Having addressed blood sugar goals, and treatment of high sugars, what about lows?Developing low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can be frightening, since most people find that they suddenly feel very shakey, weak "like someone just pulled the plug on me". If your blood sugar reading is under 70 (which means a lab would find that it is under 55- 60) or has dropped quickly over a short period of time to low-normal levels, then you may find your self feeling this way all of a sudden. If you do, DO. NOT. PANIC.
If it is convenient and safe to do so, go ahead and check your blood sugar. Certainly, if your were in a hospital or ER and said this was how you felt, we'd stick your finger immediately and find out if that was the trouble.
If it is indeed low, then have something to eat or drink. Orange juice is fine, but really anything with a few carbs is okay. A piece of bread, a few crackers a piece of candy, a piece of fruit will do just fine. You should feel back to normal in a few minutes. If you don't, then re-check your blood sugar.
It is generally not necessary to eat large amounts of food or drink over the few minutes until the hypoglycemic symptoms resolve. This can result in weight gain and very high blood sugars for hours afterwards.
The goal is to get low sugars back up into a normal range of less than 125 quickly and safely without feeling compelled to over-do it.
Certainly, frequent episodes of low sugars are something we should discuss to determine whether any of your medications doses are too high.
Low sugars that don't respond to eating, keep dropping back or are causing fainting or near-fainting are a serious emergency for which you should call 911 or be taken to an emergency department.
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