited trait from my fathers side of the family. I get dizzy spells and a few times I have actually fallin over.
I have done some research and it is mostly connected with diabetis, but I dont have that. I have found that my shaking gets a lot worse when I dont eat.
But what I don't know is how I got it. I don't drink and I am not on any meds and my diet isn't bad. Any suggestions?
Hmm, that would be really hard to say Brooke. Some people just seem more disposed to hypoglycemia than others. Just like a lot of people have lactose intolerance that just seems to develop over time, more people seem like they're developing hypoglycemia these days. But there are definitely things you can do to minimize the symptoms. If you read some of the comments, people have the greatest success dealing with hypoglycemia when they avoid refined sugars and eat lots of meals. That helps the blood sugar stay balanced throughout the day. The worst thing is when you either don't eat, or eat snacks filled with starches and refined sugars that make your blood sugar spike and then crash. The book I listed is really helpful also.
After years of experimenting I've learned to NEVER skip meals, eat plenty of high protein snacks, and NEVER eat or drink any high carb foods such as cakes, pies, cokes,cookies, breads, and especially sweet tea and coffee etc between meals or on empty stomache accept when treating low blood sugar. Then consume a modest amount of sweets followed by a liberal dose of high protein foods such as meats, beans, nuts, etc. Also blood sugar is most sensitive after waking and generaly becomes less so as the day progresses. So a strong breakfast should be of the utmost importance. Also keep in mind that the harder you work your body the more energy you use. Energy is provided to the brain in the form of glucose. If you have reactive hypoglycemia your body is not storing or not utilizing stored glucose so it has to be deliverd directly via the stomache to the blood stream. By all means excercise, just remember the more energy you use the more you need to provide. Lastly it's so much easier to maintain proper sugar levels than it is to correct improper sugar levels. Good luck.
Those are all really awesome tips. Thanks very much for passing that along. You're very right about never skipping a meal and always staying away from things overly sweet. What you said about maintaining verses fixing poor blood sugar is dead on. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure :)
Hey Benji how r u? it's been a while...
I've been doing some experimenting with eliminating gluten from my diet, while maintaining a good hypoglycemia prevention regimen. I've been eating gluten-free whole-grain breads instead of whole wheat. Since going off gluten I've had better results keeping my sugar balanced. The anxiety related to hypogl. has rarely occurred. Magnesium tablets helped to greatly reduce the anxiety, but I've found that removing gluten helped stave off the anxiety and shakey feeling further. I also stopped breaking out when I have milk or yogurt since going off gluten. Overall I feel better.
There's a link between hypoglycemia and mineral deficiencies like magnesium loss. I read that people with gluten allergies also lose their ability to naturally absorb magnesium in their intestines due to damage done by gluten. When they go off gluten the ability to absorb magnesium is restored. I figured there might be a link between loss of magnesium in hypogl. and gluten allergies. I thought perhaps going off gluten might help and it has! At times I've reintroduced whole wheat and I notice after a few days that the shakes/anxiety come back.
Hope this helps other readers! Take care Benji!
Howdy, I've been great. Thanks. Just been busy these days. That's really interesting about magnesium deficiency relating to hypoglycemia. I hadn't heard that before. Magnesium is awesome because of the calming effect. More and more, gluten is starting to be shown as a culprit to a lot of people's conditions. I'm not surprised that cutting out gluten had positive effects. It sounds like you're really honing in on exactly what your body needs. I hope people take the time to read about your experience. They'll learn a lot. Thanks so much for posting!
No problem Benj, thanks to you for maintaining this terrific site! It's a great resource.
Best to all.
I am a Dr with hypoglycemic attacks.When I explained it to another specialist I could see he thought I was crazy
Myra, that's sad to hear. I would think that a specialist in a similar field would at least be open to hearing the ideas of another specialist.
I have not read all comments yet. But before I forget what I have digested I write these randomly. Hypoglycemia and diabetes are opposites. But both show that our body is hard up in handling sudden surge and sudden fall of blood sugar. In hypoglycemia what is important is the abrupt fall in sugar level that almost no energy is left for the brain. That brings on dizziness. Passing out is due to low energy for the brain. Shaking means low energy for muscles.Your body gets energy from gluconeagenesis or converting fats to energy which is slow and you come to again. Brain cells use 7.5 times energy as much as muscle cells that is why the brain is the first to "complain" for lack of energy. Brain damage due to hypoglycemia is irreversible; it should be avoided. Depression might follow.Processed food like white sugar, white flour bring on hypoglycemia. Glucose incites attack because it goes to the blood directly which the body cannot handle properly that is why a candy is no remedy. Fructose is better, it comes from fruit and honey. Fructose converts first to glucose. The trick is to maintain a steady level of energy by eating short meals and snacks. I suspect hypoglycemics who belong to a family with a history of diabetes got their affliction by culture. That is, since the family has a history of diabetes and being wary of becoming diabetic they deny themselves enough energy resulting in low energy thus hypoglycemia. A diabetic who uses extra drugs to control that syndrome can graduate into a hypoglycemic precisely because not enough energy is stored. Heavy exercise uses a lot of energy to the extent that not enough is left for the brain and other parts of the body resulting in hypoglycemia. The glucose tolerance test that I know of is 6 hours. I suspect that doctors do not review much on hypoglycemia because it is a rare condition. The body should be enabled to handle sugar like avoiding binge with sweets; protecting the insulin receptors from damage by free radicals; and enabling the insulin to store glucose. You might have plenty of glucose but if not stored as glycogen in the liver they would just be roaming around. Chromium binds insulin to insulin receptors so that glucose gets stored in muscle cells.The book of Betty Kamen Ph.D. The Chromium Connection" might help. The extra glucose converts to glycogen. When energy is needed the hormone glucagon converts glycogen to glucose.Food with low glycemic index, like colored rice, get digested slowly making you feel full and stay longer without getting the hunger pang.An abrupt fall of sugar level in half an hour gives you an attack. It should be countered with a short meal of colored rice. White rice is of course processed with only the starch left. Crackers is not much of help because of white flour, another processed food, and refined sugar. Muscovado sugar serves better. If you don't get enough chromiuim from your regular diet, taking a supplement like brewer's yeast (not baker's yeast) is advisable or chromium picolinate. These got trivalent chromium which is appropriate for diabetes and hypoglycemia. For now these are my random thoughts. I have a Hub "Why Does Diabetes Turn Worse When Chromium is Missing?" Hypoglycemics may also benefit from it. Just wait I may write a Hub on hypoglycemia.
I edited my Hub to "Why You Should Not Miss Chromium in Treating Diabetes Type 2.
Thanks for all the great info Conrad. You definitely should write a hub on hypoglycemia :)
Benjimester, you got it! I just posted a Hub "How to Counter Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)" I hope it will help fellow hypoglycemics out there. For those who have not encountered it, prevention is the better course to take. Once it got to you, hypoglycemia is hard to dry away.
Definitely, prevention is much better than trying to treat it once you have it. I try and stay away from refined sugar as much as humanly possible.
As a teenager I would have these symptoms. I don't know if I just had started eating better, or if pregnancy played a part, but since having children, I seemed to have gotten a bit better, (exept for having a severe increase in anxiety)though I'd still get the shakes every once in a while. My 6 year old was diagnosed in March with type 1 diabetes, and since then I have been gaining weight and sleeping poorly. But I have also noticed some severe episodes of shaking, and unlike when I was younger, just having a snack has not been enough. It feels like it takes forever before I start to feel better, no matter how much I eat. I tried once taking one of my son's glucose pills when I felt it starting, as an experiment, and that really seemed to end the episode almost immediately, at least long enough to eat dinner. But I guess what I'm really wondering is, could this all be in my head? Could I be having sympathy symptoms brought on by my son's diagnosis? I have tested several times, but usually I had already eaten something 10+ minutes before, and was still in the range of "Normal," although the low end. Tonight though, I tested when I started to feel bad for the 2nd time in a 5 hour period, and had a 58. Or is it just that I'm more aware of what those symptoms mean? I don't know. I feel like I've lost my mind, or my body is just seeking attention. Any ideas?
Hmm, I definitely don't think it's all just in your head, especially if you had already experienced symptoms as a younger person. I'm sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis. That's gotta be really tough, especially at such a young age. Personally, I don't trust the "ranges." All they really tell you is what's normal for the average person.
For me, keeping a food journal has been super helpful. I now know that protein is the only thing that really makes me feel good. Because of how long it takes to digest, I can make it meal to meal just fine. If I eat more than just a few carbs in a meal, especially ones with any kind of refined sugar, I feel lousy. Even eating too many vegetables with a meal makes me feel pretty horrible.
When you're trying to figure out what foods make you feel good and what foods set you down the path of feeling lousy, a food journal is really helpful. I'm also personally a big fan of the blood type diet. That's how I originally learned that I needed to eat much more protein than most people. Once I learned that my body was unique and needed different fuel from other types of people in order to feel good and stay in good health, that's when I started experimenting and trying to find a unique diet that kept me feeling great. It's important to realize that your body is unique and responds uniquely to food.
I've been suffering the symptoms of hypoglycemia since middle school, and I'm finding it to get worse as I get older. Recently I've been having more panic attacks and I didn't realize it could be blood sugar related. I told my doctor and he just told me to eat more protein. I've tried but I don't really think it makes much of a difference. My father was diagnosed with diabetes around the same time I myself started feeling the symptoms. I'm hoping this hypoglycemia isn't a sign that I'll develop diabetes anytime soon. I guess for now my best bet is to try and stay healthy and carry juice boxes with me everywhere. It's bizarre though, I'm never sure if I should either eat no sugar, or eat sugar when I have these attacks. I don't want to be eating myself into a circle.
Rachael, hopefully through healthy eating and exercise, you can keep from getting diabetes. If you read through the comments, there are a couple of people who have some really great meal ideas and things you can try eating to help with hypoglycemia. You should check them out. It might help a lot.
I remember Nanda mentioning glutamate. Glutamate and glutamine are food for the brain. They originated from glucose thru the process called Kreb's cycle. Glutamate gets through the membrane of brain cells and gets converted to glutamine to take away the ammonia in the brain (amine) which is toxic. In other parts of the body ammonia is excreted thru urine. In the brain thru glutamine. That's the reason why glutamate relieves hypoglycemic attack. My Hub "How to Counter Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar" give details. I find chromium a great help to counter insulin resistance, sometimes called syndrome X by Dr. Reaven, a case when you have plenty of insulin and still suffer from hypoglycemia. It is more likely you will graduate into hypoglycemic because you deprive yourself of energy, fearing obesity than graduate into diabetic from being hypoglycemic. Try to pinpoint areas of anxiety, aside from hypoglycemia itself. My experience is that I have myocardial ischemia which I worry about a lot that triggered my hypoglycemia. I am dealing with the causes of heart disease as a way to get rid of hyploglycemia.
That's some great information about glutamate. I didn't know that. Very good to know. You're very right about trying to get rid of anxiety. That only exasperates the condition. Thanks very much for all your info!
the article is really helpful cause last month I did suffer from this condition and I have no history of diabetes type 1 or diabetes type 2. thanks you
You're very welcome. Thanks for stopping by!
I'm glad that I found this site. At least I know that I am not alone.
I have had hypoglycemic episodes on and off for years. I'm 37. It used to only happen if I had gone a long period without eating or without eating protein, etc. I used to eat a lot of refined foods, etc. White bread, pasta, etc. I grew up on a typical meat/potatoes diet.
Anyway, over the last year, I have started to have slight attacks immediately after eating. They would last anywhere form 30 minutes to an hour then subside.
3 weeks ago, I had an attack immediately after eating a much too large plate of egg noodles. I has mixed in some sweet peas, some mayo and shredded cheese. I had not really eaten all day and only had some coffee a couple of hours before that. I'm not sure why I did such a stupid thing that day. I would normally not just have coffee and then eat a large quantity of food like that in the evening.
The attack came on right as I was finishing the pasta. But, instead of passing I was sick all night. Terribly ill. I was weak, felt nauseaus, was in a state of confusion/panic, I felt like I was going to pass out or lose consciousness. I begged for an ambulance a couple of times.
Finally after trying a few different things like orange juice etc. It finally subsized hours later.
The next day it happened all over again.
Day 3 it happened on and off all day. By day 3 I could barely walk from the couch to the bathroom I was so weak. Nothing I ate or drank helped.
Later that night, I was able to feed myself small amounts of beef stew. After about 3 small servings of that I started to come alive again.
I switched to a much healtier diet over the last 3 weeks. Really cut out simple carbs a lot. Not completely, but better than before.
I make banana/spinach/organic plain yogurt smoothies sometimes with a little portion of berries or pineapple in the morning and eat black beans with fresh minced garlic, beef stew (since that helped me so much, oatmeal.
I was doing good until I had another attack yesterday. I woke up late and did not have my smoothie until close to 1pm instead of at like 10am and then instead of waiting 1-2 hours and then eating lunch, I ate lunch right after the smoothie.
By the time I finished the lunch, a major attack came on. I was alone this time. Orange juice was not helping, nothing. I ended up going to the ER. My father took me.
Before my father picked me up, my neighbor had me eat a sugar wafer. Pure sugar. I felt my blood sugar rising, but painfully. Then on the way to the hospital I felt like I was crashing again.
I was so sick. By the time I got to the ER and they saw me, my blood tested at 118. Well, of course after OJ and a sugar wafer.
The ER doctor was rude, condescending and would barely let me speak and would walk away after a few seconds.
He dismissed me as having a panic attack. Well, duh.....one of the body's defense mechanisms during a hypoglycemic episode is a rush of adrenalin. It's really like an involuntary panic attack. Besides, these episodes are scary and you feel like you are dying.
Anyway, the doctor and nurse claimed that I have no proof that I have a blood sugar anything. Gave me a shot of Ativan and sent me home. I felt like an idiot for even going there. Now I will have a large bill for nothing. I have no medical insurance and no way to pay for right now.
I should have stayed home and rode the waves like I did 3 weeks ago. Now I know better. I was advised to go see a specialist. Well, again no insurance/no money and frankly I don't think that I will fair much better with a specialist. Many doctors that I have dealt with are just like that ER doctor.
Funny thing though, my chiropractor said it right away after I told her about my episode 3 weeks ago. She IMMEDIATELY recognized it as reactive hypoglycemia. She said that I eat and shoot up high really fast and then crash really fast.
She said that it can take weeks for the body's chemistry to recover from an episode like this and that I have to be really careful. Well, obviously, I was not careful enough yesterday.
I had an episode come on tonight. I was doing pretty good today, eating in intervals. For some reason after my latest small meal, I felt an episode coming on.
My dad bought me some Dex4 fast acting glucose tablets. I immediately took 2 of those and within 15 minutes I started to feel better. Now, I'm writing this post.
Thanks for listening/reading.
Lynn, those attacks sound really awful. It's going to take awhile for you to figure out which foods are safe and which foods set you off. That's good that you've cut out simple sugars.
Doctors are really starting to frustrate me. It's almost like if they can't give you a prescription for it, they don't want to deal with it. Hang in there. It'll get better as you begin to take not of your body's habits and the things that set off the reactive hypoglycemia.
I had glanced at alcohol in the comments. Hangover from a drink is hypoglycema. The liver converts alcohol into formaldehyde, among others. Formaldehyde hardens the liver and causes cirrhosis. Formalin is actually formaldehyde at 67%. As you know, formalin is used for embalming. Cirrhosis is embalming while the person is still alive, according to Dr. Elmer Cranton, MD in his book "Bypassing Bypass." Glycogen is stored in the liver and if the liver is destroyed....
I was 15 when i missed school one day, trying to convince my mom i didnt feel right. I dont remember too much, but i ended up at my aunt and uncles on their couch with a snicker bar and rootbeer, and the little test strip things, it read 37 my blood sugar was at. Ive had episodes since, and luckily my doc did diagnose me with hypoglacemia. Im almost 19 now, its real serious what it does to you.
Conrad, that's scary, being mummified while still alive. Makes you look at alcohol in a different way.
Cynthia, for sure, it's very serious. It's really good though that you've gotten a head start on your hypoglycemia, with doctors who are diagnosing it for what it is. With time and a little effort, you can overcome it.
Benjimester, remember Dr. Salk? He used formaldehyde to kill and harden the polio virus so that its size and shape would be intact. It is the shape and size of the virus that incite the immune system to produce antibodies against the bug. The Salk vaccine is safe because the virus used in making it had been killed with formaldehyde. I have a Hub "A Theory of How Salk Vaccine Kills the Polio Virus It Marked with Antigen." The Sabin polio vaccine (invented by Dr. Albert Sabin)which uses weakened (but still alive) bug had been phased out in the United States since 2000 because some weakened virus can mutate into virulent ones and infect. The vaccinated person may not get polio but another unvaccinated person who may come into contact with him is vulnerable.
You may still enjoy alcohol. A healthy liver can metabolize 30% to 40% proof alcohol (gin, whiskey, vodka) at the rate of 30ml per hour (WorldBook 2005).
If you drink alcohol at the same rate that it is metabolized no harm is done on your liver, assuming other things are alright (Fontanilla, C.D. "PhilNONI Helps the Liver Detoxify the Body." Benefits Derived from PhilNONI. 2008).
That's good to know. I'm not much of a drinker these days though. I didn't know that they used formaldehyde to make vaccines. That's pretty cool. Makes sense.
I also would like to point out a reason for hypoglycemia and chronic fatigue: adrenal fatigue/exhaustion. Cortisol controls blood sugar and if one has been/is stressed beyond the capacity of the body to cope [such as death of loved one, divorce, bad marriage, etc] adrenal fatigue can set in. The body is overwhelmed and critical stress hormones can rise [early stage adrenal stress] later to dive leading to a domino effect. Hypoglycemia in middle to late stages of adrenal exhaustion.
Very true. Adrenal fatigue can definitely be a precursor to hypoglycemia. I think that has to do with the blood sugar effects of cortisol, but I'm not positive.
I have been testet on hypoglycemia but the test was normal. Fortunately my doctor said that it didnt have to mean anything. I had a food journal and it was clear that long periods without food (in my case 2, 3 hours) cause low bloodsugar as do heavy meals. I always have food on me and sometimes I even wake up hungry at night. Over the years it has been easier to cope with it an anticipate problems.
Anouk, that's great that you've learned how to cope with it. Food journals are really helpful. Having good eating habits can really help deal with hypoglycemia.
Question for you all. I've been having a lot of the symptoms that you all have been talking about. One thing that I've been dealing with lately is trouble breathing correctly. I don't mean it in a way like I'm breathing rapidly and having a panic attack. I'm having trouble breathing when it comes to hot and/or humid weather. Has anyone had that?
Hmm, I haven't heard of that in connection to hypoglycemia. Hopefully someone else will be able to answer your question.
I glanced over Cassandra's comment. Hallucination is a symptom of hypoglycema. It is not mental illness that is getting you. Its just that the brain is lacking energy. I have not taken Xanax nor read about its content. But judging by the length of intervals between your meals, you would really get hungry to the point of lack of energy which should be avoided. Try to read my Hub "How to counter Hypoglycema (Low Blood Sugar)."
Cool, thanks for that extra info. Hopefully she'll stop by again and see that. Hey how do I get to your profile? Your comment name never has a link to your profile. I'd like to check out some of your hubs.
Benjimester, my subdomain is conradofontanilla.hubpages.com.
Anouk's plight looks like a case of insulin resistance. Even when insulin is abundant and sugar is abundant in the blood she still gets hypoglycemia. This happens when glucose does not get into cells because insulin cannot drive it. Chromium might be able to help by binding insulin to insulin receptors so that glucose can get into cells. Trivalent chromium, the appropriate variety, is available in brewer's yeast (over the counter), not baker's yeast.
Pete's complain. It is hard to diagnose when only a few symptoms are mentioned like hot and humid weather. Did he smoke but halted it, or does he still smoke? Does erratic breathing occur after heavy exercise? even when resting? Had he been exposed to stream smoke? to pollution? Is he losing weight? Did he have a check up what indicators did the doctor tell him? I will make a guess, he might have dyspnea. There might be some damage in the lung due to pollution or cigarette smoke. If exposed to smoke he might have the centrilobular type of emphysema. If exposed to pollution, infection in the lungs causes increased population of macrophage (immune system component) in the lungs that produce proteolytic enzymes that do damage on lung tissue which inhibit collagenase. When collagenase is insufficient, extra lung tissue destruction is triggered. The result is pancinar emphysema. In layman's language,emphysema makes air sacs and air passageways inelastic resulting in breathing difficulty. Sometimes airsacs collapse.
Hmm, dyspnea, that's interesting. You could be very right. Hopefully he'll come back and give some more info.
Hi Everyone,
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes right before my 17th birthday and I am now 24. I take anywhere between 5 to 7 shots a day to control my blood sugars. Just lastnight I experienced a very scary issue with hypoglycemia, that I have never before. I noticed that my sugar level was low, 43 and took responded to it right away. As time went on my mouth(which happens alot),inner thighs, stomach, arms and even my back went completely numb. I've never been so scared in my life, thank god I was with my parents and they had to call 911. I was treated for hypoglyecmia. I have just never delt with it affecting almost every part of my body, and going numb. The doctor said in the hospital that its common. I just wasnt sure if it was an allergic reaction to something I ate, or my sugar til I got the right treatment and answers.
I wrote this post so that anyone with diabetes or hypoglycemia can see that it affects all over the body.
I hope this is an important message to those that may have the same symptoms.
Take care!
I am a normally heathy 38 year old female. I eat a balanced diet, which includes 3 meals/day and healthy snacks. I exercise regularly, although recently have been too tired. Last week, I had a physical done due to chronic exhaustion, dizziness, headaches, irritability and depression. I also experience frequent night sweats and nightmares. My doctor ordered blood tests (although I wasn't fasting). Results indicated that my glucose level was 57. I was also diagnosed as extremely anemic. My doctor put me on iron supplements and suggested that I eat 6 small meals per day and reduce my sugar intake. Although I eat lots of carbs, they mainly consist of whole grains and fruit. I also consume little sugar. She requested that I return for follow up blood testing in 12 weeks. However, the more I read about hypoglycemia, the more concerned I am. Should my doctor be ordering additional tests? Is there anything I should be doing on my own? Could this be a result of an allergy such as celiac disease? I am feeling worse and can't wait 3 months for additional answers. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Amyfer's concern, Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar falls below 50 mg/dl (Faelten), or 40 milligram percent (DeBakey and Gotto). It is detected by a 6-hour glucose-tolerance test. This test shows not only the level of blood sugar but also the rise and fall of sugar level. The sudden rise or fall of level is important. Try to read my Hub "How to counter hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar" conradofontanilla.hubpages.com. The more likely test you might need is the 6-hour glucose tolerance test. Eating colored rice counters my episodes. Don't wait for hunger pang or dizziness. Relie on time intervals like 2 or 3 or 4 or 5. In my experience when I started colored rice, my time interval of meals was short that became longer as I progressed. To stabilize at 4 or 5 hour intervals is okay. Even astronauts (who are normal in sugar level) are required to eat at 4 to 5 hour interval. Your 3 meals a day might be inadequate. Colored rice has low glycemic index, it is more complete than white rice (if you eat white rice). White flour, refined sugar (muscovado is better) worsen hypoglycemia.
conradofontanilla,
I just saw your post. I work from home, so I'm not in contstant air pollution. I don't live in the city either, so I don't think polluted air is part of it. I haven't smoked in the last 10 years and before that I wasn't a heavy smoker either (maybe 1/2 pack per week), so I don't know if that has anything to do with it either. I did go to my normal doctor and he said that it was anxiety. Not really sure where to go from here. I have no appetite, I get light headed every now and again, I can't sleep because I keep getting these jolts (for lack of a better word) in my head when I'm just about to fall asleep. Sometimes the jolts trigger a movement in my body like moving my leg or arm.
Any comments or suggestions?
conradofontanilla,
In answer to your other questions. I have a hard time breathing when the weather gets hot & humid. It's like I'm not sucking in enough oxygen. When I exercise I wouldn't say it's worse. I feel like I don't have as much breath to go run around with the kids or exercise.
I do have the trouble breathing when in the hot humid weather even when resting. I feel like I need to turn on the AC and get cool dry air.
Mel, yeah that's really scary. Numbness all over the place would scare me a lot too. Thanks for sharing that so if others experience similar symptoms they'll know what it is and how to deal with it. Thanks everyone for making this page so useful to people. And thanks Conrad for sharing your medical knowledge.
Pete's concern: Anxiety is a symptom of hypoglycemia which has about 40 symptoms. Here's what Katherine Wright says: "Other immediate causes or factors which can contribute to an attack include a higher than normal intake of alcohol, change of injection site, and hot weather (which affects insulin/glucose metabolism)" (Wright, K. "Hypoglycaema." A Guide to Diabetes. 2004:113-125). If Ms. Wright is right (!) your difficulty in breathing during hot/humid weather is a symptom of hypoglycemia.
PETE:
I know exactly what that awful jolt feels like. I take magnesium tablets which diminish the jolts and the anxiety. I read that asthma is associated with magnesium deficiency (book: Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb). Magnesium may also help with your breathing issues.
I posted info on magnesium months ago. I felt an improvement within a few days. I now don't need to take it daily. My body lets me know when I need to start again because the jolts and anxiety come back.
If your symptoms don't improve with magnesium supplements, you may want to consider getting checked for lyme disease with a lyme-literate doctor (since you live in a rural area). But it sounds like you probably have a mineral and magnesium deficiency commonly associated with hypoglycemia.
Good luck!
ps. When I began taking magnesium tablets I started at 500 mg daily for a period of 2-3 weeks (one 250 mg tab in the morning and another in the evening). I then began to feel so relaxed I reduced it to 250 mg. I now only take 2-3 times a week depending on how my body reacts. Sometimes I forget for several days and I feel a minor jolt that reminds me to start taking it again. I've also noticed it works well if I take it in the evening.
You'll have to figure out what amount and frequency works best for your body. I struggled with the jolts and anxiety for years and I'm so relieved to have found a solution with magnesium.
Hope this helps.
(wave "hello" to Benjimester)
Howdy to you too :) Thanks very much for stopping by every now and again and for sharing your experience. Now I'm really interested in doing some more research on magnesium now. It sounds really helpful.
Hi Benji, I have following symptoms: I start feeling giddy after every 3 hrs of having food and feel dizziness... I feel weak and without energy... I feel as if I'll faint if I don't eat.. I get cold sweat and my hands are shaky.. It's difficult for me to speak or to do any work till the time I don't eat..I also suffer from head ache and blurred vision.. there is pain in my eyes and eye-brows and as soon as eat again.. I am back to normal and this cycle keeps on repeating.. a showe to one doctor and he told me that I am suufering from Hypoglycemia and he asked me to eat regularly in every 3 hrs and not to keep any fasts... when I told my husband that I am suffering from hypoglycemia..he laughed on me and said that it's all psychological and not a disease... but I really feel nasty and without energy if I am without food for a long time.. Please advice me what is this...
Rolimittal -- from what you describe, it seems like you probably do suffer from reactive hypoglycemia. To some degree everyone feels negative side effects from not eating. We feel weak, fatigued, irritable, and many other symptoms. But people who suffer from hypoglycemia experience worse symptoms. They can actually faint, or lose the ability to function properly, among other things. Eating small meals every two hours or so seems to help a lot of people, just like your doctor advised. Also, cutting out simple carbohydrates, junk food, soda, and fast food also seems to help a lot of people in your situation. Simple carbohydrates found in fast food, snacks, and junk food get digested very quickly and can cause a quick spike to blood sugar, but later on, a hypoglycemic period can hit and come on really strong. I'm not a medical practitioner, so I can't give you medical advice, but those things I mentioned seem to help a lot of people.
Hi there. Thanks Benji for hosting and thanks to all who are participating in helping people with this condition.
I've been experiencing symptoms for the last 3 months. It first started with twitching of my finger and now it's random muscle pulses all over the body. Other symptoms include dizziness, light headedness, shaky, feeling hungry, blurred vision, sweating, waves of feeling sick and tingling in limbs. I've gone to see my family doctor twice now. First time he sent me to do a EKG and blood work. It all came back normal. The last time was for a physical and again things showed normal. He was indicating it is stress related and suggested seeing a psychologist. Just as I was leaving the office he did mention in passing that I could have hypoglycemia and to eat regularly and eat more protein. I didn't know much about it and now have stumbled across your postings.
Is the twitching and muscle pulsing a symptom? Is having waves of feeling sick also a symptom?
What is my next step to get diagnosed? Should I take the 6 hour glucose tolerance test? Do I ask my family doctor to do this? Should I buy a glucose tester myself and monitor my own blood sugar levels?
Thanks for helping, I really appreciate it.
It's funny, as I was reading your symptoms, the muscle pulsing and twitching jumped out at me. I'm not positive, but I don't believe that that's related to your hypoglycemia. The waves of feeling sick is also not generally considered a symptom of hypoglycemia. There are certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can cause muscle spasms and twitches and also nausea. So you might have something like a vitamin D deficiency or a vitamin B6 deficiency. Vitamin B6 promotes healthy skin and reduces hand numbness, leg cramps, muscle spasms and nausea.
As far as what you should do next for the hypoglycemia, what your doctor mentioned can really help. Eating more often and eating denser foods like protein and less simple carbohydrates can really diminish the symptoms of hypoglycemia. You might try cutting out as many snack foods, sodas, and fast foods as you can, as these are generally digested very quickly by the stomach and can cause spikes and dips in blood sugar. As far as self-testing goes, it can be really helpful if you feel comfortable using the different testing kits. You should probably consult your doctor before doing the tests because he'll probably have some good tips and can recommend certain ones over other ones. But check into the different vitamin deficiencies as well.
Hi. I've found that when I don't eat as much I do begin to feel dizzy and weak, and my csw at college says that sometimes I shake alot. Since my early teens i have had alot of trouble concentrating and speaking but i feel that it gets worse when i feel bad, my dad says that it could be hypoglycemia which is why i've started to research it. I alway keep a packet of biscuit and a couple of chocolate bars with me for a boost and my friends have become started to become aware of what to look for because sometime I just don't link it, (I often get migraine so thats what I conclude first).
I was just wondering if there is anything else that I could do to try and control this because I have my second year of college starting soon and I don't want to feel as bad as I did last year.
Hey KT, yeah there are definitely some habits and practices that you can try to help control your hypoglycemia. Cutting out junk food, snack food, simple carbohydrates and sodas from your diet can help a lot, and adding in more nutrient dense foods like protein. Also, eating small meals more often seems to help a lot.
What happens a lot with hypoglycemics is that eating easily digested foods like snacks and junk food causes a quick spike in blood sugar, but then a corresponding dip into hypoglycemia. So if you eat small meals of more nutrient dense food like protein and vegetables, and you eat every 3 hours or so, then your body breaks the food down slowly over a number of hours, and by the time your blood sugar begins to get lower again, you're ready to eat another meal and your overall blood sugar stays more consistent. Hope that helps.
Benji - great post, thanks for bringing this issue to the forefront - I have struggled with hypoglycemia since I was young and like others did not have it recognized or treated at the time. Over the years (I am 50) my eating habits have naturally evolved to support my hypoglycemia.
I avoid sugar drinks (I stick to herbal tea and water) no dairy except for yoghurt and cottage cheese, and like Nanda I found that avoiding gluten has made a vast improvement (I am gluten sensitive although not a celiac).
I also do not eat any animal meat except for eggs and fish because I recognize the protein is necessary - thanks for the tips on peanut butter, and magnesium - I am going to try that too.
I cannot too strongly emphasize that eating at least every 2.5 to 3 hours is crucial, and anytime I undergo any exercise I eat lightly beforehand too. I know I will have a reaction and put myself in jeopardy if I do not prepare beforehand.
Blessings and continual good health too all!
I am 27, work out and limit my sugar intake. However, lately I have been wondering about my blood sugar. I don't notice any issues after I eat, it's when I don't eat for a few hours. I get shaky and the irritability is so extreme I cannot speak or think about what to eat. I often times cry, seemingly without reason but I know it's because I'm hungry and need to eat. I can deal with the shakes since they go away as soon as I eat, but the irritability is uncontrollable and personally a far worse symptom than shaking. I ALWAYS have food on me and my friends have always called me a pig, accusing me of eating non stop. Is this something I should consult a doctor about or simply treat it by eating frequently?
You're very welcome Benji... hope those who stop by find the info helpful. Take care.
Toni, thanks very much for your advice. It's awesome to hear from someone who has been dealing with hypoglycemia for so many years.
Meg, you can definitely consult your doctor if you want to. But most of the time, there's really nothing they can do. They'll probably just tell you to eat more protein and eat more often. That's really what seems to help the most. Eating more complex nutrient dense foods, and eating them more often has helped a lot of people. For your shakes and irritability, a lot of people have had some great things to say about magnesium. It has a very calming and soothing effect on the body. Best of luck!
Nanda, you rock as always :)
Hey, so I've had reactive hypoglycemia for about 8 years now (I'm 21) but have had it probably for 11 years or so. So far I'm one of the few who have been going through this since I was a child. Of course the doctors said it was just a kid eating too much sugar and never believed that I really didn't eat sugar, because I would always get "sick". Unfortunately because I went years unknowingly consuming foods that worsened my condition, I became prone to hypoglycemia shocks. The day the doctors took me seriously was when I was 14 and passed out in the shower. Please for kids sakes really watch their sugar intake.
I've controlled it since then, but now I'm fearing I'm becoming a diabetic with hypoglycemia. I'm always thirsty, pee is clear, and a few other symptoms, of course the doctors see me as a college student with bad eating habits.. Anyone know someone in nyc that isn't expensive and listens to their patients?
Jacqueline -- I live in the opposite corner of the country, so I'm not going to be much help finding a good doc up there. Hopefully someone else will know. I'll second your plea, don't let kids eat too much sugar! I hope you find a good doctor.
Great article. I have been suffering from hypoglycemia most of my life, I'm 22 years old now. I have never bothered going to the doctor for the reasons stated above.
Furthermore, I workout everyday causing a hypoglycemic episode. My question is does anyone else get extremely nauseated after working out?
Lately i have been throwing up after my workout. In addition, I get extremely weak, disoriented, cold sweats, irratable, and can't think clearly (The typical hypoglycemic crash).
Prior to working out, eating protein bars or peanut butter sandwiches help, but peanut butter and protein bars are extremely high in sugar causing a crash very soon after.
Does anyone have suggestions for a healthier pre-workout snack or supplement to counteract the hypoglycemia?
Currently, I do not take any protein or body building supplements. I have taken protein supplements and multi-vitamins but all have nasty side effects (kidney stones, diarrea, etc).
Finally, Do the glucose tablets work or is there a better supplement for maintaining blood sugar levels.
Thanks, and great comments as well.
Hey there. As far as protein supplements are concerned, since I workout as well, I've experimented with a lot of different types. I know that there are protein powders that are designed to be consumed awhile before a workout. They're denser proteins than whey, and take longer to be absorbed into the blood stream. If you were to do some research on pre-workout protein powders, I think that might help. Then you wouldn't have to deal with the sugars and other things in your protein bars. Other people might know a better solution though.
I went to a alternative medicine doctor many years ago. He helped me greatly. He said that my pancreas was over reactive to carbohydrates. So every time I ate simple or complex carbs, my pancreas shot out an over abundance of insulin. Even complex carbs had become a trigger. Since insulin blocked my body’s ability to use glucose, I had a low blood sugar attack. He said I needed to get my pancreas less sensitive to carbohydrates by limiting all carbs in my diet for 3 to 7 days (*not any longer). The key point is: when you eat high protein, absolutely no carbohydrates, your body cannot release insulin. None. (*Never stay on an exclusive, high protein diet long term without doctor’s care).
So, I ate a high protein diet for four days --- absolutely no carbs. That gave my pancreas time to relax, adjust, and be less trigger-happy with the insulin. It wasn’t easy. But it worked. I felt great. I didn’t crave sweets anymore. It was noticeable within 3 days. I was thinking clearer, had a good mood, and slept better. Then, I had to begin eating a healthy, balanced diet or whole grains, good proteins, fruits and vegetables. I also ate small, frequent meals, etc. Also, since my “shaky” times were at 10:00 am and 2:00pm every day, he said I should have a protein / complex carb snack at those times, no sugar (if you’re eating peanut butter with sugar in it, it’ll likely cause a reaction). He also put me on an overall, inclusive vitamin/mineral supplement, with extra Chromium Picolinate and extra B5 (for adrenal gland support/for stress). When I mess up and don’t eat right, I feel it. Hypoglycemia stinks, it’s difficult, but it’s manageable. Hope this helps someone.
That's really interesting. I can see how that would work. I've done the same thing myself, 7 day fasts of specific foods. It can really help the body readjust itself back to normal. Thanks very much for sharing.
I just started researching hypoglycemia. I have noticed that three hours after breakfast I feel nauseas, lightheaded, hunger, and a strong urge to sit down. I think I may be hypoglycemic, so I'm starting a food journal to log what I eat at breakfast and how it affects me.
I have hypoglycemia as a result of my fibromyalgia. I've learned that the glucose tablets that they make for diabetics work just as well for hypoglycemia when you are out and you can't get something to eat right away.
TS -- Good luck with that food journal. I think it'll really help.
Aponi -- Man, hypoglycemia and fibromyalgia. That's pretty rough. Thanks for the info about the glucose tablets.
Whenever I get an attack, I make sure to have a healthy snack on hand. But sometimes, even after I take it, I'm starving the rest of the day even after I've eaten. Is that normal? Or am I just eathing the wrong things?
Hmm, if it only happens after an attack, I wouldn't think you're eating the wrong foods. A hypoglycemic attack throws the body for a loop. Your blood sugar probably dips so low that your body thinks you're starving and is trying to get you to eat as much as possible. That would be my first guess as to why you feel starving the rest of the day.
In my case, I eat a half cup of rice, whether colored or polished; colored is better. My hypoglycemia episode is countered. Rice has 4 kcal. Glucose tablet might have very high sugar that the body can hardly handle. Fructose is better (from fruits, honey) that converts to glucose. You will get glucose eventually but not so abruptly. What is important in hypoglycemia is the sudden surge and sudden fall of sugar level. Serotonin has to do with hunger pangs. I assume that I have adequate supply of serotonin (from tryptophan) and I counter hunger pangs with brewer's yeast (not the baker's yeast) that supplies trivalent chromium. Chromium hinds insulin to insulin receptors so that insulin becomes more effective in driving glucose into cells.If chromium is deficient, you may have plenty of glucose, after eating, in your blood but not getting into cells so you still feel fagged out.
That's some great info Conrad. Thanks so much. Fructose definitely has a lower glycemic index and feeds into the bloodstream slower, since it first needs to be processed by the liver before it can enter the bloodstream. That makes it more consistent and gives you less of a spike.
To Isis:
Whenever I have a low blood sugar incident, I feel hungry all day (and shaky, moody, and mentally cloudy), too. In fact, it may last days if I don’t take care of it. Unfortunately, I have to eat a lot for a couple days to “catch up” or feel better. Actually, the foods I eat at these times, had to contain additional fats. Only then did I feel better. I say unfortunately because I then gain weight from the excess calories. It’s a catch 22.
This fact has led me on a quest to understand fats in relation to hypoglycemia. The short version of this story is that I started using coconut oil because it is an easy-to-digest oil. In fact, it is immediately converted into energy (rather than being stored as fat in your body). Since hypoglycemics have problems using stored fats as energy, the use of coconut oil bypasses that whole cycle. It is used as energy immediately. I’ve been using it for about a month now, and it seems to be helping me.
It is controversial because coconut oil is a saturated fat, which is supposed to be bad for you. However, there are some doctors who disagree. Even more, coconut oil makes some people actually lose weight. For more information go to mercola.com and/or earthclinic.com – to see if this avenue is right for you.
I really don’t like the taste of coconut, so I just take it like one would take a pill. Some people cook with it.
Coconut oil is medium saturated fat that makes it better than long saturated fat. There is a product called virgin coconut oil which is not heated. Heat destroys enzymes. I live in the Philippines where coconut is one of our principal products.
Thanks Gail. That's some awesome information and I couldn't agree more. I love coconut oil. I take it almost everyday. I'll give some additional info about the type of fat that's found in coconut oil.
Coconut oil is full of a specific type of fat called medium chain triglycerides. The body prefers to burn them up right away, rather than store them as fat because they're easier to metabolize than long chain triglycerides, which is what the body prefers to store. Extra virgin unrefined coconut oil is generally about 66% medium chain triglycerides, making it a very rich source. Coconut oil gives a nice even boost of energy for a couple of hours. I take a spoonful of it straight before working out, and can feel a noticeable boost in energy.
Thanks Conrad for that extra info as well. Coconut oil is awesome.
I had Gastric Bypass Surgery, and have been suffering from hypoglycemic episodes off and on. My blood sugar has gone down to 60 and probably lower since I cannot take it when in a full episode. My primary doctor has suggested my going to an endocrinologist to see what the problem is. Diabetes II is on both sides of my family. Both my parents have it. I've suffered chronic fatigue, night sweats for years even(before the GB surgery) and have had bad muscle cramping in my legs, thighs, and abdomen. I take B12 injections monthly, too. I'm wondering if there is an underlying problem?
The hypoglycemic episodes are frightening especially when I am not at home. I carry a blood meter kit, and glucose tabs, and candy with me. The other symptom I have is I don't heal well after any surgery. I had a bunion surgery and have been left with a thick scar and a toe that does not work or lay flat.
Yeah, I can see how that would be frightening. I bet the endocrinologist would be a good idea. Hopefully they'll be able to tell you what's going on with the different chemicals inside your body. It would be tough to say what the underlying problem is without tests, but the endocrinologist will be able to take a good look at all the different chemicals inside your body and how they're acting.
Just stumbled across this site. THANK YOU! I now feel you have all described most of my symptoms that have never been correctly diagnosed, the doc never knows what is wrong with me! Will concentrate more on my foods. Glad to have found you and read this.... glad its 'not just me'! x
Awesome! I really hope you get a handle on it with food. Thanks very much for stopping by.
I'm 27 years old, I would consider myself to be very fit and healthy as I attend high intensity training classes at my gym three times per week. Last year after eating a bowl of cereal and then more chocolate than I needed I had a strange turn of cold sweating, trembling, a feeling of panic and light headedness. It was very scary at the time and I decided there and then that I needed to change my intake of sugar based products. I cut out refined sugar and eat a protein based diet with wholegrain carbs. I didn't have any further attacks for at 10 months. Yesterday after eating my normal diet I had two Bagels as an addition to my daily routine. I then had my normal dinner around 7pm. Normally I would have a decaf coffee or protein shake around 10pm. I didn't have it as I was pre-occupied with something else. Once I was in bed I started to get hunger pains and then the attack came on very quickly (I would estimate within 3-4 minutes). I went from being hungry to shaking and trembling. I had to get up and eat half a banana and after a minute or so I could feel my body slowly improving. To me it shows just how important small regular meals are, especially before you go to sleep as you're not eating for 7-8 hours on average. I'm going to keep an eye on what I eat especially before I go to sleep. I'm slso going to get myself tested for Diabetes just in case there is an underlying problem.
Mark, that's smart to get tested for diabetes just in case. I hope you get a good handle on the hypoglycemia, and you're right, small protein based meals on a regular basis can really do the trick.
My daughter is 18 and started working a couple of months ago. Recently, she has been having problems, which I believe is hypoglycemia. She works evenings and usually doesn't get out of bed until the last minute, so she doesn't eat before going to work. She works as a janitor at a school. Within a couple of hours of working, she begins to feel dizzy, shaky and like she's going to throw up. I told her to eat and she does but still feels bad for the rest of the day. Am I right in thinking she has hypoglycemia and should we see a doctor or just make her become better about eating right?
That very well could be hypoglycemia. Dizziness and shakiness are telltale signs. However, it could also be that she's having negative reactions to chemicals she's working with. If she's working as a janitor, then I'm assuming she's working with some industrial strength cleaning supplies as well. Might want to ask her about that also. Just a thought.
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia as a baby, and felt the affects as I was growing up. Now I'm 29 and I don't really notice the symptoms anymore. I'm wondering if my hypoglycemia has gone away, or maybe I'm not aware that I'm experiencing the symptoms anymore because I am too used to it. I know that I should be eating small regular meals, but I never do. I'm also wondering if hypoglycemia can turn into diabetes if you don't take care of it. I'm not over weight, and I excercise regularly, so I don't think I'm the typical candidate for diabetes. Any thoughts?
Hmm, that's really interesting. I've never heard of a person being diagnosed as a baby before. I've also never heard of a person naturally getting over hypoglycemia before either. I'd think that if you'd still feel the symptoms if you had them. They can be pretty severe, as I'm sure you're aware. Maybe you're just cured. That would be awesome. I don't think you'll have problems with diabetes. Hypoglycemia doesn't have to lead to diabetes, and it sounds like you have great habits.
Benjimester, Kate's concern,
In my experience, episodes or hypoglycemia may linger while growing up or when grown up. Since hypoglycemia is more of how the body handles sugar a certain threshold when crossed upward or downward will trigger an episode. I was in grades school. When I missed my supper I would get an episode in the morning. May be due to extremes in sugar intake, stress, and tight work schedule, my threshold might have become more sensitive. So I get more episodes just by a wide variation in the interval of meals, and kind of diet. So I ensure a diet that counters hypoglycemia, and monitor my meal intervals. Of course, I take supplements and regulate my activities that are energy consuming.
Thanks Conrad. You always have great input. I hope Kate comes back to see it.
I'm so glad I looked this up, I've been having these attacks for a while and they've always been in work and because i'm an auxiliary nurse it's not easy to just step away and overcome an attack.. now I know what it is and how to overcome it i'm so much more prepared when going to work so this has been a big help :) Its funny though because it kind of runs in the family, none of us have diabetes but a few of us suffer from an underactive thyroid does this have anthing to do with this?? Anyway thankyou.
Thanks for your help Benjimester and Conrad. This forum is great!
Thanks guys! With so many people sharing their stories and tips, this has really become a helpful resource. I'm not sure about the underactive thyroid Sophie. I hadn't heard that that could contribute to hypoglycemia but the thyroid has such a diverse range of roles in the body, so I wouldn't be surprised if it could contribute to hypoglycemic issues. Hopefully someone else will know more.
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia about 25 years ago. After leaving a high stress job it got better and was no longer bothersome. However, I have recently been having a problem whenever I ate something with a lot of sugar. At first, hypoglycemia didn't enter my head as I am under the care of a doctor and my diabetes tests always came back normal. For some reason I thought of hypoglycemia and have been doing what the doctor I had 25 years ago had me do. I carry cheese sticks and nuts which definetly helps. I also eat 6 small meals a day heavy on vegtables (especially green, light on carrots). Any sugary stuff makes me go into an attack. I am hoping to get my doctors to help as I am 70 and have other problems including fibromuscular dysplasia and a rare heart condition. I don't think th hypoglycemia helps.
Suki, yeah, hypoglycemia rarely helps anything. That's good advice about the cheese sticks and nuts. I hadn't thought about cheese sticks before, but they're very portable. That's a great thing to carry around. Hopefully your doctor will be willing to listen to you. For some reason though, most doctors don't really take hypoglycemia seriously.
I have not read all the comments yet but i already know that i have found the best site in the world!!! I was dignosed 3 years ago. I have been lucky enough to control it until recently. I have been having mild spells for the past 2 weeks. My husband has been on me to go to the doctor. After reading these comments to him, he understood why i felt it was unnessasary to go!!! I knew i would be wasting my money because all they tell me is to snack more often. Thanks so much for this site!!! I am gonna get back to reading!! It is so nice to know I am not crazy or alone in this!! Can't wait to read more!! Thanks again
Krickett, awesome! I totally agree, all the people who have contributed to this page have truly made this an amazing resource. It's sad that doctors don't know how to diagnose this condition very effectively, but really awesome that so many different people have come together to share their experiences and tips for dealing with hypoglycemia. Like you said, it's awesome just to know you're not alone.
This site has made me feel a lot less rubbish. I've had countless tests for diabetes; all negative, and yet my blood sugar is constantly low. I don't have spells of hypoglycaemia, I am just constantly like this. It doesn't matter what/when I eat as that only relieves symptoms for half an hour at best.
I recently changed doctors and the new one (who hadn't read my notes) told me that lots of slim women in their early twenties got these symptoms and that doctors in the UK don't treat it but should consider taking iron tablets. I'm a vegetarian; I alreaddy take iron tablets. She then read my notes and contacted me a few dayss later a lot more concerned. I've had two 72 hour fasting tests at my previous hospital which apparently found that my A1c was abnormally high (9). I don't really understand what this means but the ddoctor implid it conracted original low blood sugar readings. They have no idea whhat's wrong with me basically but I have a month to wait and see before the neww hospital will even see me.
In the meantime it's driving my boyfriend nuts because I'm always feeling sick and tired and get depressed really easily, and it's getting close to impossible to do my job. I'm a chef. I work in a hot environmentn, often for ten or more hours a day with no break and I don't get to sit down. I had a week off work which annoyed my boss mor and what drives me up the wall is him coming in the kitchen every five minutes to ask if I've got a bowl of chips with me so my blood sugar doesn't drop. All very well but the chips stopped working a while ago and havve to reaad a ticcket four or five times before I know what food someone's ordered. Not good when you have to get something up to the waiters quickly!! I feel so down and frustrated by it all at the moment. I just want to know what's wrong and how to fix it!
Hey Jenny, sorry to hear that you're having such trouble. I hope the doctors get it figured out. The one thing that struck me was that you said you're a vegetarian. Sometimes vegetarians can have deficiencies in key nutrients like amino acids, which can cause a lot of persistent and miserable symptoms. It's hard finding complete proteins in the vegetable world, and the body needs more than 20 different amino acids to function properly. If I were you, I'd try and make sure I wasn't running any deficiencies by taking a nutrient dense green powder like spirulina or a complete plant protein like Vibrant Health's Pure Green Protein. Just a thought. I hope you start feeling better though. That sounds miserable.
Benjimester, Jenny's concern,
In the case of Jenny' work, it is really tiring and enervating. A 6-hour glucose tolerance test is for hypoglycemia. Her symptoms suggest hypoglycemia. Chips might not give her enough energy.In my earlier comments
I quoted on hot environment which I think contributes to her hypoglycemia."Other immediate causes or factors which can contribute to an attack include a higher than normal intake of alcohol, change of injection site, and hot weather (which affects insulin/glucose metabolism)" (Wright, K. "Hypoglycaema." A Guide to Diabetes. 2004:113-125). This book is published in UK.
Thanks man. That book sounds perfect.
I was diagnosed a few years ago with Hypoglycemia. I feel the crash early afternoon most days, and it seems to last for the remainder of the day. It's the uncontrollable sweats that's most bothersome, and clearly embarrassing. I work a high-stress job, don't deal well with hot & humid conditions as it is. Being Hypo in this environment seems unfavorable, but I need to make the necessary adjustments. Like many of you, I feel disoriented, probably don't make the most sense under these circumstances, my body feels clammy, my head sweats, and my ears turn fire engine red. My apologies if that's a bit over the top of a description. It's debilitating & incredibly inconvenient. I'm constantly thinking about how to prevent an episode. I like the Magnesium suggestion & will hop on that. Thank you. Any suggestions on how to counter the awkward & intense sweats, I'm all for it.
Hmm, I'm not sure how to counter sweating specifically, but I can see how that would be really uncomfortable. Having high quality snacks on hand like hard boiled eggs or cheese sticks might be able to help prevent the onset of some of the symptoms. And magnesium, like you said, has a great calming effect on the body.
I have just read a lot of the posts and was surprised by the varied symptoms and how people deal with them, a lot familiar with those of my little girl. After a frustrating three years, I am now sourcing my own information and putting together a file for my 5 year old daughter. It all started two weeks after having her mmr vaccine, a very sensitive subject with all medical staff. I picked my daughter out of her cot one morning and had to call paramedics, the day before she was happy, healthy and had been toddling around. That awful morning her eyes were fixed in one corner, she couldn't sit up or move. Her sugar levels were very low, and she was rushed to hospital. She recovered and I guess we will never know exactly what happened and why, but I am sure that the vaccine triggered something in my daughters system that has never corrected. Every time she has even the mildest illness she struggles to regulate her blood sugar level, obviously it's very stressful especially at night, if her temperature rises this can effect her blood sugar very quickly. We have seen a consultant who wants me to leave her untreated just so she can be blood tested whilst low, not for sugar levels but a rare syndrome, a risk I'm not willing to take, if the paramedics think she's so poorly that she needs to be treated, she will be treated. The annoying thing is, that several trips to the hospital and they have never wanted to run these tests in controlled conditions. She reacted badly to antibiotics for a throat infection and yet didn't test her to see if it was the medicine. This could be potentially dangerous if we were ever away and antibiotics are given to her. The last booster she had left her with a huge swollen arm and struggling with blood sugars again, it takes me a good few days to get her well again. Anything mild or otherwise that enters her system, leaves her body unable to cope. I think the consultant was hoping she would just grow out of it and says everything is fine, that I'm managing it well. Her last episode was at school, on Friday just gone, relying on fat coke to hold the fort until I can get to the school. Our doctor can't offer anymore help or advice and I'm left feeling frustrated. I asked for him to print all notes by himself and the consultant so I can contact another doctor for a second opinion. Huff :-(
I have had hypoglycemia since I was about 14, but didn't get diagnosed until I was in my mid twenties. I took the 6 hr glucose test. You fast after 8 pm, and then they take the first blood sample. Then you drink a high glucose drink, usually orange. At every hour, they take another blood sample. My blood sugar dropped at the 4th hour, and revived at the 5th hour. This is the only test I know for hypoglycemia. I have 2 aunts and 2 cousins (all female) who have hypoglycemia. on the other side of my family, we have type II diabetes. There is always the concern that hypoglycemia without diabetes may change to diabetes -- meaning over production of insulin may change to under production. However, every person is different. It is a very good idea to keep a food diary. You need a balanced diet, with low, complex carbs -- avoid simplex carbs. It's not high protein, but protein helps to level out the insulin production. I used to get horribly ill - nauseous and very hot for no apparent reason. I would lay down with a fan blowing on me until the symptoms passed. I would get very irritable, especially if I stayed up too late -- I just felt like I needed to go to bed. Not everyone has the same symptoms. Mood swings are common. I did a lot of research on the subject. You also might not have a reaction right after eating a food that might affect you -- it might affect hours later, which is why it is hard to figure out what's happening. It is important to eat about 6 times at day - 3 meals and 3 snacks. Make your last snack about 30 minutes before sleeping so as not to have dental problems (Dentists recommend this). I never went to an endoctrinologist -- just a regular doctor. Do your own research. I also found helpful books, now out of print -- one called the Low Blood Sugar Cookbook by Francyne Davis, and another book called Low Blood Sugar and You by Carlton Fredericks PhD and Herman Goodman MD. You can possibly find online for used books. Very helpful and not expensive.
Natasha, that's really sad to hear, and so angering that the medical community still hasn't taken responsibility for the fact that vaccines can come with some really terrible side effects. It sounds like your daughter's condition might be something more than just regular hypoglycemia. As such, you'll probably have some unique symptoms and scenarios that you'll have to learn to deal with. I think you've got a good mindset though, and will learn over time what kinds of things are positive for her, and what kinds of things trigger negative episodes. I encourage you to do more research to see if anyone else has had a similar experience with a vaccine causing blood sugar issues. You might be able to find some good stories. Sorry that that happened to you guys. I truly hope she does eventually grow out of it.
Robin those are awesome tips, thanks! I fully agree with you that the most important thing is to try and figure things out on your own. Doctors can be helpful, but through keeping a food journal and analyzing how your body reacts to your habits, you can really get a good plan developed for how to deal with it. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I have a copy of "Low Blood Sugar and You," too. Another book "The Chromium Connection" by Betty Kamen may help.
Wow, thanks so much for this site! It's been educational and really helpful. I plan to go in for a check up soon and running it by the doc to see what he thinks, but regardless of what he says, after reading personal experiences with Hypo and the symptoms I would say I have it. 100% certainty. I know my Grandmother has the same sensitivity to sugar as I do but now she tests her blood sugar levels and is labeled a diabetic, though I have never seen her take insulin shots. Maybe a misdiagnosis? Or I read somewhere that if you push your pancreas too much it may just stop pumping out insulin all together. That's a scary thought! Anyway I think I may have had this all my life, as I remember since I was young having terrible muscle cramps in my lower legs. It was reasonable to deal with though and I think growing up on a beef farm had a lot to do with it. I ate a lot of cheese and meat every day. And I was teased in school because I always had food with me and was munching all throughout my classes. After I moved away from home though, things started to get much worse. I've been searching for years to what could cause my muscles to hurt so bad. I did eventually make the discovery that high fructose corn syrup was a huge culprit. So I ditched that out of my diet and made tremendous progress. Then I switched to eating more vegetables. I seemed to be doing fine with that until I mostly turned away from meat. Then I would get hot flashes at night while I tried to sleep, I would wake up at any hour of the night in such hunger pain that I couldn't move, and I recently watched some documentaries about how horrible meat and milk are to your health, so I ditched both for about a week..which was a huge mistake! With that and my late carelessness with Halloween candy I had the worst episode I have ever had in my life. Anytime I ate anything I would get migraines and my back muscles would flare up in agony, not to mention how disconnected I felt mentally. During this time I found out how wonderful peanut butter is. I tried to eat a lot of raw Veggies too, but they only keep me full for about 20 mins then I get the massive hunger pains again. Right now I've been carrying a bottle of V8 low sodium vegetable juice and a jar of peanut butter to get me through the day. After the first few days I tried it I woke up without hunger pains. It was awesome! It helps a lot to always have those on hand when I start feeling hungry. I have been migraine and backache free for a few days now, my leg muscles are cramping up again but that should pass soon too as long as I pay attention to my diet. Also bursts of sprinting seem to help me recover a little bit quicker. I wish I knew a lot more medical information about how running affects the insulin levels and whatnot because this seems like it should all make sense in some fashion. I guess one last thing that comes to mind is that during an episode, it helps a lot to stay away from gluten type foods like grains and cereals. Rice doesn't bother me, pasta and bread can. I point this out because I've seen other people talk about staying away from starches. I have a gluten intolerant friend so I got a lot of information from her about it and when I applied it to my episodes, it helped me out a lot. Anyway this is my two cents on the subject. I've only recently realized how to manage it though so I can only hope my tidbits help. That and I look forward to learning more from you as well.
Cheers
Man, it sounds like you've had quite the ordeal. Did you say that bursts of sprinting help? That's awesome. I had never heard that before. How in the world did you figure that out :) Like you've discovered, having healthy snacks on you is one of the best things you can do. It can help prevent lots of attacks. Thanks very much for sharing your story.
Hey, I figured I'd pop in with a quick update. Since I'm still recovering from my last episode and I forgot my v8 drink at home :C (peanut butter only goes so far by itself) I had a chance to try the orange juice remedy and glucose tablets today. The tablets worked really well, the orange juice not so much. Here's what I found out about orange juice from www.diabetes-blood-sugar-solutions.com/treating-hypoglycemia.html: "Orange juice has a glycemic index of 47 since it is mostly fructose and must be converted into glucose. It will work - but slowly for most people." And for me, my body doesn't like fructose in general. For your question, I found out about sprinting because my first warning sign of having too much sugar in my system is in my legs. (Probably restless leg syndrome as they're calling it now) Sometimes my leg muscles literately feel like they're burning if they aren't moving. I've learned that full out exercise doesn't help, but short, quick bursts do. Insightful tidbits I hope.
Thanks for stopping by again and for your detailed description. Yeah, fructose isn't my favorite either. I'm trying to stay away from it myself for the most part. That's cool that you figured out that the sprinting helped out. I never would have guessed that. But it makes sense.
I was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia 12 years ago when I was 13, but it took a couple of doctor and hospital trips. Originally they thought it was a psychological problem. I used to get anxiety attacks half way into a hypoglaecemic attack which is kinda understandable when your hands are shaking and you feel like you are going to pass out. Having been a very skinny kid, and with the anxiety attacks it was the last thing that most doctors looked at. One doctor even tried to put me on anti-depressants. As a last resort my parents took me to one more doctor who asked me what I felt like before the anxiety attacks, she instantly did tests at different times before and after meals and diagnosed me.
She put me on a low GI Diet, ordered me to eat smaller meals more frequently and to carry snacks like nuts, or a fruit. Also keeping a snack by the bed at night. Told me not to fall into the trap of eating something high in sugar during those times because it would be likely to cause another attack.
With a good diet I was able to control most of the symptoms. Unlike many who become grumpy or angry in those times i become emotional. Its almost become my early warning sign. If I want to cry for no reason or cry easily over nonsense I know I need a snack. I have a friend that was also diagonosed with hypoglycaemia who experiences something similiar to depression during the times her dropped as well as for a day or to afterwards.
I also noticed that in winter I used to drink less water and it seems to have increased the times when my sugar dropped. So i started drinking more water and it evened out.
Debra, that's great that you were persistent enough to finally get a correct diagnosis. No offense, but that's just another reason why I'm really glad that I'm a guy :) I can't even imagine what it would be like to want to cry for no reason at all. That's just rough. Have you tried cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs? Those can be some great snacks as well. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your story. It's really encouraging to people to know that you can overcome most of the symptoms just be changing what you eat and how often you eat.
If I don't eat for a while I get so shaky that I can't even function. I have to eat right away or my day is ruined so I can understand what everybody is talking about. I would recommend staying away from things like energy drinks if you haven't eaten and when you are shaky eat something with protein and not sugar. That usualy calms me down
Oh man, yeah energy drinks are the worst. They're not good for anyone, especially low blood sugar people. Thanks very much for stopping by!
Cheese sticks are great, (well thats if they are the same as what we call cheese sticks in South Africa) the only problem is I am allergic to wheat so I've started replacing wheat with Rye products and non-sweetened rice cakes.
I remember when I was first diagnosed I looked at the eating plan I was give and thought do these people wantg me to eat like a bird? Once you get used to it, its not so bad actually.
Biltong is also a brilliant snack- i think the american equivalent would be beef jerky...
No matter how long one leaves home for its always good to be prepared with snacks.I once did a five day version of something like Survivor and was sick for about a week afterwards because of the bad eating habits in the bush. Its so important to keep eating balanced food not doing that can have a huge impact on the weeks afterwards.
I learnt the hard way that not even fasting and just eating fruit and veg is safe. Protein is such an important element of our diet.
You're from South Africa! That's awesome. I love when people find me from other parts of the world. I agree about the protein. I've modified my diet to consist of almost only protein. I think I'd die if I was forced to be a vegetarian :) I also take a nutrient dense green powder formula to make sure I'm getting all my vitamins and minerals. Thanks for stopping back by.
The other day my daughter was doing dishes and she said she smelled something funny and that her vision went blurry. She said that she felt nauseous and very hot, she went and laid down I took her temperature and it was normal. The only chemicals that she was around was the dish detergent. After she laid down for a bit she was fine. But, it scared her enough to make her cry. My sister had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant.,so we tested my daughters blood with her kit. It came out a reading of 94. Which is normal for her. So I don't get what happened.'any suggestions?
Dayan, I'm not sure what to make of that. Since she said she smelled something funny and then suddenly had a pretty violent reaction, that would make me lean toward thinking that there was a brief exposure to some kind of chemical. Otherwise, it's difficult to account for the strange smell. I've not heard of hypoglycemia affecting a person's sense of smell before, making them smell things that aren't there. Maybe you could do a thorough search of the area to try and rule it out.
Smelling strange things is sometimes a symptom of a form of epilepsy
Really? That would make sense with some of her other symptoms. Thanks Helen.
Benjimester,
Some people are allergic to some smells. I am allergic to some perfumes. Others might be allergic to detergent.
Somebody mentioned coffee. It is advisable for a hypoglycemic to avoid it.
There is an imbalance in protein that results in aciduriasis that can bring on hypoglycemia, according to Stuart Berger, a nutritionist (How to become your own nutritionist). Aciduriasis is due to heritable inability to digest some protein. So before taking some protein supplement, consult your doctor, or through a food journal as suggested by Benjimester, one should be able to identify proteins that gave trouble in digestion.
Conrad, that's good to know. Thanks for explaining that.
conradofontanilla
This is correct. I have a problem with dairy protein and have hypoglycemia ..What you or book suggest…just to avoid that protein or is there a cure?
Recently I learned how to keep my sugar level stable ..Any time I feel first symptoms…just half glass of bear will get just right amount of sugar into my blood, and will calm my adrenalin.. Anything ever helped me feel better..I don’t even like alcohol or bear.
The first approach is to avoid the protein once it had been identified. Berger says there is a cure for aciduriasis that is simply taking a balanced supply of proteins of the right kinds.
i don't know if i have any of those two things specified, but here are the symptoms i've been having.
numbness/tingling but whole body not just finger tips
rapid/slow heartbeat it varies
arms and legs feeling quite heavy and sometimes is hard to keep balance. either way i'm going to the doctor but i'd like to see what you guys think. thanks in advance
Hey Michael, I'm assuming that these symptoms all line up during times that you haven't eaten anything in awhile? If not, and the symptoms seem to strike at various times, then you may be dealing with a vitamin or mineral deficiency or something else. Your symptoms don't exactly sound like hypoglycemia to me, but different people have different reactions, so it's hard to say.
I think this was great i just turned 17 and when i was nine (starting t go through prberty) is when I first started getting symptoms of this i passed out several times my doctors thought I had an eating disorder, after they ruled that out they insisted i had diabetes it runs in my family big time, but i didn't seem to matterl what i eat i end up crashing. I have a same constant headache from hypoglycemia its nice to see people going through the same run around finaly get some awnsers
Libby, very cool that you were able to find some answers. Passing out is no fun. Hopefully, in time, you'll figure out what habits and foots set off your attacks.
I have been suffering with the cold sweats and shakiness for months now. i get two to three headaches a week sometimes more. I tested myself on my dads meter yesterday an hour after eating it said i was at 141. then when i tested myself this morning i was 65. My husband who is an EMT said that 65 is on the low side. he said that normal blood sugar levels for non diabetic people should be around 80-120. everyone keeps telling me i should get tested for diabetes. both my grandparents have it. my dad has type 1 diabetes he developed a few years ago. my mom had it while she was pregnant with my brother years ago. wheni get low i feel really sick. i feel more tired than i used to. i dont seem to have the energy to do anything. i have to force myself. i exercise regularly and eat healthy. i try to reduce sugars and i have cut back on salt intake. i am 22 years old.
Kaley, it never hurts to get tested. 65 is definitely on the low side and the doctors should be able to tell you more about what's going on. Especially if your family has a history of diabetes, getting yourself tested early can be a really good idea. And if they find out you don't have diabetes, then you can be reasonably sure that you're probably dealing with hypoglycemia instead, which most people can learn to control through the foods you eat and your eating habits.
i have hypoglycemia, and have since i was young. going without food too long..ie if i do not have a snack before bed i wake up and am shaking...and covered in sweat. i had stomach surgery as an infant an am now 31 and still do not know if it is just natural for me...or the surgery that caused it. i find though, that for me snacking every few hours and eating small meals works best. i also eat a lot of pasta, whole grains and peanut butter because i am a vegetarian (because of stomach surgery i get ulcers or get sick when i comsume red meat). i just woke up shaking to death yesterday, couldn't stop sweating and was just irritable with everyone. For me, what works is a tablespoon of peanut butter with a small glass of natural juice when this happens. Withing 30 mins I am a bit better. Hope this helps. It's not an easy thing to deal with though...i am clumsy, irritable and nauseated when this happens...and sweat a lot - which makes me more nervous lol. good to know i am not alone in being a non-diabetic that has to monitor blood glucose levels
I've read a few books over the past month or so on this topic, "Hypoglycemia for Dummies," being one of them. It was helpful, easy to read through and pick areas that seemed most relevant to my situation. What I was able to take away was that #1, Sugar is the absolute enemy & it should be avoided at all costs. I'm finding that it's not easy to do this at all. The #2 point focused on keeping whole grains out of your diet.......Really ?? The whole complex vs. simple carbs deals has me scratching my head a bit, and I've read many contradictory comments about whether foods such as plain oatmeal can be eaten. There's only so much raw fruit & veggies one can consume, dicing oatmeal & any bread source out of a diet (even for a PB&J with sugar-free jelly) makes this situation arguably even more inconvenient. I purchased a Sugar-Free/Gluten-Free Cookbook, that's all I could find on the Hypo topic, and it contains some nice recipes, but still has plenty of "whole grain" ingredients.
Any suggestions from you all out there as far as an example diet (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with 3-5 snacks in between)?? I almost feel worse because I don't know what to reach for in the cubbard.
Hey Lori, that sounds pretty rough. Sorry you have to deal with all that. Thanks for sharing what works for you. I'm a big fan of peanut butter as well, especially if you're going vegetarian. Snacking often with high quality foods is key. Also, for the shaking, you might try taking magnesium tablets, once in the morning and once in the evening. Magnesium has a super calming effect on the body and a lot of people with hypoglycemia have said that it really helps with the shaking and anxiety.
Hey Jo, if you scroll up through the comments most of the way, the commenter Nanda did a pretty detailed meal plan that works very well for her. But as far as knowing what foods in the cupboard to reach for, you really ought to consider keeping a food journal and writing down how the different foods you want to eat affect you. They hit people differently, which is probably why there's some controversy. You might try eating oatmeal, and then watching carefully to see whether or not the effect was positive or negative.
Thanks, Benj - I went up and located the daily recipe, looks like something I'll try to follow. And my apologies for my early morning typos in my last message.
Cool, glad you found it. No worries, nobody types well in the morning.
Wow, I am just so glad I found this page! I have suffered from "sugar crashes" for a couple of years, but just in the recent months it has gotten pretty bad. I went to my doc for blood test and everything came out perfect. He just told me to eat more....Really???? But after I read the post, a food diary is an excellant idea! I have found that pasta is a big trigger for my crashes! Thanks for your post!!! Now I don't feel like I am going crazy : )
Very cool, I'm glad you found us too :) Yeah, pasta can be dangerous for blood sugar levels. I've switched over completely to egg noodles because they're heavier in protein. Other pastas give me the shakes.
im not even a teeen yet and hav been diagnosed but i feel like so confused. i can never find goood foods that r good for u:(
it seems .. the doctors just say u seem fine but i dont feel fine
Elle, what do your parents think about what the doctors said? If you need to know what kinds of foods will make you feel bad, usually sweet foods like candy, soda, and junk food make a person with hypoglycemia feel bad. I hope your doctor helps you find out more about what's going wrong.
My children have glycogen storage disease. It is a rare genetic disorder that causes varying degrees of hypoglycemia. It took me 2 years and countless doctors to get a diagnosis. Please, go to www.agsdus.org to see if you may fit the profile of one of the many types of GSD. My kid
must avoid all sugar, consume lots of protein, and drink uncooked cornstarch daily. They
also need to check blood glucose levels and blood ketone levels on a daily basis. They're livers are mildly enlarged- but improving. I hope this helps someone.
That sounds like a tough condition. Sorry they have to deal with that. I'm glad you finally got a proper diagnosis and that you have a good meal plan that lets you mitigate the effects of it.
Hello,
I just lost two hours at work due to what I believe was another low blood sugar episode. I've gone months without one but am careful with what I eat. I had one day before yesterday after a flavored latte (two shots) and an egg white/turkey bacon sandwich on a whole wheat roll which caught me completely off guard. Then today, I had my normal drip coffee, but combined the caffeine with a sugary granola bar and Excedrin Migraine. I believe this combination was not only stupid on my part but caused this horrible episode. I was sweaty, extremely dizzy, shakes, nervous, & scared. This latest episode led me to this blog.
My question: has anyone else had these episodes brought on by caffeine?
Thank you for having this resource, I don't feel quite so alone!
Caffeine definitely heightens the effects of hypoglycemia for most people. There's what's called synergism that happens. Since both hypoglycemia and caffeine can make a person feel shaky, light headed, and anxious, when you combine the two together, the episode and symptoms can grow a lot worse. I never drink coffee and eat carbs together anymore. It makes me go crazy. I can't stop shaking if I do. Thanks very much for stopping by!
Thank you Benjimester, that makes me feel much better. I'll be for sure not doubling up on caffeine ever again and getting rid of the sugar/caffeine combination for good.
Totally. It's awesome that so many people are able to share and learn from one another's experience.
I went to a different doctor after seeing my endocrinologist since 1995 for hypothyrodism, he found I am hypoglocemic. I have felt bad for several years, tired, over weight, foggy. He said that a protein diet like the southbeach diet or the zone would be good, he also gave an rx of metformin, he said this would not lower my blood sugar, I am not diabetic, has anyone used this along with the change in there diet.
I've not used it before, so I won't be any help. Hopefully someone else will be willing to share.
Benjimester, I stopped for a while to see if I could help.
For Suki: I think you should go slow on carrot. It's an antioxidant but it has some side effect on hypoglycemia. You might have some kind of insulin resistance where insulin level is high such that it causes storage of glucose to fat immediately that is hard to convert to glucose, or insulin receptors are so few or had been damaged by free radicals owing to lack of chromium. Trivalent chromium (from brewer's yeast not baker's yeast) binds insulin to cell receptors facilitating entry of glucose.
For JennyLew: you might have the flat variety of hypoglycemia, that is, rise and fall of blood sugar is not abrupt but wavy below normal blood sugar level. According to Aiviola this makes your day gloomy.
For Jo: What do you eat for lunch? heavy with carb, pasta, cereals? these can give you hypoglycemic episode late in the afternoon.
Natasha: Anybody can have an allergy to antibiotic, even to a vaccine. I am not sure what you mean by "fat coke" but if it is a soft drinks, you might have a bad reaction to saccharin which is used as a sweetener. i read somewhere that saccharin is banned in 17 states of the U.S.; toluene has been found as a by-product in the production of saccharin. Toluene is listed as carcinogenic.
For Robin: hypoglycemia can move up to diabetes if the cause of hypoglycemia is insulin resistance which inhibits storage of glucose. That is, glycogen is not replenished such that energy for the brain is lacking resulting in hypoglycemia; even insulin level is high but does not drive glucose for storage resulting in diabetes. Betty Kamen, Ph.D. says insulin resistance is due to damage of insulin resistance by free radicals, few insulin receptors, and lack of chromium that binds insulin to insulin receptors. I have a Hub "How Chromium Insures Treatment of Diabetes Type 2."
For branhans: grains, cereals and pasta provoke a release of extra insulin to control their sugar contents. It could result in hypoglycemia or diabetes. Sprinting consumes a lot of energy; walking is better.
For Kaley: You may have a high level of insulin as your relatives do. This my result in hypoglycemia in your case because high level of insulin stores glucose into fat, inhibits storage into glycogen that is supposed to be used by the brain. Lack of energy for the brain results in hypoglycemia.
For Lori: she is taking a bad combination of foods. Juice, grains and pasta provoke release of a lot of insulin that stores glucose immediately resulting in lack of energy for the brain and muscles - hypoglycemia. Peanust butter gives some relief because it has a heat content of 23, whereas rice has 4, fats has 9.
For Nowwhat: First to mention zone in this Hub. Stay with zone diet for sometime, at least 2 weeks in a row and observe your body reactions. You might want to brush up on zone diet, get a book by Barry Sears, Ph.D. with Bill Lawren, "Enter the Zone."
Conrad, thanks so much for your input and for taking the time to help. It's awesome having you stop by.
Benjimester, my pleasure.
For Robin, I meant "due to damage of insulin receptors by free radicals," not "insulin resistance...."
iv been having epileptic siezures once in every 4-5years and ind its usually when am hungry or when iv been fasting since am a muslim,my doc once thought twas anemea but,today found out twas a severe case of hypoglycima
Seizures are no fun. Hopefully now that you know the cause, you can take steps to avoid them in the future.
Several people in my family have had hypoglycemia throughout their lives. When I was a kid and started to have episodes they knew right off what it was. Then I started getting stranger symptoms. On at least two occasions my lips turned blue. Thankfully, I've gotten used to it and learned to recognize it.
Your lips turned blue? That's definitely a symptom I've not heard of before. Do you have really low blood pressure as well? Are you fingers and feet always cold? Maybe when you have a hypoglycemic episode your blood pressure drops and you get lack of flow to places like your fingers, toes, and lips. That's really strange though. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi There.
I came across this website when I realized that my blood sugar is not stable. I had a blood test for all my hormones and other things. The test was taken in the morning after I had had breakfast. The Glucose level was at 2.5 when the reference level is between 4 and 6. I have no diabetes. I am thin and very active in sports. I used to overdo cycling and long-distance running which could have been a factor in becoming Hypoglycemic. To be precise, I was using it as a therapy for my nervous system, etc.
There are a couple of things noted above which I agree to when it comes to managing Hypoglycemia. That is magnesium and good-brand multivitamin. In the winter, Vitamin D helps, as well. That prescription generally applies to all Western-society people given our lifestyles. More particularly, a combination of Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid is what is usually recommended for stabilizing blood sugar.
I had various symptoms like anxiety, sadness, cravings, food addictions, head aches and mostly terrible sleep (waking up after 5 -6 hours of sleep and being terribly tired) Whether stress, bad diet, genes or whatever caused the problem, nobody knows. I ended up with a hormonal imbalance and hypoglycemia. It took years and many doctors until I found a solution to it. Despite my healthy body and organs, I used to feel terrible and get easily stressed or disoriented. Anyhow, I do believe that hypoglycemia is not a condition by itself but is accompanied by other imbalances and bad diet to the least. For example, very high percentage of modern society has hormonal imbalances that cause mildly said discomfort. Hormonal imbalances are usually not diagnosed and not necessary resulting in acute diseases that doctors treat.
Back to the topic, despite the fact that traditional medicine is very conservative and it treats people only if they are dying, do not self-diagnose and self-treat yourself.
Hypoglecemia (if on its own) could be indeed managed with the perfect diet. I agree with posts that suggests low GI foods, no starch, no gluten and even diary. Again, i agree to it because such a diet generally promotes health. However, it is much more complicated and one needs to have a lot of knowledge about nutrition before engaging in any kind of strict diets. If the condition has gone too far, supplements might be necessary apart from the MUST ones (omega 3 fatty acids, mutivatamin (good brand), magenesium, Vitamin C, probiotcs). Usually, some amino acids are good but do not just start taking. You need a specialist. Amino acids (e.g., Ornirhine), for example, stimulate the growth hormone and help your body recover.
To sum up, please read "the paleo diet" and watch the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc
The latter is not connected directly to Hypoglycemia but it is the way that one should eat and trust me it helps Hypoglycemia.
Further, find a good doctor. You might want to check your hormones. They are involved in every single process that takes place in our body. Very often imbalances are accompanied with unstable blood sugar which is our obvious night mare. Nowadays, there are doctors called anti-aging doctors. They cost money but check you thoroughly and try to bring you in balance by the RIGHT supplements and if necessary hormones. It costs money but it is worthy. Make sure the guy is a real doctor with good years of experience. Despite their name "anti-aging", they deal with young men and women, as well.
These are my thoughts in short on the topic. Good luck!
Hey, thanks so much for all your tips. It sounds like you really know the ins and outs of hypoglycemia. I'll definitely check into the Paleo diet. Sounds intriguing.
So many comments i could not read them all. I was just diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia, while being treated for hashimotos. I am very tired all the time and after i would eat certain meals, especially large portions i would fall asleep at the table. I would feel fine 20 minutes later but what a drag and embarassment. ive also noticed that i have gone from rather calm n cool to angry all the time. Ive been trying to eat 6 small meals a day with snacks intertwined in there but man do i get hungry sometimes. No matter how much i eat i dont gain weight either. My meals consists of veggies, tomato based soups, some fruit, lots of water, oj when i feel a tired spell coming on, salads, chicken, turkey, yogurt and a few more. I havent drank alcohol in almost two years and i have just cut out pop/sodas. I do not really have a sweet tooth but i cut it out anyhow. Ive also been diagnosed by my herbal dr as being celiac but my fam doc will not have that....u would think she would test me but who cares about her...for the last two years i have ate celiac diet, which helped with me not feeling sick all the time. I am plucking one specialist off at a time to see if anything else can be contributing. Nasal issues are top priority because i cant breath. Hope this information can help someone. So much to type but ive wrote a novel already. Keep strong n positive.
I just read an article you have posted about adrenaline kicking in, stress and adrenal glands. I have been under a lot of stress. Since college i have complained of having adrenaline rushes for no apparent reason too. I was diagnosed with athletes heart but years later another doc said i had nothing wrong. I wonder if ive been dealing with this for quite sometime but just never recognized it. so confusing...
I am 18 and believe that I am hypoglycemic. I am an ice skater and I am on a healthy diet as my mom is allergic to corn products. I am constantly dizzy and I can't remember the last time I didn't have a headache. When I eat the headache goes away only to return within an hour. Most of the people in my family are hypoglycemic. My grandfather had it but it has now turned into adult onset type 1 diabetes. The same is happening with my mother. I don't check my blood sugar but I think it would be wise. It seems to turn into diabetes within a few years in my family and I have been dealin with this for at least 8 years. Do you think I am hypoglycemic? Should I go try and get diagnosed?
I also do not eat candy or things with a lot of sugar because it is not appealing to me so I know I don't get sugar rushes.
Also is hypoglycemia something to put on a med alert bracelet? I need to get mine for the medicines im allergic that cause me problems.
Also I have displayed the symptoms of diabetes but brushed them off because I knew I was hypoglycemic.
Hey Kiddo, sorry it took me a few days to respond. The holidays were really busy. It sounds like you're doing everything you can. One thing that really helps me is eggs. I eat eggs as much as possible. I actually start the day off by eating 2 raw eggs in a green powder drink. The rest of the day I eat hard boiled eggs for snacks. Don't know if you've tried that at all. Best of luck though man. Falling asleep after large meals sounds like a drag.
Augusta, you definitely sound like you might be hypoglycemic. As far as getting it diagnosed, that can be difficult. Some doctors don't recognize hypoglycemia as a real disorder. The thing I encourage everyone to do is to keep a food journal. Start experimenting with different foods and eating habits and write down how it all makes you feel. Then you can figure out which habits and foods are best, and which to avoid. A lot of people can almost completely eliminate the symptoms of hypoglycemia just be changing their eating habits and the types of foods they eat. Best of luck!
Benjimester, Happy New Year!
For Augusta: Skating is enervating, uses a lot of energy that may contribute to your hypoglycemia. You seem to go hungry too soon after a meal which could be indicative of insulin resistance, or high level of insulin. In resistance your blood sugar is not driven to cells because there are few insulin receptors, receptors had been damaged by free radicals and you lack chromium. Trivalent chromium binds insulin to receptors so that glucose gets into cells. You may try taking brewer's yeast (not the baker's yeast)that supplies chromium. If you have a high level of insulin, your glucose might get stored so fast as fat that a small amount is left for your energy needs. Try brewer's yeast for a week. it does no harm. I am taking 3 tablets a day of a brand made in the USA. Before, i got dizzy in 3 to 4 hours after a meal. Now i can last for 5 to 7 hours without feeling a hunger pang. My hypoglycemia may not go away until the source of my chronic stress is cured. For now I manage it.
Ellen 13 months ago
True, it makes you feel very bad. I finally got my little children trained to not ask so many questions when I had an attack, and to give me time to get my bloodsugar back up.